The old guard of the list, Woo Young Mi was born in Seoul in 1959 and grew up in an, at times, tumultuous post-war Korea where she was lucky to find creativity within her own home; her father headed an architectural firm and her mother taught art and piano. Her parents’ influence clearly rubbed off because she chose to study fashion at Sung-kyun-kwan University in Seoul. After graduating in 1983, she subsequently won the Osaka International Fashion award. In 1988, Woo launched her menswear label SOLID HOMME, becoming the first menswear ready-to-wear female designer in Korea; a year later, Woo’s sister, Woo Janghee, graduated with a degree in fine arts and joined the design team. In 1993, with an eye on giving Korean designers a larger platform, Woo began “New Wave” as a way for young designers to present their work, thereby paving the way for what is now known as Seoul Fashion Week. In essence, Woo also paved the way for her future self, because, in 2002, she founded her namesake label with the intent of solidifying a space for Korean designers within the global fashion marketplace. In 2014, Woo expanded her design team when she brought her daughter, and Central St. Martins graduate, Katie Chung on as joint Creative Director.

As a brand, WOOYOUNGMI has experienced tremendous success within its fifteen years of existence. The label’s first year saw it show as part of Paris Men’s Fashion Week; by 2006 the brand had opened a stand-alone store in Paris, with a design studio opening there three years later, and, in 2009, WOOYOUNGMI launched in Japan. Like its conceptual Japanese counterparts, such as Undercover, WOOYOUNGMI does not attempt to convey a constant aesthetic. Instead, Woo Young Mi, Woo Janghee, and, now, Katie Chung, play off their contrasting personalities to create what they view as “the perfect balance,” while keeping their ideal, and unchanging, man in mind. The brand approaches fashion as a synonym for art, and strives to create beautiful and sophisticated collections that cause the wearer to break free from the tedium of everyday life, even if only for a moment. For example, WOOYOUNGMI’s S/S 2017 collection, “Organised Chaos,” took inspiration from the mathematical precision of Solomon Sol Lewitt’s art, which resulted in geometrically patterned garments mixed and matched into cohesive looks meant to bring Lewitt’s art into the wearer’s daily routine.

Similar in many ways to Woo Young Mi, Juun.J is a longtime fashion insider. The designer graduated from ESMOD Seoul in 1992 and went on to work for brands such as Chiffons, Club Monaco, and NIX. In 1999, he launched his first label, Lone Costume, which he presented at Seoul Collection from 2001 through 2006. In 2007, Juun.J. debuted his eponymous collection at Paris Men’s Fashion Week. Over the past ten years, the brand has gained worldwide followers and stockists, while being nominated for numerous prizes, including the 2010 Swiss Textile Award.

Known for what he defines as “street tailoring,” Juun.J utilizes—then deconstructs— traditional tailoring techniques within highly conceptual collections that change from season to season. His Spring/Summer 2018 collection takes on the theme of “contract and expand” and attempts to recontextualize traditional shirting and trouser fabrics within oversized, flowing silhouettes that defy gendering. Although the designer draws influences from many places, one constant is the use of military details and fabrics, which pays homage to the time he served in the South Korean military. Juun.J’s main concerns when designing are innovation and consistency: “The most important element is that all drawings must belong together, they must have something in common and show a leitmotif,” the designer told Vogue Italia in 2011.

Unlike Juun.J and Woo Young Mi, General Idea founder and designer Choi Bum Suk is an unlikely success story. Choi has described himself as “a young man who loves clothes and knows nothing but clothes,” yet the designer has no formal training and didn’t even graduate high school. While working a part-time job at a clothing store as a teen, Choi “found an empty stretch of wall in Seoul’s artsy Hongdae district and decided to run a street shop by displaying clothes up against the wall.” Despite an unusual beginning, Choi’s shop experienced increasing success, and the designer began stocking more and more of his own designs while also selling fabric in the Dongdaemun market. Eventually, Choi grew enough recognition to show his clothing at Seoul Collection.

In Spring 2004, Choi debuted General Idea and by 2008 the designer was showing at New York Fashion Week—the first-ever Korean designer to do so. While General Idea’s first few seasons were marked by a limited (mostly black, grey, and white) color palette paired with tailored details, since then, the brand has incorporated more and more sportswear influences and relaxed silhouettes. For the past two seasons, Choi has featured both men and women in his runway shows while trending toward unisex garments. Yet, General Idea is still very much a product of Choi’s varied inspirations, which include movies, music, books, art, and his idol, Helmut Lang. And, although, his process is relatively consistent—Choi generally starts with three themes and narrows his scope to the one that seems most expandable—the designer’s collections vary widely, from minimal and militaristic for Fall/Winter 2017 to bright and text based for Spring/Summer 2018.

Based in Seoul and founded by Korean-American Kathleen Kye, KYE debuted for Fall/Winter 2011 with a small, exclusively black and white collection inspired by a dream the designer had in which she was squeezed by King Kong’s giant hand. Since then, KYE has grown significantly in scope and acclaim while producing more wearable, while still playful, collections. A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Kye initially created her brand with the idea of mixing elements of fun into traditional representations of masculinity. Over time, the designer has increasingly relied on her love for hip-hop for inspiration, which comes through in collections that feel reminiscent of high fashion-meets-streetwear brands such as PHENOMENON, Public School, and, at times, Jeremy Scott (it’s no surprise that Opening Ceremony has been a stockist).

Despite still being new to the scene, KYE has already experienced impressive success. The brand boasts a significant celebrity following (especially among K-Pop stars)—many of whom gravitate toward the brand’s unisex, pop aesthetics and clever use of faux fur—and won the 2014 Samsung Fashion Design Fund, while being named a finalist for the LVMH Prize for Young Designers. After showing at London Fashion Week its first season, KYE staged at New York Fashion Week (as part of Concept Korea) for five consecutive seasons through Fall/Winter 2014 and now shows in Seoul.

Founded in 2013 by second-generation Korean-American brothers Kevin and Terrence Kim, IISE (which translates as “second generation”) strives to mix Western tastes with Korean traditions. After initially trying to start a sneaker brand in China, where they were living at the time, the brothers travelled to South Korea in 2011 and became enamored with the amalgamation of Eastern and Western aesthetics that reminded them of the interior design of their childhood home; this experience convinced the brothers to build a brand that could offer an authentic mix of Korean and American cultures.

IISE began with bags and small accessories, but has rapidly expanded into a fully-fledged fashion line, starting with Fall/Winter 2015. The brand now boasts its own studio/showroom in Seoul, where it also produces all of its items, many of which draw inspiration from Korean art, architecture, and production processes; early iterations of their bags and dopp kits featured handles that referenced ancient lotus door rings, but the brand’s allusions to Korean aesthetics have become subtler over time. IISE also utilizes traditional fabrics such hanji (paper from a Korean mulberry tree) cloth and natural dying techniques that give their productions a one-of-a-kind feel. And, like KYE, IISE also draws inspiration from hip-hop; the brothers found their way to sneaker culture, and eventually fashion, through a shared interest in the art form’s music and style. This influence can be seen in IISE’s recent collections, which mix American and Korean silhouettes that are branded with minimalist, streetwear-style text and graphics.