Dior Menswear Asked Her To Design Jewelry: The Story Behind Japan's Tide Brand Red Explosion.

The Japanese street wave Ambush is co founded by Korean and Japanese hip-hop singer Verbal and Korean American graphic designer Yoon Ahn. In the spring of 2018, when Yoon was hired by the French luxury brand Dior as the jewelry designer of the men's wear department, there was a wave of attention. The upper body of Wu Yifan and Gloria Tang made the brand more comfortable in China. Chinese tourists had long queues in front of Ambush stores in Japan.

In the recommendation of Kim Jones (Dior creative director of men's clothing, Louis Vuitton before men's creative director) to join the top European luxury brands such as Dior, Yoon and Ambush's position in the fashion circle is naturally not deserved. Its fan lineup includes supermodel Bella and Gigi Hadid, Kardashian family and so on.

Open the market from the circle of friends

In the vast brand of Red Sea, Ambush is undoubtedly lucky -- the seed users who stand up to the brand are a group of pop music stars who have already given up the gods, including Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, and Kanye West (Yeezy's principal person) and Virgil Abloh (Fendi creative director), who were intern in Fendi in 2006. The story of Ambush brand creation is rather unfounded.

Verbal and Yoon met at a university in Boston, and after many years of long-distance love across the United States and Japan, Verbal, who majored in marketing and philosophy, wanted to go to Japan to pursue music dreams. Yooh came to Seattle as a graphic designer. In 2003, Yoon considered whether to resign to New York, but because of Verbal's sentence, "do you want to come to Japan?" And from Seattle to Tokyo, two people finally came together.

Verbal, a hip-hop singer, has a problem that can't be found in the accessories. The husband and wife discussed the design themselves, and then asked the jeweler to do it. "Jewelry is not a symbol of status, but an extension of self identity," Yoon said.

In 2005, Verbal became a member of the Japanese hip-hop team Teriyaki Boyz, which laid down Ambush's future. Teriyaki Boyz includes the top team in hip-hop, IImari, Ryo-Z, M-Flo Verbal, hip-hop singer Wise and DJ Nigo from Rip Slyme. Naturally, Yoon recognized Nigo (Nagao Zhimin), the famous fashion designer and musician in Japan, and the founder of Chao Bape.

Kanye West and Pharrell Williams are two of the Western hip-hop singers who first embraced Japan's tide brand. They often stay in Japan, and they cooperate with Teriyaki Boyz to wear jewelry designed by Yoon and Verbal. For a while, the orders of overseas buyers were numerous.

Japan's popularity in the world is due to its integration into the 90s hip-hop style, such as Bape zipper sweater, short jacket, sunglasses, loose jeans, LA Gear high shoes. "Until now, James Dean and Elvis Elvis Presley are still many people's idol, do you know? (1950s American actor) The world's best American style shop is in Tokyo, and the Japanese are hard core collectors. Yoon said.

On this basis, Ambush has the style of hip-hop "golden age" - Daikin chain and exaggerated dazzling ring. Although Yoon was born in Korea, soon after she was born, he moved to Hawaii with her father's work. He grew up in different cities in the United States and settled down in Seattle. Therefore, her design is permeated with strong American style.

And under the recommendation of Kanye West, Yoon got acquainted with Kim Jones that had not yet joined Louis Vuitton in Teriyaki Boyz's performance background.

Verbal's circle of friends is shining and Yoon is not bad. Besides Yoon designer, she is a stylist and a good friend of many Korean pop stars, including G-Dragon member Quan Zhilong, BigBang. In 2016, Ambush also joined G-Dragon's personal wave Peace Minusone.

Joint name is an indispensable part of Ambush's famous road, or every Japanese famous brand. In the era of Bape dominating Japan and even the global trend, Ambush has stood on the shoulders of giants. In 2008, it began to carry out different product tests with the major brands. In 2009, it launched a series of A Bathing Ape Is AMBUSHed with Nagao Zhimin's Bape, and then joined the three parties with Bape, the French boutique buyer's shop Colette. Ambush also has Louis Vuitton, Sacai, Maison Kitsune, UNDERCOVER, OFF-WHITE, Nike and so on.

If the operation of Ambush is still a very large part of the game before 2012, it has evolved into a "genuine brand" - Ambush launched a complete series in this year.

In addition to people and young Ambush, they also met the "sky time".

　　 Take the street culture revival express.

In recent years, street culture has again swept fashion circles, and more fashion brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior and other luxury brands, are drawing closer to street culture and drawing inspiration from them.

"In the past 4~5 years, there has been a wave of convergence between the streets and high-end brands. Although many people hold a skeptical attitude towards the integration of the two sides, this is a natural course for the millennial generation born in the Internet age," Verbal said.

Yoon pointed out: "everything that used to be underground is mainstream. The era is changing, and the advanced fashion industry is either accepting or outdated.

Verbal explained that as early as 1990s, high-end brands had been integrated into the street elements in the design, but the real transformation began to take place from the tide brand designers to high-end brands. In 2018, Off-White Virgil Abloh became the creative director of Louis Vuitton Menswear, and it made a sensation in the fashion industry. "Personally, I think the appointment was largely influenced by Kim Jones. After he joined Louis Vuitton, the sales of brand men's clothing increased significantly. Louis Vuitton felt the positive response of the outside world to the integration of street elements, plus the joint name with Supreme, and the expectation of street breeze also rose."

Referring to the cooperation between wife Yoon and Dior, Verbal said: "it is a bit of a boastful suspicion. (Yoon) there are elements of the younger generation, women and Asia, which can display the brand from a new angle. For young designers, it is also a good opportunity, a win-win relationship.

In 2015, Ambush launched its clothing products. On this point, Yoon said, "I want to find a canvas for accessories, because I can't find the right clothes to match Lookbook, so we opened a new chapter." After three years of development, Ambush has done fashion shows in Paris, Tokyo and Seattle, and has adopted a large number of neutral, minimalist, functional design.

Convey the brand's world outlook

The advantage of two non professional people is that they are more open and easier to break the rules. Yoon once said boldly, "I don't like the word" streetwear ". I don't think it's more comfortable, casual clothes. Daily clothing? There is nothing new. "

Yooh's understanding of fashion is simple and direct. It believes that the core of design lies in "reality". "Not setting up products for a certain group of people will surely attract this group of consumers. Nowadays, people may not buy things because of the trend. They may have seen their friends wear them and bought them when they feel good. If we do not conform to the trend, we must do what we want to do.

Comfort is one of the key words of Yoon. "Formal wear is quite tiring. I think many people are looking for comfortable clothes. With the help of social media such as Instagram, consumers can more clearly and clearly express their needs. (Fashion) become more democratic.

Selected in 2017 LVMH youth designer Grand Prix Final, become Dior men's wear jewelry designer, the successes succeeds did not let Yoon expand. "Sometimes people do not know you, and they judge you by the content you publish on social platforms. This is why it is necessary to carry out a clear representation as a representation. Once someone uncovers the outer layer, they will understand more deeply. I may be a style in social media, I am a girl, I like to wear long lipstick and lipstick, but I promise myself to work hard, and the result of my work is here.

Yoon also has a different understanding of the identity of the designer: "designers of today's era need to be the best salesmen, the best public relations personnel, to do all things, not just design, because the outside world has more expectations for you. Fashion is now a popular culture, so you have to be a magician at the stage.

In the March 2018 Tokyo fashion week, the audience of Ambush shows: Sacai's Abe Chito trend, Undercover's Gaoqiao shield, Teng Yuan Hao, Mizuhara Kiko and many J-Pop idols. "I never thought of any activity that could bring these people together, which may be beyond other people's expectations, but it shows who we are."

With the growth of fame, Yoon will follow up several projects at the same time. "I can distinguish every series from outside, but Ambush is more difficult, because I have to convey my vision and my decision."

"To convey the brand's world outlook" is something that couples often talk about. Speaking of the show in Paris, "the outside world gave a very good response. Whether it is this fashion show or the previous Tokyo flagship store, it is gradually transmitting the Ambush world outlook. Before holding a show in Paris, although we can see our works through the Internet, the fashion show can show the world view of Yoon in a more complete and clear way, "Verbal recalls.

Yoon bluntly: "of course, dress sense, details and other parts are very important, but I also value the" story "characteristics that clothing can convey.

Fashion or atmosphere. Although you can buy a brand of clothes because of good quality, if you can resonate with the brand's story and culture, you will have the pride of being one of them, and you will be able to appreciate the fun of fashion, "Verbal said." this is very important for Ambush. "

　　 Sales exceed 1 billion yen

Although Verbal keeps silent about the brand's specific sales, he said: "it has already exceeded 1 billion yen (about about 60000000 yuan), but it can't compare with the big brand. Originally founded by interest, the jewelry brand began to grow overseas in 2008. In 2015, it had entered 40 retailers, and only 10 in Japan. So I went to Paris fashion week to do exhibitions.

After the official launch of the series in 2012, Ambush held exhibitions in Tokyo fashion week for three consecutive years. But in 2014, it felt that "the exhibition in Tokyo could not continue to expand." in 2015, Ambush rushed to Paris.

The first visit to Paris is also tragic. "The locals do not know who we are. We can only contact buyers, media friends, and invite them to show the meeting." Yoon recalled, "it is very important to do this. The biggest feeling of the 7 years of operation brand is that from the beginning of jewelry design to the management of buyers, public relations, and control of small and medium-sized businesses, we must convey the background story and brand view of the world. Nowadays, all the brands that are active in the world are designing their stories and world views on the basis of understanding themselves, and then presenting them to consumers.

In early 2018, Ambush took part in the Tokyo fashion week for the first time. At the end of 2018, the brand added a store in Shibuya, Tokyo, and this year it will open a store in Japan.

"With a store, we can communicate our worldview more simply and directly." Verbal said, for medium and high price segments, physical stores are very important. "Some people will think," why is it so expensive? This kind of situation needs to go to the store to see the real object, then will feel the value for money. If the electricity supplier and the physical store are well balanced, the experience of online and offline integration will be more enjoyable.

In China, it has even led to the long queue of Ambush Japanese stores. Verbal said: stores haven't been queued for two years, and now they are basically overseas tourists. They contribute 70% of their sales, most of them Chinese tourists. The way of buying is also very interesting. I show my cell phone to the shop assistant to see the social page of the opinion leader. "I want this person, too." and some people read our Instagram.

In the future, brands will open more physical stores around the world. More attempts will be made in overseas markets.