Biography
Seoul-based designer Jung Kuho is the former executive director of Seoul Fashion Week. The first director of Seoul Fashion Week to be appointed in its 15 year history, Jung put Seoul Fashion Week on the international map. A veteran designer of his eponymous label Kuho, produced under Chiel Industries group, he was also a vice president at Fila Korea and consulted on the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Jung served as creative director of Samsung’s fashion division and leading Korean fashion and textiles firm Cheil Industries from 2003 to 2013. In this role, he oversaw Samsung’s licensed brands Nina Ricci and 10 Corso Como. He was the first designer to be appointed to this managerial role and during his decade-long tenure, profits for the company increased thirteen-fold. His unprecedented success in the role inspired other Korean technology firms such as LG Fashion to explore the opportunities in fashion.
Jung attended Parson’s School of Design where he studied communications before switching to fashion design. Upon his return to Seoul, he took an intensive draping course before launching his widely successful label Kuho, which was acquired by Cheil Industries in 2003. The designer’s robust background in other forms of creative art, including theatre and dance inspire his avant-garde designs that became an instant hit with celebrities and local socialites.
Jung’s second label, Hexa by Kuho, which launched in 2010 and has shown in Paris. As part of the “Concept Korea” exhibition held at the New York Public Library in February 2010, Jung tapped a fleet of top models including Freja Beha Erichsen , Lindsey Wixson and Rania Benchegra to walk in his Hexa by Kuho runway show. The presentation was accompanied by a short film exclusively produced by Nick Knight .
Jung’s brands, consistently at the forefront of Korean fashion, are stocked at major online retailers as well as 10 Corso Como in Seoul. Hexa by Kuho’s first brick-and-mortar store was located in Seoul, and has since expanded to several more locations across Korea. In 2013, he directed two collaborative dance performances with Korea’s National Dance Company, in which dancers don traditional costume or clothing designed by Jung Kuho. The previous year, he collaborated with the Korean National Ballet on a performance entitled “Poise.”
In November 2018, Jung curated the inaugural exhibition "Overstated & Understated" at Paradise City resort, a 330,000 square-metre, $1.1 billion joint venture between Korean casino operator Paradise Group and Japanese entertainment company Sega Sammy.