KOEUN PARK, SEOUL BORN, STUDIED HAUTE COUTURE WORKMANSHIP AND DESIGN AT THE ECOLE DE LA CHAMBRE SYNDICALE DE LA MODE PARISIENNE, IN FRANCE. AFTER GIORGIO ARMANI AND DONNA KARAN WHERE PARK HAD SET THE CORNERSTONES AS BOTH MEN'S AND WOMEN'S DESIGNER, SHE STRUCK OUT TO LAUNCH HER OWN PRIVATE LINE OF WORK, COLLABORATING AND EMBRACING THE CRAFTSMEN IN THE UMBRIA REGION, IN ITALY. IN 2004, PARK LAUNCHED HER FIRST CLOTHING LINE 'FORME 3'3204322896', IN PURSUIT OF A MORE PERSONAL APPROACH TO DESIGN. THE PHILOSOPHY - THE NAME FORME 3'3204322896 - PRONOUNCED "FORME D'EXPRESSION", IS EXTRACTED FROM THE NUMERIC KEYS OF HELVETICA - FRACTION FONT. MUCH LIKE THE CLOTHING IT REPRESENTS, THE NAME IS ABOUT CONVERSION AND INDIVIDUALITY. THE PHILOSOPHY IS TO CREATE DIFFERENT FORMS OF HUMAN EXPRESSION THROUGH THE GARMENTS THAT ARE NOT JUST FASHION ITEMS BUT SOMETHING BEYOND - BEAUTIFUL FORMS AS RESULT OF THE EXQUISITE BLENDING OF ARTISAN CRAFTSMANSHIP AND INTELLIGENCE. PARK ACHIEVES THIS PHILOSOPHY THROUGH THE UNCOMPROMISINGLY TAILORED AND METICULOUSLY CONSTRUCTED CLOTHING THAT ARE OFTEN BUILT ON SIMPLE GEOMETRY OF PATTERN THAT EVOLVES INTO AN UNEXPECTED VOLUME, EXPERIMENTAL FABRICATIONS AND SPECIAL TREATMENTS OBTAINED THROUGH IN-HOUSE ORGANIC EXPERIMENTS.
A breath of fresh air from Massimo Alba for both women and men. Casual, wearable everyday clothing. Washed baby corduroy trousers, breezy floral blouses, over-dyed polo's in a refreshing color palette. Just in time for spring.
The look is American—by way of the world. Drawing on nearly 20 years’ experience as a hunter-gatherer of fine yet laid-back menswear—and an obsession with timeless styles, JACK STRAW co-owner John Richards slips down alleyways in Paris, Milan, and Antwerp to find washed (read: fashionably rumpled) cotton and hemp blazers in sandy lavender, fine gingham shirts to throw on beneath them, and slim-fitting, ankle-length pants. Good news for Seattle’s all-American-yet-global girls: Richards will make space for a small women’s collection next spring. Seattle Metropolitan's Best of the City, July 2009.
Like the Muddy Waters music that fills the air, Jack Straw Clothing is raw, authentic and masterful. Bare brick and whitewashed wood beams frame a skillfully edited collection of men's clothing: urbane jackets from Dries Van Noten, Oxford cloth button-downs from Italy's Danolis and Ann Demeulemeester's radically chic vests, shirts and pants. In creating Jack Straw (named after a Grateful Dead tune), which opened in September, co-owners John Richards and Paola Medina pooled their years of retail experience to pull together clothing and accessories that transcend trend while remaining indisputably modern. Despite its serious style, the haberdashery is not without a sense of humor. Be sure to check out the Beatles-dedicated dressing rooms (each named after a nember of the beloved band) and the men's bathroom tribute to their famous White Album. Lei Ann Shiramizu, Seattle Magazine, Fall 2008.