We11done: The K

Few designers can claim to have the enviable global fanbase and K-pop credentials five years after launching as South Korean brand We11done. The brainchild of Jessica Jung and Dami Kwon, the minds behind Seoul’s coolest concept store Rare Market, which stocks a deftly curated selection of international designers from Marine Serre and Martine Rose to Alyx and Peter Do, it’s fair to say the duo know what they’re doing. We11done’s offbeat designs, which defy easy definition — part streetwear, part tailoring, with an occasional party frock for good measure — have been seen on the likes of Yang Mi, Billie Eilish, Angelababy, Kylie Jenner, Justin Bieber and the king of K-pop G-Dragon, who incidentally is Kwon’s brother.

By Sam Higgins

After a successful runway debut earlier this year in Paris for their autumn/winter 2020 collection, avid fashion fans and dedicated buyers have hotly anticipated the next collection showcase in the French capital. But what happened to their plans when the pandemic hit? Ahead of We11done’s spring/summer 21 virtual presentation today (13 July) during Paris Fashion Week Men’s, Vogue caught up with Jung to find out.

We11done.

“Though we still enjoyed curating brands for our store, we couldn’t always find exactly what we were looking for. We had pieces imagined in our heads that we really wanted to wear that didn’t exist. So we decided to make our own.

“For the name, we took the ‘Rare’ from Rare Market and thought about using ‘Well Done’ since they’re both ways of cooking steak. We made it We11done [because] we had 11 team members at the time.”

“It’s a very natural process. We’re always considering men’s and women’s clothes when we design. There’s a lot of interplay between the two, but essentially we’re focused on designing what we think is cool and that goes across both.”

By Alex Kessler

“It’s been a tough time due to the pandemic [but] fortunately many people seem to like our work, so the brand has been growing. In addition to the sites you mentioned, we have worked with Maxfield in the US, Saks Fifth Avenue, I.T in Hong Kong, and SKP in China.”

“When we were kids, our dream was always to show in Paris one day. So of course if we’re going to show, we’ll do it in Paris. It was a great feeling [to show there]. We are a Korean brand, but rather than just being labelled as [that], showing in Paris let us be considered on our own merits.”