Haesung Bong

Haesung Bong is a South-Korean designer, who benefiting of full scholarships from various competitions in South-Korea, has attended some of the most prestigious design schools in Europe such as Asmod Paris and ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem. He describes the tone of voice of his designs as serene, with a sense of isolation and internalisation narrated by visualised concepts, artisanal textiles and structural silhouettes.

Photography: Oscar Raaijmakers

His current collection, 'Box Gallery',  delivers a moment of cute, lovely and experimental, with a focus on material and fabric with structural shapes. 


Haesung Bong will be presenting his collection at the Show Programme at the SAM-Decorfabriek on Saturday the 16th of June. You can get your tickets to the show here.

What made you realize that you wanted to work in (fashion) design? 

When I was in middle-school, one day, as an extracurricular activity, an art teacher invited us to an art center and they showed a film about communication and fashion designers. It was inspiring, I realized what I have to do. 


What would you say are your main achievements in your career?
Address, share and communicate what the inner side is about. 


What are your sources of inspiration?Life. 


Why did you decide to participate in FASHIONCLASH Festival 2018? What are your expectations?
I would like to share my vision and get the response to it. 


What do you love most about (fashion) design? What are the biggest struggles faced by young designers? 

At the moment I am blessed to work in fashion but it is still difficult to deal with the financial issue. 


How would you define fashion? Second skin. 


What do you think are the most important issues in fashion today?
I can’t define, we all have different issues. 


How do you think fashion contributes to society, can it contribute to a better world? 

We create a design and it creates happiness. 


What challenges do you face in the design process? What are your favorite parts of the process?
Communication, nothing more. 


Describe your design process in one word.
Serene.

How would you describe the concept behind your project (for FASHIONCLASH)? 
One day, I saw a picture of children playing with and putting up boxes. They were very cute, lovely and playing with the boxes created structural shapes. The garçons knew how to create the box couture and experimental garments. You meet the design of pieces linked by joint details and silhouettes. The collection, Box Gallery, delivers the moment of cute, lovely, and experimental.

How would you describe your project in three words? 
Visualized serene voice.

What projects are you involved in at the moment? What are your next steps?
Doing fashion as I used to do. 


What are your thoughts regarding fashion and religion?
Calling and Life. 


What does your day look like during the design process?
Ordinary life. 


Who is your favorite artist?  Nature. 


Who is your favorite designer? The Laws of Nature.

To learn more about Haesung Bong, visit his website at http://haesungbong.com

Photography: Peter Stigter