story by Dana Varon
photos by Aeric Meredith-Goujon
fashion styling by Rowshana Jackson
makeup by Joel Angel
hair styling by Damon Alfonso
model is Sietzka of Fenton Moon
Sitting down with Sunghee Bang was an inspiring experience. Never mind that the tall beauty could be a model herself, her pieces are inspired by her own love of comfort, what works on her tall frame (though they can work on anyone’s frame), and androgyny.
Hailing from South Korea, a nation known for cute pieces for more petite frames, she was always looking for clothes to fit her. She wound up turning to menswear. As a designer she does not want to be defined by where she is from, but rather by her own style. Through her love for the entire design process – illustration, sewing, tailoring, and draping, she has created numerous pieces that can not only fit on anyone but can also be worn in many comfortable, innovative ways. Besides working with tailored structures that still harbor comfort, she implicated her transition to New York and her raw Brooklyn studio space in her current aesthetic by drawing on industrialism itself in her clothes. She also pulls further inspiration from her travels to places like London and Paris where she gets interesting ideas from people watching and loving various individuals fashion. She does not pigeon hole her creativity and has also branched out to making costume pieces as she did for video director friend John Karlan’s work. What she came up with was a collaboration and an intricate look into future vs. past with her astronaut and samurai costumes, which she impressively made herself, including all of the zippers and other elaborate details. This concept then tied over into her S/S 2011 line that she made into RTW wearable separates, including sheer swaths, plasma like prints and the most amazing double belt bag. Her F/W 2011 collection is a bit earthier, honing in on orange, grays, and subtle greens (sometimes mixing them) in her signature luxurious knits mixed with hardcore leather pieces. Think soft sweaters, leggings, thick hats, hoods, the most fittingly flowing long skirts, but also little leather ones, wool shorts, superbly cut coats, and more. It is a perfect mix of detailed but draped, comfy but chic.
Even though Ms, Bang is but a few seasons into her career her collections have an air of sophistication, which she attributes to putting the work in while at at FIT and utilizing those skills moving forward. Someday she would like to do a diffusion line that will be both affordable and wearable for all which she might name S. Bang…she has definitely come on the scene with a bang, so her name is quite fitting for it.
