INTERVIEW WITH GREEDILOUS DESIGNER YOUNHEE PARK #CONCEPTKOREA part 3

​YounHee Park’s collection is a perfect reflection of the designer herself, professional but fun, with strong visuals, yet balanced perfectly with delicate details, but instantly recognizable with her strong graphics and colors that are representative of Park’s bubbly personality.

Park came to fashion in the most natural way possible, looking around one day and realizing how many clothes she had and how much she loved them, and having an ‘aha’ moment that perhaps she was studying the wrong area of industry. She soon switched from industrial design to fashion design.

Fashion clearly runs in Park's blood. Her mother studied fashion and was a huge source of encouragement for Park to also pursue it. She began studying at the age of twenty and has been working in the industry ever since. ‘Greedilous’ is a combination of the word Greed, and Lous, which means ‘to have it all’. Park wanted to tell people to want it all. Encouraging people to have greed, but greed to learn, greed to develop, greed to invest, rediscover and re-interpret oneself.

​Park’s collection is an embodiment of strength, determination, hard work and independence. Named after the concept of “Futuristic Modernity” a nudge to the future. With striking silhouettes and gorgeous draping, Park’s created a strong DNA to her brand that shows her personality, a unique view point, and inspires all at once. She is not afraid of color, and uses prints within all of her collections. Her prints are striking and unique to park, all originally designed by Park herself. 

​With stand-out pieces from her FW16 collection that include her hero coat, made up of a combination of mixed wool, layered over with peach lapels and sleeves, with strong black edging running down the zipper edge, and topped of with a mixed knit wool hood. Paired with leather trousers, it showcases a strong woman, ready to take on the world. Other pieces see our Greedilous girl off duty, wearing a new take on the harem pant, skinnier than ones we have previously seen, adding a toughened up elegance, and styled with Park’s original print sweater, with sequences on the sleeve. ​

Park hasn’t over looked our edgy professional girl either, creating another stand out piece with a deep burgundy blazer cape dress also available in white. Another design that is so unique to Park’s collection, with detailing at the back of the cape with beautifully structured draping, and a black thick band that runs through the center creating a gorgeous synched in silhouette from every angle. ​​

Stacy Fan with Greedilous designer, YounHee Park, who is wearing one of her own designs. 

​YounHee Park, thank you so much for taking the time to chat!
 
I love your collection. The prints are so beautiful, and combined with the unique cut of your design makes each piece so special. You made a move into fashion after realizing you had such a passion for clothes. What aspect of fashion and design means the most to you? 
 
When I was younger I thought that the only way to communicate was through making clothes. They key way I communicate is through my designs. It has really helped me in creating the style I have right now, I really do communicate so much through my clothes.  
 
Your mother also studied fashion, how has she influenced you as a woman and as a designer?
 
Ever since I was young I liked watching ‘Gone with The wind’ and ‘Roman Holiday’ and my mum would always make me and my siblings clothes and she would always ask our opinion on what fabric and buttons we would want and my mother would make that for us. I think that all helped with developing me  into the person I am now. 
 
You previously worked at Korean fashion company ‘Obzee’ and ‘Hansome’ for 15 years prior to starting up your own company.  What was the biggest lesson you learnt whilst working for those companies?
 
I have always worked with a lot of senior directors and I would always communicate with them and get satisfying results by communicating with my superiors. With those results, I realized you cannot just only try hard, you can't win by just working hard, you must know there is nothing impossible and you always must stick with your own instincts and have some pride in your ideas. I have trained very hard to become who I am right now. The lessons I've learnt with those designers still stay with me today. 

After so much experience in the fashion industry, how did you find starting up Greedilous? Was it as you had imagined?
 
After working for 15 years I have come to find myself. I've become more interested in exploring my potential as the years went on by challenging myself. I wanted to separate into my own space and look into making a name for myself as a fashion designer and discover what it is to become ‘Greedilous’. I think everything is how I planned it. I feel like I am still working in a big company but there is a lot of room to be 'me'. There is a lot of competition in this industry, but I am still enjoying the work I am doing.
 
Do you remember the exact moment you knew that you wanted to begin your own line?
 
I felt like I was discovering something new, like I became Christopher Columbus or something. Like the feeling I was finding something new that other people hadn’t found! Everything has been going so fast that even now I don’t really know what to do with the excitement I feel. It has gone so fast! When the brand was launched I felt like I had been born again. I don’t sleep very well as it’s so hard to believe that it’s all come so far. It has only taken one year from the idea of starting the company, to actually launching. 

You founded the company in 2012. How do you think your collections have evolved since you first launched?
 
Even though I still think I have a lot to work on, I am growing the company to become more recognized.  I need to keep doing what I do best and stick with the DNA of my brand. Also Concept Korea has been an amazing stepping stone in helping me get where I want to be.

 

​Who are some of the designers you look up to and admire?
 
While I was working as a designer before Greedilous, one person that helped me really become who I am today is the designer of Obzee, Kang Jin Young. I have great respect for her.
 
What was the biggest challenge with starting up your own company?
 
When I first have to sketch, developing and making the initial concept itself is hard in the beginning. Getting that first idea for what the company's aesthetic would be was a challenge.
 
What has been your biggest accomplishment?
 
The biggest accomplishment is making Greedilous more like me and more like what I am and the vision I have. That is the biggest accomplishment. Really defining the brand. 

Your name Greedilous, means someone who wants it all. What does ‘having it all’ mean to you?
​

Having it all means a person who has so many abilities, but a hunger for more. Someone who utilizes their abilities to the limit. For me personally, as a designer I wanted to use whatever abilities I had to put that on inner clothing. To project whatever abilities I have into my clothing, into my brand. 

Beyonce wearing a Greedilous leather jacket

How do you want women to feel when they wear your clothes?
 
I want people to feel fabulous, to have that feeling! A lot of celebrities enjoy wearing my clothes, when Beyonce wore my clothing it was the most magical fabulous moment. She looked like a clear diamond. I want people to feel like that. Like a diamond.

You started studying fashion when you were just twenty. Has being a designer helped you realize who you are as a woman?
 
When I was young, when I first wanted to become a fashion designer I felt I could express myself through clothing like a chameleon. I wanted to create clothes that would allow women different ways to communicate and express themselves. I'm still working on it though and still always developing. 

You use really distinctive graphic prints in your design, where do you get the inspiration for the designs?
 
For this 2017 collection, I went to Canada to this amusement park and that amusement park became one of my inspirations. 100 years ago that space was where they made war weapons. It was a very dark space that was renovated into a really fantastic amusement park and this inspired me to become a source of hope for people, and project that on to my work.
 
I wanted to project that on to my clothing, the idea of how a dark place can become an area of hope and inspiration and this is how I created my 2017 collection.
 
I saw from your 2016 S/S collection that some pieces were for both men and women. When creating your prints is making them unisex a consideration for you or do you think that fashion and design can defy gender barriers and work for everyone?
 
Men these days can express themselves through fashion in various ways and now it’s not uncommon to see the same pieces be styled for both men and women. It’s a very common idea now that seems very appealing. Even casual mens t-shirts can be used as a unisex item and applied to different designs and culture, no matter the gender difference. There is really no barrier anymore.  
 
Your collection is an incredible blend of items that really appeal to strong women. Is there a specific memory you had or an inspiration that has helped you form the overall DNA for Greedilous?
 
Figuring out my identity, the process of this for has taken fifteen years. It’s a mix of memories that I think are special. Working for fifteen years as a designer with brands, I have experienced many new collections and seen many ideas come to fruition and the process of this experience has become very special to me.
 

How would you describe the woman you are dressing? What kind of woman is a Greedilous woman?
 
Greedilous is a women that can express her worth, fabulously, like a perfect diamond, and a person with great self esteem, is how I would describe a Greedilous women.
 
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
 
I would like to see the brand identity as very high-end and everyone will know Greedilous. I would like to have a New York retail store, I’d like to tour the world! I would like to think I would be able to that in ten years.
 
What does being chosen by Concept Korea mean to you and how do you feel the international response has been to your collection so far?
 
As a Korean designer representative, I am very thankful for being able to show my collection in New York and I feel like I have to be confident and work with pride to show it as its best. The response I’ve had, actually people don’t think it’s a Korean Brand. Because of the style they think it’s an LA brand!
 

All Lookbook photo credits: Greedilous 

Find Greedilous on Instagram 
Greedilous online 

With special thanks to KOCCA and Concept Korea.