For the Spring/Summer 2017 collection, I wanted to show the identity of Münn as a brand. But that collection had so many pieces that were not reproducible. So even if buyers would have ordered specific styles/items, there would have been many pieces that couldn’t have been created or produced. Nowadays I put a lot more effort into creating more commercial designs. And as our brand is now a lot bigger and continuously growing, the number of stockists has increased a lot as well. So the responsibility as the CEO of the brand is also heavier.

Defamiliarization, Korean and irreplaceable.

Of course. I guess it affected all of us but in different ways. For our brand and recent collection, I would say we missed shows the most because of cancellations. For example, we’d been participating at London Fashion Week for years, but it was unfortunately cancelled this season. But gladly, we had the opportunity to participate at Milan Digital Fashion Week in July. As we are already planning for the upcoming Fall/Winter 2021 season, we are planning digital showings again. One schedule will be the Milan Digital Fashion Week in February.
On a positive note, as the sales situation on the Chinese market is still working well and the market is focused on sales during Shanghai Fashion Week, we are still able to sell our products continuously.

I would say focusing more on conscious material choices and including recycling/upcycling projects in our collections (like creating garments out of vintage ties or producing bags out of tires) are some of our biggest actions.

I mainly get inspired by exhibitions from different artists as well as music. Music and art are my main sources of inspiration.

The silhouette is always important when designing the first looks. For this season, I focused especially on the details of sewing techniques. The main concept was intended to use (and play with) pinched, fixed and pressed details, and to well visualize those details in unfamiliar ways in the garments.

Yes, Park Shinjeo is an external designer I worked with for three seasons since our first collaboration, which was for London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020. I saw her designs in a magazine and proposed a collaboration afterwards.
The brand uses different materials and creates very special new designs and shapes. For one of our collaborations, I remember they included weaving techniques and used materials like paper or Sinamay, which is a natural straw fabric made out of abaca fibres that get steamed over one hundred degrees and carefully handwoven. The designs of Shinjeo always support Münn’s Korean and avant-garde designs very well.

I would say it was kind of a developing process. As Milan Fashion Week in July was for menswear season, and womenswear season is in September/October, we adjusted and tailored the final menswear collection on women's bodies. So I guess this worked quite well. The buyers also responded very well and liked our ‘masculine’ womenswear.

I have worked for big brands like Wooyoungmi for many years, but I’ve worked for much smaller designers as well. In my opinion, a designer of a ‘small’ brand should be qualified and able to manage every single part of the company. I have learned all the processes, including sewing, pattern making, and production control. So, I guess this helped and still helps me a lot.

The feedback was quite positive. It was an unfamiliar way to show our collection on another platform, but we enjoyed this new experience. I think the first item that comes to my mind when I think of this collection would be the black fixed lapel blazer with white buttons.

Our next project will be our next collection and the upcoming showcases, like Milan Digital Fashion Week. We truly hope to show physically on the runway in the future, as soon as the pandemic situation improves. We hope for everyone’s safety and health during this time.