LIE SANG BONG: KOREAN INSTANT CREATIVITY

In the landscape of Asian fashion, Lie Sang Bong represents a milestone. The preeminent  Korean fashion designer, artist, and internationally recognized master craftsman is an impressive presence of charisma and creativity.

Lie Sang Bong founded his eponymous brand in 1985, creating a blend of traditional influences and innovative techniques. The result is a conceptual collection of contemporary and useful clothing.

The designer often says,”industry and art converge in my creativity, where different influences like: poetry, painting, natural elements, calligraphy, architectural elements, Bauhaus spirit and 1930’s noir movies are fused together".

Sang Bong produces every collection with special materials made when intricate techniques like laser cutting, embroidery and digital printing, are applied to natural fabrics, used alone and in combination with one another.

The designer began his career by creating couture garments for private clients at his atelier in Seoul. In 1993, he presented his first ready-to-wear collection, “The Reincarnation”, during Seoul Fashion Week. He quickly gained favor among Korean celebrities and the press and in 1999 he received the Designer of the Year Award from the mayor of Seoul.

Sang Bong has also focused his creativity on searching for a different dimension of calligraphy, exploring the Hangul characters. He has designed several porcelain pieces with Haengnam Porcelain Company, which later became part of the permanent collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

LIE SANGBONG has continued to expand its international business and, after twelve years of showing in Paris, the collection celebrated its New York Fashion Week debut with the Fall-Winter 2014 collection.

“My goal is always to move design forward in a way that pays respect to tradition while providing something that is relevant for the present. The confident, intelligent women of New York have an innate understanding and appreciation for this balance and I am excited to have the opportunity to share my collections with them,” says Sang Bong.

He expresses his creativity in any environment and in any situation.

This is the reason why projects like BLANK SPACE were born. BLANK SPACE is a contemporary art gallery, which was located in Chelsea for five years and featured many exhibitions and participated in art fairs like Scope Miami, Context Miami, and Art Southampton.

Now, BLANK SPACE is planning to infuse the space with LIE SANGBONG’s New York flagship store, opening many possibilities for artistic collaborations between art and fashion as well as art exhibitions.

A similar reasoning can be applied to LIE, a youthful and energetic brand that is from Korea’s most preeminent design house, LIE SANGBONG Maison.

LIE contains the DNA from its parent brand with an emphasis on ‘Everyday wear luxury with a twist’ , adding LIE SANGBONG’s combination of innovative design elements and details.

The style can be described as a new minimalism, where New York’s minimal style meets Paris’s chic avant-garde edginess.