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Korean govt needs a few good gay men

 
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mack4289



Joined: 06 Dec 2006

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:23 am    Post subject: Korean govt needs a few good gay men Reply with quote

Preferably stereotypical, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy types. The government has decided to get involved in the fashion industry.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2880914

"As the global fashion industry grows into a giant cash cow, the Korean government yesterday announced that it plans to help three Korean clothing collections become global brands that can rub shoulders with Europe�s Zara and Benetton brands within eight years.

�We have set a goal of owning three global fashion brands and raising fashion�s portion of total overseas sales revenue to 35 percent from the current 10.3 percent,� the Ministry of Commerce said in a release.

... Over the course of the next eight years, the ministry will study countries with leading brands, such as the United States, Italy, Japan and France, to come up with appropriate fashion business projects.
On the basis of what it learns, the ministry will apply for funding from the Ministry of Planning and Budget.

But an official with the Ministry of Commerce who refused to be named confessed that the Ministry of Planning and Budget and has allocated a mere 900 million won for the project so far, complaining that the funding process is �extremely demanding.�


I'm going to imagine an extremely flustered, extremely effeminate gay Korean man saying that getting money from the government is "extremely demanding". Maybe the guys from the lemondade commercial can help out.
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jaganath69



Joined: 17 Jul 2003

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This has 'Hub of Asia' written all over it. Seriously, what is it with bureaucrats here setting lofty goals and proceeding to bugger them up by setting conditions antithetical to said goals after that?
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GoldMember



Joined: 24 Oct 2006

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can see it now,
Pierre Kim
Chanel Kim
Ralph Kim
Tommy Kim
Valentino Kim
Versace Kim
Hugo Kim
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jajdude



Joined: 18 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"I have a dream to become the first openly gay leader of Korea and Korean fashion."

Martin Luther Kim, 2006
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in_seoul_2003



Joined: 24 Nov 2003

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Korea�s fashion industry has a global market share of only 1.6 percent."

I'm surprised they have even that. And I'm pretty sure that "global" share is mostly Dongdaemun fashion ending up regionally.

But note the contradiction here. One minute they say, "Andre Kim is famous all over the world" The next minute they write articles like this implying that no Korean fashion is famous anywhere in the world... except Korea.

If Andre Kim was as globally famous as they say, why are they learning from Italy, US, Japan, France, when they could be learning from his international prowess?

Korean nationalism is always shooting itself in the foot.
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billybrobby



Joined: 09 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What, Majah Flavah isn't already a huge international brand?
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PeterDragon



Joined: 15 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The idea of a government setting goals to enter the world of global fashion seems kind of alien to me. But, to quote a Korean soldier I met (whose English was quite good; he worked with the American Military Police): "Your country is already on top of everything. You don't need to worry about these things."

I think they should focus on dominating the car market, since they've already got a toehold thee. Or cultivating a more total domination of the electronics market, which they're already kicking ass in.

Who knows though? Maybe ten years from now, women will sport Buckaroo brand low riders on the catwalk or somesuch nonsense, and all us cynical Waygooks will be eating crow.
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articulate_ink



Joined: 23 Mar 2004
Location: Left Korea in 2008. Hong Kong now.

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Korean govt needs a few good gay men Reply with quote

mack4289 wrote:
Preferably stereotypical, *beep* Eye for the Straight Guy types. The government has decided to get involved in the fashion industry.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2880914

"As the global fashion industry grows into a giant cash cow, the Korean government yesterday announced that it plans to help three Korean clothing collections become global brands that can rub shoulders with Europe�s Zara and Benetton brands within eight years.

�We have set a goal of owning three global fashion brands and raising fashion�s portion of total overseas sales revenue to 35 percent from the current 10.3 percent,� the Ministry of Commerce said in a release.

... Over the course of the next eight years, the ministry will study countries with leading brands, such as the United States, Italy, Japan and France, to come up with appropriate fashion business projects.
On the basis of what it learns, the ministry will apply for funding from the Ministry of Planning and Budget.

But an official with the Ministry of Commerce who refused to be named confessed that the Ministry of Planning and Budget and has allocated a mere 900 million won for the project so far, complaining that the funding process is �extremely demanding.�


I'm going to imagine an extremely flustered, extremely effeminate gay Korean man saying that getting money from the government is "extremely demanding". Maybe the guys from the lemondade commercial can help out.


Disregarding the stupidity of the stereotypes in this post, the whole idea of Korean fashion taking the lead is ridiculous. Zara's business model is almost bulletproof. While Korea's bbalibbali work culture might lend itself to that kind of quick design uptake and production, at some point they will also have to learn how not to make hideous clothes. Fashion has improved in the 2.5 years since I moved here, but the iridescent suits, frilly shirts, plunging necklines on menswear, and excesses of pink are not going to provide competition with the likes of Zara or even H&M. As a side note, the gay men I know here wouldn't involve themselves with the Korean fashion industry. BTW, there are relatively few effeminate Korean gay men here. Military service eliminates effeminacy or at least reduces it to miniscule proportions.
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RACETRAITOR



Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea

PostPosted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GoldMember wrote:
I can see it now,
Pierre Kim
Chanel Kim
Ralph Kim
Tommy Kim
Valentino Kim
Versace Kim
Hugo Kim


Haven't you heard of Andre Kim? He's world famous (and flamingly homosexual).
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mack4289



Joined: 06 Dec 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:22 am    Post subject: Re: Korean govt needs a few good gay men Reply with quote

articulate_ink wrote:
mack4289 wrote:
Preferably stereotypical, *beep* Eye for the Straight Guy types. The government has decided to get involved in the fashion industry.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2880914

"As the global fashion industry grows into a giant cash cow, the Korean government yesterday announced that it plans to help three Korean clothing collections become global brands that can rub shoulders with Europe�s Zara and Benetton brands within eight years.

�We have set a goal of owning three global fashion brands and raising fashion�s portion of total overseas sales revenue to 35 percent from the current 10.3 percent,� the Ministry of Commerce said in a release.

... Over the course of the next eight years, the ministry will study countries with leading brands, such as the United States, Italy, Japan and France, to come up with appropriate fashion business projects.
On the basis of what it learns, the ministry will apply for funding from the Ministry of Planning and Budget.

But an official with the Ministry of Commerce who refused to be named confessed that the Ministry of Planning and Budget and has allocated a mere 900 million won for the project so far, complaining that the funding process is �extremely demanding.�


I'm going to imagine an extremely flustered, extremely effeminate gay Korean man saying that getting money from the government is "extremely demanding". Maybe the guys from the lemondade commercial can help out.


Disregarding the stupidity of the stereotypes in this post, the whole idea of Korean fashion taking the lead is ridiculous. Zara's business model is almost bulletproof. While Korea's bbalibbali work culture might lend itself to that kind of quick design uptake and production, at some point they will also have to learn how not to make hideous clothes. Fashion has improved in the 2.5 years since I moved here, but the iridescent suits, frilly shirts, plunging necklines on menswear, and excesses of pink are not going to provide competition with the likes of Zara or even H&M. As a side note, the gay men I know here wouldn't involve themselves with the Korean fashion industry. BTW, there are relatively few effeminate Korean gay men here. Military service eliminates effeminacy or at least reduces it to miniscule proportions.


I suppose you don't see much effeminancy among the older guys (though they'll still call you handsome and grab your thigh). A couple of soldiers I saw at the DMZ were pretty girly, though. They were peeking their heads through a hole in the banners at the unification bridge fence and hitting on my friend (a girl). Then they asked me my age and said I was a "very young boy". Maybe girly isn't the word, more like very immature, doing the classic act of "I can't stop giggling because I'm speaking English to real white people". Not the kind of guys you want standing between you and North Korea.
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TheDude
Guest




PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thread was cleaned up to remove the swear filter dodges and the posts that did nothing more than demean and insult.

Keep it withing reasonable bounds.
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RJjr



Joined: 17 Aug 2006
Location: Turning on a Lamp

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

While the black/white Palestinian scarf looks terrific, the obvious knockoff version at the Hyundai Department Store is just different enough to lose the beauty of the original item and just similar enough to cause an unsuspecting Korean wearing one at a US airport a surprise rectal exam from overreacting TSA agents.
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venus



Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Location: Near Seoul

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Duh, don't you know - there aren't any gay Korean men

And if there were - they would all go to Japan
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Gwangjuboy



Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Location: England

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Korean clothes are absolutely awful. It's the worst thing about living here; limited options when it comes to clothes shopping. I think they need to sort out the domestic fashion crisis before they think about going global.
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venus



Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Location: Near Seoul

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 7:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can see WAU catching on in the Uk / Canada / States as a low budget casual wear chain. Thing is there are allready C&A, TK-Max etc...

Giordanno is the best competitor amongst the Korean High St chains to go global I reckon. Thing is once again - there is already GAP, Burtons, Top Shop, River Island, Next etc selling the same types of clothes....

Japan has tried and their (oh cr@p what's that brand you find everywhere in London witht he decent, low cost jeans and t-shorts...? - momo, kubu, or something like that....) brand is doing well in London I know, so Korea has to compete against them also...

Thing is fashion is so established already as a market and the brands mentioned above so well established - the only way Korea's gonna increase it's market share is to either provide lower prices (lower quality) or really knock us out with amazing, stylish designs....

All I can say to the 2nd possibility based on what I've seen here during three years is --

oh dear....

Sorry Korea, but when it comes to Asian countries fashion importing to the West - the Japanese are Universes ahead of you when it comes to fashion and design...

But hey, I do wish you good luck though, nothing against ya....

Hey maybe Kurt Vonnegut Snr could write a book where the Koreans were the first country in Asia to go imperialistic on the rest and went to War with the states and got nuked, thus recieving huge ammounts of aid as (unacknowledged) compensation and become the worlds leading nation when it comes to fashion and design and we now live in the year 2020 where all other countries gave up trying to compete and EVERYONE wears Korean designed clothes as the new world govt gave them the contract when they made the industry state ran and controlled...

oh wait, he's dead.... darn, I was gonna try and sell that to him...
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