Jungle Rose by Lee Kyung Hwa
INTERVIEW
Even before the digital age, she has been creating meticulous patterns on fabrics, stroke by stroke. With over 30 years of experience, her impeccable brushwork continues to live on modern day computer tablets and photoshop canvases. We interviewed textile designer Lee Kyung Hwa, who lived through an age when women were repressed, Asians faced substantial obstacles to success, and technology advancement thrived, is persistently creating her own radiant designs day after day.
Lee Kyung Hwa - Head Designer of Lee Kyung Hwa Textile Design
A 'maestra of patterns', Lee has continuously created designs with a keen sense of detail, staying on top of the latest fashion trends for over 30 years. In fact, Lee has expanded her abilities to digital platforms, refusing to fall behind the fast-moving industry. Hence, Lee Kyung Hwa's patterns are enduring, captivating and elegant.
PART 1. With MUTEMUSE
- Q. What was your experience like working with straps instead of textiles?
- A. On textile, patterns are strictly repeated on a rather larger canvas. Straps, on the other hand, are unusual circumstances; layout is limited, and the designs have to be done in the 'all-over placement' method for the irregular patterns to blend together.
- Q. From the designer's point of view, what distinguishes this strap from others?
- A. I chose to express classic motifs in very traditional methods. Roses, leopards, thick green botanic elements are nothing new, but that's what makes them feel very vintage.
- Q. At the same time, something feels a bit mysterious and strange.
- A. You're right. The most interesting aspect of <Jungle Rose> is the hint of oriental qualities, despite the fact that the design doesn't include any particular motifs.
- Q. Oriental qualities?
- A. It comes from the style of drawing. The contrast is elaborate and the outlines are very distinct, while the colors are vibrant. It’s not lightly sketched and the technique of the pattern makes it look rather weighted and embroidery-like. The pattern surprisingly compliments the dense texture of the leather quite well.
- Q. Among the other MUTEMUSE straps, which one did you like?
- A. <Rainy Flower> caught my eye. The design has the poetic, European ambience, perhaps because the designer is British.
PART 2. Past & Now
- Q. In an interview back in 2010, you mentioned that you were still designing by hand. What made you switch to using computers?
- A. Interestingly, it had to do with 9/11. The incident heavily affected the fashion industry around the world. Camouflages were in at the time, but anything reminiscent of the military completely disappeared after the attack. I wasn't an exception and wasn’t getting project offers from overseas. I was forced to drastically downsize the studio and had to let go of a number of my employees.
- Q. Was there a more specific reason why you started working on computers?
- A. I was short-handed with work one day, and my daughter suggested me, "Computers could let you be so much more productive." I was motivated and started learning right away. I figured it would take like a week, but I was obviously wrong (laughs).
- Q. Picking up Phoshop couldn't have been easy.
- A. It was excruciating. Staring at my age made it even harder. I had trouble keeping up with the class. I had to keep telling myself, if it took a year for the students in their twenties to learn something, it would take me five. Same with tablets. My younger daughter told me, "Even I had trouble getting used to those things. How will you ever manage?" I was so motivated and practiced harder, to the point that the parts of my hand that touched the tablet were covered with calluses and blisters.
- Q. How did the transition affect you?
- A. Work process became 4-5 times faster. Before, I had to mount the textile onto a frame, do the sketches to mix, and apply each pigment individually. It took hours to dry and corrections were nearly impossible. I still draw the details and elaborate motifs by hand, but I transfer the drawing onto the computer to adjust the colors and placement.
- Q. Do any of your older clients ask for hand-drawn pieces?
- A. They don't notice the difference unless I tell them that I used Photoshop. (laughs) Even though my works are done on computers, they still look hand-drawn. Even now, brands ask if I have digital files of the designs. I sure do.
- Q. Do you miss the hands-on process?
- A. Not at all. Tools are bound to change as technology advances. In the end, learning how to use the computer turned out to be one of the most rewarding achievements of my life. Never hesitating to learn and grow is probably the proper way to set an example for your grown-up children who are no longer dependent on you.
- Q. You're probably the only Korean textile designer from your generation.
- A. It's possible. I can't think of another Korean textile design studio that has been in business since we have. Patterns are also available much faster and cheaper nowadays...