MW meets… Yuul Yie 👠
MY WARDROBE HQ welcomes Yuul Yie to the family 👡 The high-end contemporary shoe brand that is built to last with exclusive and concise designs. Shop Yuul Yie in-store and online as part of the #mycollective
Store open daily from 10am – 6pm
30 Elizabeth St, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9RB
How did you get into the fashion industry?
I liked fashion ever since I was little, then I went to fashion school and majored in Womenswear. Eventually, I began my career in fashion industry and everything all came naturally to me.
– How would you describe the YUUL YIE customer?
– Yuul Yie customers seem to understand their own style very well, and place core values in self-expression and individuality. They are trendsetters, rather than trend-chasers, and usually from ages 20-50 years old with various career fields. They are women who know how to genuinely focus on what they truly love and enjoy it. In fact, this aligns with Yuul Yie’s identity as well. Yuul Yie creations are made with a wry woman in mind. I am drawn to maturity in women and by the facial expressions of those who are wise and all-knowing,” she says of the customer she envisages while at work. In a marriage of classic silhouettes and off-kilter details, there’s a tongue-in-cheek allure to Yuul Yie – a “mature glamouressness” as Yie refers to it.
– How important is sustainability to YUUL YIE? Made to order/ small quantities
Sustainability is the driving force of Yuul Yie’s philosophy. Yuul Yie has always prioritized sustainable and ethical methods to minimize waste in the fashion industry. Sustainability is deeply rooted in every aspect of the brand’s production process and strategies. A majority of pieces are ethically produced and manufactured through a Made-to-order system in our home country, South Korea. All production under this stream begins after receiving the order. Thus, we do not mass produce for all collections made in Korea. As ardent endorsers of the ‘slow fashion’ movement, I have designed each piece as if Yuul Yie is creating a piece of art sculpture and thus, to feel timeless. I believe in our timeless designs that will transcend ephemeral trends and ultimately be desired for years to come.
– Who or what inspires your work?
Nature fills the moodboard at Yuul Yie HQ – plants, flowers, shells, animals, gardens – the colours, textures and contours of which infiltrate the entire collections and tap into today’slifestyle trends. In so doing, these references place the brand perfectly in the present, all the while making frequent nods back to the 60s and 80s. Afterall, everything in my surroundings become small inspirations piled up inside me. The closest thing that can stimulate new ideas for me is music. There are many factors that affect the melody and atmosphere of a music, and depending on the type of feeling and mood that a particular music brings, various visuals are formed in my imagination. Eventually, I put those imaginations onto my iPad or notebook to make them come into life!
– Favourite piece from your collection on MWHQ?
I personally love Haze Pumps and Lowell Mules since you can find Yuul Yie’s DNA in the shoes, such as sculptural heel shapes, artistic silhouettes, timeless designs, and expressionism in colours.