Christopher is a Southern California-based editor and has been with InStyle since 2018. He covers all things entertainment, celebrity, and culture.There's no denying that, in the last decade, there's been a notable tectonic shift, with the epicenter of cool moving from the eccentricity of Tokyo and the underground punk-rock scene of London to the gleaming high rises of South Korea.
In the short time since Kwon established his brand in 2020, he’s become known for his celebrity-beloved red carpet gowns and breathtaking bridal line . Kwon gained a following for infusing old-school glamour with modern touches and, though it may not be obvious, his designs incorporate some Korean traditions, too.
"I saw this really fun daughter and mother. And then the mom was dressing very much the Korean overall style, very proper. And then the daughter is dressed more like ... imagine the K-pop girl group style, and they're looking at the clothes," Qu explained of what she observed during her outings. "But I see how the mom is actually trying to understand the clothing on the racks, so that's really sweet to see.
Like Korea itself, Genesis House manages to balance past, present, and future with ease; throughout the trip, the designers tiptoed through space and time. In stark contrast to the modern sensibilities of Suji, they tried their hands at traditional weaving in Seoul's Hanok Village, a residential area with restored traditional Korean homes and businesses that date back to the 1400s.
“I want to have the opportunity to expand and just have that freedom of developing a space of my own,” Kwon said of what he’d do with the prize money. “So much has been what I call my own business school and my own graduate degree of trying to navigate a business and seeing what it really takes to run more of a fashion house and a fashion brand.