Meet Inhwa Jin, Redress Design Award 2020 Menswear Finalist

Inhwa Jin

KOREA

A sustainable fashion project and The True Cost, the now seminal documentary by director Andrew Morgan on the fashion industry, provided key turning points for menswear designer Inhwa Jin. “I was shocked to discover how fast fashion poses an enormous threat to the environment and many living things,” muses Inhwa, who studied Fashion Design at Tokyo Mode Gakuen and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fashion Print from Central Saint Martins, UK. “The film gave me a different perspective on fashion and motivated me to pursue a career in sustainable fashion.”

Her answer was to turn to the subcultural styles of rebellious youth in her Redress Design Award collection, Zoot Skater: the wide shoulders and baggy trousers of 1940’s American Zoot suits and the sportswear of modern street skaters. “They have one thing in common: their energy and enthusiasm for freedom,” she says. Secondhand jackets and tracksuits sourced from the Dongmyo vintage market in Seoul and surplus industry fabrics are up-cycled through a variety of techniques including spray painting and weaving; throw-away twine and electrical cord work as belts or accessories. Simple, modern styles, created with durability and comfort at their core, offer a response to the relentless chase of trends.

“If there is one thing I would change about the fashion industry, it would be the fast fashion cycles,” says Inhwa. “Their periods are getting shorter every year and it causes huge environmental problems.” Up-cycling itself is a constant source of energy and inspiration: “There are no limits to expressing myself using clothing waste,” says Inhwa. “We can create anything if we realise it is not waste, but a resource.”