hai Nothing Written
We are thrilled to include a journal dedicated to the collection developed in collaboration with one of our favourite brands, NOTHING WRITTEN. It was an absolute pleasure to work on this collection with the NW & W. Concept teams. Discover a collection encapsulating both brand identities consisting of ready-to-wear, bags and accessories designed in our signature silk.
We got in touch with Young-Ju Lee, the founder and creative director of NW to ask her about the collaboration and insights behind her own brand. Continue reading to hear about the Young-Ju's inspirations, goals and what she get's up to when she's not designing.
What do you do?
I am the founder and director of a brand called NOTHING WRITTEN in Korea.
Has being the founder and designer of a fashion brand always been your goal?
I think I was influenced a lot by my mother and grandmother who liked to dress well. My grandmother was really cool. She didn't go out of the house if the colour combination didn't match when styling. Ive never dreamed of anything other than being a fashion designer since my teenage years.
What is your favourite part of doing your job?
The most interesting part of my job is to visually express the woman that inspires NW by taking out images or situations in my head, making clothes, and imagining moments in pictures and videos every season.
The NW customer is described as “A distinctive, self-aware woman." Would you say you are a reflection of her?
That's right. NW customers recognise what kind of woman they want to portray. I always think that simple is best, and Nothing Written is very similar to me.
The designs of NW are very focused on tailoring and construction. What is your creative process when designing for an upcoming collection?
While preparing for this collection, there was an expansion of our flagship store. I got a lot of inspiration from the interiors, architecture, and fashion items of the Art Deco era.
What/where/who inspires you?
My main inspirations are old movies, photographs, and magazines, and I often travel to lots of places every year. I like to observe the emotions and behaviour of people in unfamiliar places, and the way they dress. Vintage and old things, mostly everything from the 1970s and 80s, seem to inspire me a lot.
Who do you go to for advice?
I think I get the most advice from my friends, seniors, and juniors in the fashion industry. We can solve the same problems differently from person to person.
What are some of your favourite things to do when you have time off from work?
I enjoy reading books, not thinking about anything, and meditating in the sauna. I focus on emptying my mind when I'm not working because I work with so many different images and references from day to day. I do this so that when I've cleared my mind as much as I can, I can imagine new ideas.
What was the best part of creating a collection in collaboration with Hai?
I decided to collaborate with Hai because it was a brand that was in line with NW. I thought it would be interesting to combine Hai's silk diversity and NW's basic and concise design. As a result, various clothes and bags came out, and personally, I enjoyed working on the bags the most.
What is your favourite pieces from the Nothing Written x Hai collection?
My favorite piece is Mini Silk bag. I love the design of the mini bag and I think the combination with Hai's silk fabric was fun.
What do you do?
I am the founder and director of a brand called NOTHING WRITTEN in Korea.
Has being the founder and designer of a fashion brand always been your goal?
I think I was influenced a lot by my mother and grandmother who liked to dress well. My grandmother was really cool. She didn't go out of the house if the colour combination didn't match when styling. Ive never dreamed of anything other than being a fashion designer since my teenage years.
What is your favourite part of doing your job?
The most interesting part of my job is to visually express the woman that inspires NW by taking out images or situations in my head, making clothes, and imagining moments in pictures and videos every season.
The NW customer is described as “A distinctive, self-aware woman." Would you say you are a reflection of her?
That's right. NW customers recognise what kind of woman they want to portray. I always think that simple is best, and Nothing Written is very similar to me.
The designs of NW are very focused on tailoring and construction. What is your creative process when designing for an upcoming collection?
While preparing for this collection, there was an expansion of our flagship store. I got a lot of inspiration from the interiors, architecture, and fashion items of the Art Deco era.
What/where/who inspires you?
My main inspirations are old movies, photographs, and magazines, and I often travel to lots of places every year. I like to observe the emotions and behaviour of people in unfamiliar places, and the way they dress. Vintage and old things, mostly everything from the 1970s and 80s, seem to inspire me a lot.
Who do you go to for advice?
I think I get the most advice from my friends, seniors, and juniors in the fashion industry. We can solve the same problems differently from person to person.
What are some of your favourite things to do when you have time off from work?
I enjoy reading books, not thinking about anything, and meditating in the sauna. I focus on emptying my mind when I'm not working because I work with so many different images and references from day to day. I do this so that when I've cleared my mind as much as I can, I can imagine new ideas.
What was the best part of creating a collection in collaboration with Hai?
I decided to collaborate with Hai because it was a brand that was in line with NW. I thought it would be interesting to combine Hai's silk diversity and NW's basic and concise design. As a result, various clothes and bags came out, and personally, I enjoyed working on the bags the most.
What is your favourite pieces from the Nothing Written x Hai collection?
My favorite piece is Mini Silk bag. I love the design of the mini bag and I think the combination with Hai's silk fabric was fun.