Lee Ki Joo (Fashion Design, Senior) won first prize on Dec. 11, 2009, in ‘Art to Wear’, a fashion competition sponsored by Vogue Korea and Shinsegae Department Store. The ‘Art to Wear’ competition was organized with the aim of discovering the nation’s most talented Fashion Design students who are close to graduation.
About 500 works were submitted to the competition. Only 70 passed the initial screening. The selected works were then exhibited at Shinsegae’s main department store located in Seoul. For the secondary screening, nationally renowned designers Jin Te Ok, Lee Sang Bong, Jung Wook Jun and Ha Sang Beg, as well as models Jang Yoon Ju and Song Kyung A, were in attendance. They selected works based on creativity, artistry and execution. Only 15 works passed this secondary screening. Each appeared in the January edition of Vogue Korea, a popular fashion magazine.
In the end, Lee Ki Joo’s work ‘Mysterious Dream’ was judged best. As a prize, he was given a chance to visit “London Fashion Week”, which was held in February, 2010. His work was composed of stiff felt, a material not commonly used to make clothes. He innovatively used a wire to create an artificial feminine silhouette; the mystery of which was enhanced thanks to using wire.
Lee Ki Joo said, “I received lots of questions regarding my choice of material at the secondary screening, and I got praise from the panel of judges due to the balance between felt and wire in the clothes.”