Seoul Fashion Week 2017 kicks off, with eye on expansion

2017 F/W 헤라서울패션위크 개막\n\nIt\'s that time of the year again... when Korea\'s fashionistas meet under one roof for Seoul Fashion Week. \nDesigners and organizers are working overtime to dazzle buyers... and ensure Seoul garners greater recognition as a leading city in global fashion.\nKim Min-ji shows us what\'s hot this season. \nKorea\'s contemporary fashion industry is relatively young -- only dating back to the 1950s -- and it has yet to attain global recognition.\nBut top notch Korean designers are moving up the ranks,... while also seeking to share their expertise with the next generation.\nRubina Collection is one example.\nThe contemporary women\'s wear line started 37 years ago... and it recently launched a second line with more dynamic pieces.... to expand its customer base.\n\n\"Fashion isn\'t something that happens in a year or two. You have to keep working on it -- researching and trying new things. But nowadays a lot of young people just jump into the industry and leave. They need to have passion and get out there into the field if they want to succeed.\"\n\nRubina is one of over 60 brands taking center stage at this year\'s Seoul Fashion Week -- which opened Tuesday with an array of cutting-edge designs and concepts for the coming fall and winter season.\n\n\n\"The show is now its 17th year. Its relative youth gives it an air of excitement and possibility,... but it\'s also that much more important for the participation of more industry veterans as well as young designers... to make the event a global attraction.\"\n\nA growing number of foreign buyers and press are taking an interest in Korean fashion,... but the country still has a tough road ahead.\n\n\"Fashion weeks generally need to attract between one- and two-thousand buyers to get business going and be considered a success, but in Korea the figure is between 200 and 300. That figure is growing, and we\'re in the process of expanding.\"\n\nAnother challenge is the Seoul event is later on the calendar than other major international fashion weeks,... so buyers have already made the rounds of other events.\n\n\"At the end of the day, it\'s a festival. There needs to be more events on the sidelines for greater participation. If the media, the government, the private sector, the public all participate to create a festive mood -- business will follow -- as more people will post information and it will circulate.\"\n\nIndustry watchers say designers should also target markets where the Korean Wave is popular... and the Korean brand will catch on both in Asia and around the world.\nKim Min-ji, Arirang News. \nVisit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages\nFacebook(NEWS): \n\nHomepage: \nFacebook: \nTwitter: \nInstagram: