16th SFDF Designer Selected to Receive 100 Million Won Sponsorship

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Samsung Fashion Design Fund (SFDF) announced on the 8th that designers Choi Kanghyuk and Son Sangrak have been selected as the winners of the 16th SFDF Awards.

Designers Choi Kanghyuk and Son Sangrak, who graduated in 2016 with a master's degree in menswear from the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, UK, launched the brand "Kanghyuk" in 2017 and have been expanding their business. Last year, they were selected as semi-finalists for the LVMH PRIZE, gaining worldwide attention.

In particular, the two are developing menswear based on the concept of artificiality, materials, and balance, utilizing elements and features of automobile airbags. Currently, they conduct business in over 20 major distribution channels including Dover Street Market, Leclaireur, and Farfetch.

The SFDF judging panel, composed of creative directors (CD) and design directors from Samsung C&T Fashion Division as well as magazine editors, gave Kanghyuk the highest scores in various categories such as originality, completeness, and marketability. The brand was recognized not only for its clear originality and brand identity but also as a designer brand with high potential.

As part of providing an opportunity to directly experience the awarded designer's brand, SFDF will hold an exhibition at the Beaker Cheongdam flagship store located in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul until the 21st of this month.

Established in 2005 by Samsung C&T Fashion Division, SFDF is Korea's premier fashion designer support program. Over the past 16 years since its inception, it has produced 24 Korean designer teams that have elevated the status of K-fashion in the global fashion market, providing a total of 3.4 million USD (approximately 3.8 billion KRW) in support.

The awardees receive a sponsorship fund of 100,000 USD (approximately 100 million KRW) for design creative activities, along with domestic and international promotion and professional business support.

The menswear brand Kanghyuk was started by designers Choi Kanghyuk and Son Sangrak, who met at RCA in London, UK, beginning from their graduation collection. Currently, the brand is expanding into womenswear and accessories, producing through an atelier method using unique materials.

Jo Hangseok, SFDF Secretary General, said, "SFDF has a philosophy of discovering designers with potential and supporting brands with clear and distinct brand identities. Despite external variables such as COVID-19, we will continue to find designers with sincerity and growth potential and take the lead in growing Korean brands recognized on the global stage."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.