Black Label [EN]: Chapter 67

Black Label 66

67. For the Day We’ll Remember the Fatigue

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

It was President Song who asked, standing in front of my desk, sipping his instant coffee.

I nodded once and carefully began to speak.

“Yes, I think so… Just a moment.”

Click. Click.

First, I gathered my thoughts and accessed the official ‘Paris Fog’ website.

Since it was a special 120th-anniversary research project, I was sure it would be listed on the homepage.

Soon, I muttered, “As expected….”

[ 98 – Jae Seung Lee (Republic of Korea) ]

My name was barely included, near the bottom of the list.

It was a compilation targeting all designers who had officially debuted within the last three years, so it could be seen as quite an achievement.

I stared blankly at the monitor screen, then smiled brightly and said,

“I’m listed in the research conducted by Paris Fog.”

“What? Really?”

Starting with President Song’s doubtful question, the employees began to ask questions one by one.

“President?”

“What kind of research is it?”

“Oh my god….”

I answered in a very bright tone.

“It’s research on the top 100 promising new designers. It’s a compilation targeting designers who have officially debuted within the last three years.”

To add a little more explanation, it was research data compiled by comprehensively reviewing the opinions of fashion figures associated with Paris Fog.

In other words, it was research data with influence and credibility.

Lee Kang-jun snapped his fingers once and carefully continued,

“Oh? President, if it’s research data published by Paris Fog, doesn’t it also have a general review?”

“A general review?”

“Yes. Just a moment.”

Lee Kang-jun answered briefly and immediately came to my seat and found the general review section.

Clicking on the name would bring up a new tab with a brief evaluation from those who voted for me.

I began to browse the evaluation content with the employees.

“Let’s see….”

First, it was a review written by Geraldine Saglio, an editor at Paris Fog, who had been showering me with endless affection since the last F/W [Fall/Winter] show.

[ Geraldine Saglio (Editor): In the last 2011 F/W season, Wallflower unveiled minimalist clothing reinterpreted from the perspective of owner-designer ‘Lee.’ As I mentioned in my related column, the colors and arrangements of his clothing gave me endless inspiration. ]

Not only did she give me a very generous evaluation through her column, but she was also giving me this much support.

I just wanted to treat her to a meal.

As I was wearing a pleased smile, employee Chu Ji-hoon exclaimed, “Oh?!” and immediately continued,

“President! ‘Alexander King’ is right below!”

“What? Really?”

“Oh my god! It’s really Alexander King!”

In a suddenly noisy atmosphere, I immediately began to check the next evaluation.

Surprisingly, the next evaluation was written by Alexander King himself, the owner-designer of the famous premium brand ‘Alexander King.’

[ Alexander King (Designer): Through Geraldine Saglio’s recent column, I was able to confirm the existence of the rookie ‘Lee’ who appeared like a comet. It still feels a bit immature, but if he gains experience, I have no doubt that his brand ‘Wallflower’ will also reach the premium ranks. The most surprising thing is his age. He certainly has much more talent than I did at that age. ]

He is one of the top designers with worldwide fame.

Although it wasn’t a completely generous evaluation, the fact that he was mentioning Wallflower’s positive future made my heart burst.

“Ah….”

As I was exclaiming without saying anything, Lee Kang-jun, who was holding the mouse, scrolled down again.

This time, it was an evaluation written by Virginie Mornet, a famous editor from ‘Luxury Fashion Magazine.’

[ Virginie Mornet (Editor): Unlike the other designers included in this research, he is not a designer who debuted through formal channels. If he had debuted through his country’s fashion week, I would guess that he would be ranked a little higher. ]

Nam Gwang-min nodded a few times as if agreeing and replied,

“It would have been better if we could have debuted through Seoul Fashion Week.”

Seoul Fashion Week.

As it is a large-scale event supported by the ‘City,’ it would have received much more attention.

It also promotes itself and is like a gateway for up-and-coming designers to show their faces every year.

President Song, who was standing quietly beside me, asked me with a puzzled expression,

“I was wondering, why did you hold the show on your own? Did you fail the screening?”

“No. I wasn’t eligible to apply.”

“Eligibility?”

“Yes. Seoul Fashion Week only allows brands that have been registered as businesses for more than a year to apply.”

“Hmm, I see.”

I began to browse through the other designers who were included in this research with me.

Some of them were designers whose names I had heard of.

Then, Lee Kang-jun suddenly took a long breath and carefully opened his mouth.

“Come to think of it, it’s really amazing.”

“Yes? What is?”

“All of these are harvests that we might not have gotten if we hadn’t held this F/W show.”

“That’s right.”

Every choice has its consequences.

What if we hadn’t held this 2011 F/W show?

What if we hadn’t sent invitations to fashion figures, knowing they wouldn’t even check?

What if we hadn’t paid attention to the showroom display, even at the risk of overdoing it?

It was clear that we wouldn’t have had the same sales as we do now, and we wouldn’t have had contact with ‘Geraldine Saglio,’ an editor at Paris Fog.

We wouldn’t have been evaluated by world-class designers like Alexander King, and we wouldn’t have received feedback from the prestigious editor Virginie Mornet.

Also, we wouldn’t have been ‘invited’ by Paris Fog.

Lee Kang-jun opened his mouth with a faint smile.

“Sometimes, I think you have something similar to ‘insight’?”

“You’re too kind. I was just lucky.”

To my answer, President Song sneered, “He always says he was lucky….”

After the sound of giggling filled the office for a while, I immediately opened my mouth.

“Anyway, I received an invitation from Paris Fog. They’re planning to hold a small banquet, inviting the new designers listed in this research.”

As soon as I finished speaking, President Song raised his eyebrows and asked back,

“That’s great news. Then you’ll have to leave your seat for a while?”

“Yes. I guess so.”

The timing is also right. Since the announcement of the successful candidates is just around the corner, I could use my time flexibly.

There was no need to be tied to the office.

President Song could virtually replace all of my tasks except for ‘design.’

“What’s the expected period?”

“Hmm, about a month…?”

In fact, it wasn’t a matter that would take a month. It was clear that all the schedules could be completed in a few days at most.

However, I was planning to take this visit to France as an opportunity to leisurely tour various European countries for about a month.

‘Come to think of it, this is my first time going abroad?’

Even when I was making a lot of money through ‘Replica’ production in my previous life, I had never been abroad. As a fugitive, I couldn’t even think about leaving the country.

President Song, who was stroking his chin and pondering, nodded a few times and said,

“Okay. Have a good trip. By the way, shouldn’t we have a party today?”

“Thank you. I feel reassured.”

I looked around at the employees and began to speak in a gentle voice.

“I haven’t achieved anything big yet, but I still feel new. I think it was all possible thanks to your efforts.”

After finishing speaking, I looked at the faces of the employees one by one with a kind expression.

From President Song, Lee Kang-jun, Nam Gwang-min, Chu Ji-hoon, to Yoo Seung-woo.

Only after making eye contact with all the employees did I continue my remarks.

“I once watched a commercial for a health drink and greatly sympathized with the phrase inserted in it. It wasn’t a very great phrase, but it was ‘The day will come when you will remember the fatigue of the past.'”

I deeply sympathized with that statement.

It will come.

The day will surely come someday.

I knew it well because I, who am now reminiscing about my tiring, no, agonizing past life, exist.

“My goal is clear. Since I started the Wallflower blog market under the title of ‘Reform Shop,’ my goal has been to create the best brand in the world. It’s the same now. I will silently take steps with you and eventually plant a flag on the summit.”

After taking a moment to catch my breath, I continued with sorrowful eyes.

“At that time, well… when I plant a flag on the summit, there’s something I really want to do.”

Silence flowed for a moment.

“I want to look back with you. I want to look back at the days when we were struggling with 택배 [Taekbae – Korean delivery service] boxes in an office of just over ten 평 [pyeong – a Korean unit of area, approximately 3.3 square meters]. I really mean it.”

The moment I finished speaking,

“Wow, seriously. I really got goosebumps….”

Perhaps his emotions surged, Chu Ji-hoon suddenly said, with tears in his eyes, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”

Chu Ji-hoon, who was looking around to see how others were feeling, speaking in a slightly trembling tone as if he was anxious.

The noisy yet warm laughter slowly began to fill the office.

“Wow, it’s really cool.”

“It’s kind of romantic.”

“As expected, our president is a romanticist?”

Then, Lee Kang-jun carefully opened his mouth with a subtle expectation.

“Will that day really come someday?”

I slowly nodded and answered with a confident voice.

“Yes. It will definitely come.”

A ‘solid history’ is formed only when the hard-fought days accumulate.

As I have done so far, I will work hard enough not to be ashamed of aiming for the best.

No, I will work twice as hard as I have done so far.

In order to reach a brilliant future where we can look back on the fierce past.

Anyway, my first trip abroad was decided.

The destination is Paris, France.

It’s time to realize the changes I’ve made so far. And it’s also time to make another new change.

The time has come to move on to the ‘wider world’ that I have only encountered through various media.