Black Label [EN]: Chapter 53

Black Label 52

53. Cards in Hand

No sooner had Kim Min-hyuk finished speaking than all eyes in the venue turned towards him.

A chilling silence hung in the air for a moment.

Clap, clap….

Then, as if a dam had broken, applause erupted from every corner of the room.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap-!

Amid the noisy applause, cheers and whistles mixed together.

A question popped into my head: ‘Have I ever received this much attention in my life?’ The answer was a definite no.

“Oh my god….”

Jae-seung, unable to hide his embarrassment, covered his face with both hands.

Lee Kang-jun, who was enthusiastically applauding from across the room, said with obvious pleasure, “Mr. President, you’re quite the popular guy, aren’t you?”

Oblivious to the turmoil brewing inside me.

“I guess so.”

“Shouldn’t you go out there and say a few words?”

“Huh? What kind of….”

Just as he was about to retort, questioning the sanity of such a suggestion, Kim Min-hyuk, standing on the small stage inside the bar, gestured lightly and spoke again.

– Jae-seung, why don’t you come up here for a moment and say hello?

It was like pouring gasoline on a raging fire.

“Wowwwww-!”

“Wowww-!”

Thanks to the shouts erupting from everywhere, his head felt like it was spinning. Soon, Jae-seung, as if compelled by an unseen force, slowly began to move towards the stage.

As Jae-seung took his first step onto the stage, Kim Min-hyuk handed him the hand microphone and said quietly, “Jae-seung, you look pale. Are you okay? Do you feel sick?”

Sick? I think I have a bit of a headache, thanks to you. No, I think I have a lot of headaches….

Swallowing the words that were fighting to escape his throat, he replied in an indifferent tone, “No. I’m fine.”

Jae-seung slowly looked around at the designers seated at the tables, and then carefully began to speak.

– Hello, I am Lee Jae-seung, the head designer of the new designer brand Wall Flower.

As soon as Jae-seung finished speaking and bowed, thunderous applause erupted once more.

But only for a moment.

As Jae-seung raised his palm as if to ask for silence, the hall quieted down again.

– First of all, this is the first time in my life that I’ve received so much attention, so I’m a little embarrassed. I really didn’t expect this.

It was the truth.

I thought this would just be a place where people who knew each other sat together, quietly drank, talked, and had thoughtful discussions about the future of the Korean fashion industry….

Well, that’s what I thought it would be.

I certainly didn’t expect it to be a place where I would be subjected to such…embarrassment.

Until a few minutes ago, the atmosphere was reminiscent of a club, but suddenly it had transformed into something akin to a year-end entertainment awards ceremony.

– Anyway, it’s an honor to meet you all. I think it would be best to keep it short rather than bore you with rambling words. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Considering his lack of public speaking experience, it could be said that he did a decent job.

As Jae-seung bowed his head once again, cheers erupted from everywhere again.

After finishing speaking and returning the microphone to Kim Min-hyuk, Kim Min-hyuk fluently continued with the event.

Before long, the music that had been temporarily paused began to play again, and Jae-seung stepped back down from the stage.

‘What the heck is this….’

Kim Min-hyuk had warned him in advance, saying that there were many designers who wanted to meet him.

I just thought it was something he said to be considerate of my feelings, but witnessing the reality made me feel differently.

When he returned to the table where he had been sitting, faces he had never seen before were occupying the empty seats.

‘Huh…?’

Just as Jae-seung was wondering what was going on.

“Mr. President. This is the owner and designer of the jeans brand, ‘Plap Jean’.”

“Hello, I’m Yoo Dong-hae from ‘Plap Jean’.”

“And this is the owner and designer of the street brand ‘Number’.”

“It’s an honor. I’m Kang Seong-beom from ‘Number’.”

Jae-seung, who had been momentarily stunned, quickly regained his composure and gave a brief self-introduction.

“Ah, yes! Nice to meet you! I’m Lee Jae-seung, the head designer of Wall Flower!”

Jeans brand ‘Plap Jean’ and street clothing brand ‘Number’.

Both brands held a solid position in the market, one that couldn’t be compared to Wall Flower’s current standing.

Wall Flower’s sales might be overwhelmingly superior right now, but that was just a temporary situation.

These two were people he had only seen in magazines in his previous life.

‘Amazing….’

The first meeting with famous designers who were quite well-known in Korea took place in a friendly atmosphere.

First, after exchanging contact information, they began to exchange the usual pleasantries of a first meeting.

“I can’t believe I’m meeting a super rookie who appeared like a supernova right before my eyes. It was worth taking the time to come here.”

“I know. I really enjoyed the new products from this S/S [Spring/Summer] season. The Paint Jeans that were released were truly shocking.”

“That’s right, that was a real hit. I have a pair myself.”

His face grew hot from the constant praise. After repeatedly saying “Thank you” out of embarrassment for a while,

Jae-seung quickly changed the subject.

Naturally, most of the conversation revolved around design. What concepts they planned to use for future products, which designers or artists they admired, and so on.

Although the content of the conversation was somewhat limited, it was still the kind of thing designers would naturally be immersed in every day.

Thanks to that, he was able to converse without feeling out of place.

“So, Jae-seung, where do you usually get your inspiration from?”

“I get most of my inspiration from real life, but I also draw a lot from ‘Pop Art’ and ‘Youth Culture’. Recently, I’ve been looking at graphic art with interest.”

At Jae-seung’s words, Yoo Dong-hae clapped his hands once and asked excitedly, “Oh? Oh my god! Then do you know the graphic artist, ‘Jenny Holzer’?”

“Of course, she’s one of my favorite graphic artists.”

“Wow, I think we’re going to get along really well! Anyway, you’re really amazing. Good clothes don’t just come out of nowhere.”

As the conversation continued, everyone couldn’t help but admire Jae-seung’s knowledge and experience.

They sensed that he possessed a deep understanding of not only design but also the broader field of art.

Even the possibility of collaboration was mentioned several times.

Of course, it was just a verbal, indefinite promise.

A casual expression of interest, suggesting that if the timing was right someday, they would like to try working together.

Although it was impossible to know if they were sincere or just making conversation because they were drunk.

While having that kind of conversation, the saying ‘history is made at night’ suddenly came to mind.

‘Could it be that the collaboration between Supreme [a popular streetwear brand] and Louis Vuitton also started with a drink?’

Could it be that historical works that excited the world were born in such a casual way? It didn’t seem like a completely unreasonable idea.

As the conversation was in full swing, other designers began to approach Jae-seung’s table one by one.

“Seong-beom, Dong-hae. If you’ve talked enough, please step aside a little. We also want to get to know the rookie designer.”

“Okay, okay. Jae-seung, we’ll come back later.”

One person would leave, and another would arrive. Even if they didn’t recognize him, designers whose brand names they had heard so often that their ears were sore came up and shook his hand. They asked for his number and initiated conversations.

Anyway, one thing was certain.

Among the many tables at ‘BaraBang’, the venue for the ‘Designers’ Night’ event, the turnover rate of the seats where Jae-seung and Lee Kang-jun were sitting was the highest.

However, not everyone in the venue was friendly to Jae-seung.

Perhaps unhappy with the attention being focused on Jae-seung, some people were busy shooting him envious glares.

There was no need to pay attention to them, and he had no energy to waste on those who antagonized him for no particular reason.

Even if those people wished for his failure out of jealousy, nothing would change.

He knew that fact very well.

He was simply trying to enjoy the evening as much as possible.

* * *

The event ended about four hours later.

Most of the attendees were quite drunk due to the high alcohol content, but Jae-seung and Lee Kang-jun were exceptions.

Jae-seung had only consumed carbonated drinks and water while sitting at his seat, and Lee Kang-jun, who had to drive back, had done the same.

“Kang-jun, are you very tired? Thank you for your hard work today.”

“No, no. I really enjoyed it.”

Lee Kang-jun, who answered quietly, yawned widely while gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Some of the designers who learned that the ‘D or D’ series was Lee Kang-jun’s work showed great interest in him as well.

Thanks to that, Lee Kang-jun also managed to get the phone numbers of several designers.

Just as Jae-seung was staring blankly out the car window.

“It doesn’t feel real.”

Lee Kang-jun suddenly spoke.

“Yes?”

“I’m talking about my reality.”

Contact, conversation, and exchange with famous designers who were seen on TV, in designer audition programs, or in magazines or webzine columns.

It seemed that all of those things were making Lee Kang-jun feel restless and excited.

“It all feels like a dream. So I’m really grateful to you, Mr. President.”

“Huh? You’re grateful to me?”

“Yes. You gave me this unreal present.”

Silence flowed through the running car for a moment. Jae-seung smiled and added in a gentle tone, “I didn’t give it to you. This is just the result of Kang-jun’s own hard work.”

With those words, silence returned.

Jae-seung leaned his head against the passenger seat window and was busy looking through the numbers that had been newly added to his phone book that day.

The number of cell phone numbers newly registered today was seventeen.

Moreover, the owners of the numbers were all designers with considerable influence.

Designers’ night.

It was a time to confirm that more people were paying attention to his actions than he had thought.

A super rookie designer who is being watched by industry officials and some dedicated fans.

That was the current Korean fashion industry’s perspective on Jae-seung, and the label they had arbitrarily assigned to him.

So, are you satisfied?

Never.

The goal is much higher. Now that I’ve only taken my first step, I have no intention of being intoxicated by this small success, nor do I have any intention of being complacent.

The real ‘challenge’ starts now.

No, to be more precise….

It’s from this F/W [Fall/Winter] season.

* * *

The next morning, all employees except Yoo Seung-woo, from the logistics and delivery team, were gathered in the office. It was because of a ‘major announcement’ related to this F/W season.

“From tomorrow, we will start the design contest for this 2011 F/W season. The title concept is ‘Minimalism of Design and Color’.”

Minimalism.

A word that comprehensively represents simple designs and linear silhouettes of clothes that have removed all decorative elements.

Silence hung for a moment.

Lee Kang-jun carefully opened his mouth in a serious tone, “Minimalism… Isn’t that too much of a radical challenge?”

It could be said that it was a completely opposite concept to Jae-seung’s original design philosophy, which focused on detailed elements and eye-catching accents.

This was evident even in the ‘Biker Jeans’ with zippers below the front pocket, or the ‘Paint Jeans’ that scattered paint on the front to break up the plainness.

This was like venturing into a completely new territory.

It was such a radical departure that it was akin to a ballad singer suddenly announcing they were going to start playing rock music overnight.

However, Jae-seung’s resolve seemed firm.

“There will be no change in the concept itself. Through this F/W season, I plan to instill the perception that the brand ‘Wall Flower’ has no limits.”

It was clear that he also wanted to prove that Wall Flower could explore various ‘looks’. However, that wasn’t the only reason.

‘Certainly, the trend for the 2011 F/W season was a unified atmosphere of minimalism….’

‘Alexander Wang’, ‘Phillip Lim’, ‘Calvin Klein’, ‘Armani’, etc.

Designers from several famous brands would soon be holding collection shows on the theme of minimalism.

There were only four designers that I remembered. Countless famous designers would be holding shows on the theme of minimalism this year’s F/W season.

That is, this year’s trend is ‘minimalism’.

Following the trend isn’t everything, but at least I wasn’t without confidence.

“Okay! Everyone, let’s do our best and show what Wall Flower’s ‘minimalism’ feels like. And as I said before, from this time on, we will receive completed ‘samples’. All expenses including fabric and subsidiary materials will be processed with receipts.”

Soon, Chu Ji-hoon shrugged his shoulders once and said in a light tone, “Um, what should I call this… It feels like I’m starting to prepare for the final exam as soon as the midterm exam is over?”

It seemed like a casual remark, but it was a very apt description.

This was because the sales of the S/S season clothes were still going strong, and the number of orders wasn’t even showing signs of slowing down.

It was clearly too early to start preparing for the F/W season in earnest.

But, it couldn’t be helped.

“Yes. I think we have no choice but to proceed full speed ahead this time.”

“Well, it’s also a challenge to a completely new field….”

Just as Nam Gwang-min was about to continue speaking, Jae-seung shook his head and replied again, “That part is also taken into consideration, but I’m thinking of taking on a more interesting challenge this F/W season.”

“A more interesting challenge?”

“You’d better think harder this time. If you want to see the models wearing your clothes walking on the runway.”

Soon, the employees began to open their eyes wide as if they had made a promise.

“Huh….”

“No, really?”

Jae-seung smiled brightly, snapped his fingers once, and replied, “Yes. I’m thinking of putting on a ‘show’ this time. Wall Flower’s first show.”

In fact, a ‘show’ had plenty of potential to become our own festival. It was also intended to be submitted as an entrance portfolio, so it was meant to be carried out formally.

But.

Recently, the plan has started to change quite a bit.

First of all, I have a celebrity to invite.

Ryu Seung-ho.

And as of yesterday, the number of ‘industry officials’ who can be invited to the show has increased significantly.

Seventeen new designers who have been newly added to the phone book.

As a rule, it is right to make the most of the weapons you have.

So, I was thinking of making the most of it through this show.

Boldly.