Doori Choi: Breaking Through the Boundaries of Intimate, Creating Fantasy

Sensual, charismatic yet poised, these are the three words that popped in my head when I first saw Doori Choi’s design. Hailing from South Korea, Doori chose an unconventional way unlike her fellow South Korean compatriots: intimate apparel designer. Her design is sexy, but not vulgar and not at all cheap. She appreciates traditional culture and incorporates it into her design, but always tries to give a modern twist. She refines her aesthetics and lingerie design technique in London, but has always embraced her provenance. She combs trough her Korean root, infusing traditional Korean artisanship and costume details into her avant-garde lingerie design. As a young and aspiring female designer, Doori wants to open up the conservative mindset towards intimate apparel and women’s body liberation from the Korean, and to a greater extend in East Asian, society with her lingerie design. We are lucky to invite Doori Choi for an intimate talk, focusing on her studies in London, her creation and her design philosophy.

Hi Doori, how are you today?

I am great, thanks.

What makes you decide to focus on women’s intimate apparel?

I received my bachelor degree in fashion design in South Korea, majoring in womenswear design. During my studies, I began to develop an interest in women’s intimate apparel, especially the ones made of lace. I got a job in beauty market right after my graduation to learn about marketing, but the idea and the eager to study fashion more, especially abroad, was always there. I want to deepen my knowledge in women’s intimate apparel, but this kind of subject doesn’t exist in South Korea. After some research, I had my eyes on two schools in the United Kingdom and ultimately chose to study another bachelor degree in London College of Fashion, where I was enrolled in a four-year course in Fashion Contour, consisting of three years of study and one year of work experience.

You basically did another bachelor in London just for the studies related to intimate apparel right? And, what is your major “Fashion Contour” mainly about?

Yes! The reason why I want to study abroad is to learn more about women’s intimate apparel design, so I sign up for another bachelor degree without hesitation. “Fashion Contour” is a study on how garments work on different body shapes. The clothes we designed in “Fashion Contour” encompasses sportswear, swimwear and intimate, all these close-fitting garments. I really enjoy my time in London Colleague of Fashion, where I learnt the most basic yet fundamental knowledge as well as more profound know-how and more advanced techniques on how to design clothes for people with different kind of body shapes.

According to you, what are the hardest part in intimate design?

I think the sizing and grading are the most difficult part when it comes to intimate design. For ready-to-wear clothing, the measurement of sizes is simpler and more direct so does the grading. But for intimate apparels, sizing could be very complex. You might encounter clients with skinny waist but big breasts, or another way around. How to satisfy different kinds of body shape and to grade my products is always a challenge to overcome.

Thanks for the insights. Now let’s talk about your most important collections, and their source of inspiration?

Sure! During my studies I got the opportunity to do a showcase and catwalk show my collection in Cannes, France. It was my first collection in lingerie, and I specially used good quality silk and tulle as main materials because I want to make my collection very luxury and expensive. I got a lot of inspiration from the Europeans costumes when I was living in London since they looked really different compare to Asian costumes. I was really drawn to the unique necklines and sleeves in these garments. They stood out to me, and I see their potential to add a fresh twist to my designs. I went to many museums to observe and think about how could I potentially incorporate them into my design. Embroidery is something that interests me as well. As I mentioned before, I developed an interest in lace lingerie while I was studying in South Korea. So, I reached out to some companies specializes in lace and received a lot of their samples which I used in my collection. As a result, I was able to present my collection on the runway in Cannes, which included all the elements I was interested in.

Another collection I would like to mention is my last collection before graduation. I was chosen as a finalist by an Italian company to present my collection in Milan in a runway show dedicated to intimate, sportswear and swimwear designers, but unfortunately, COVID came and the show was cancelled. Luckily, the company made a video about our design and uploaded it on YouTube, so our collection could be seen by people all over the world.

This collection is an extension of the collection I shown in Cannes. I used the same fabric, but to explore more in the material, shape and detail. The reason I chose this as an important collection is because it was created through a lot of experimentation to break down the boundaries between outerwear and innerwear. For example, I used necklaces and jewelries as strap, adjustment and bust center points. Metal is not a common material you can see in intimate apparel, but my vision is to challenge the conventions. By using materials that are use often in outerwear, I transformed the lingerie into outerwear conceptually, and can be worn on its own as an outerwear.

Interesting ideas! What if I ask you to encapsulate your design in three words, what will they be?

Elegant, glamour and magnificent.

As I said in the introduction, my first impression to your design is sensual, appealing yet poised! And because of that, I would like to talk to you more about your past experience studying and living in London. What kind of city do you think London is? And what are the biggest motivations that drive you back to London?

I think it’s the freedom of creativity that I have experienced there both in my study and my daily life. When I was in South Korea, I always felt like I was not designing for myself. If my professors didn’t like my ideas, I could no longer realize them. Here in London College of Fashion, professors always encourage us to try, and they always render timely support and advice when we hit a bottleneck. Outside school, people here are also quite acceptive to what I do. They respect my work, and they keep an open-minded attitude to my design. They give me praises, but never spare to offer me critical and understandable feedbacks to help me improve. I love this tolerant, liberal and respectful vibe of London.

Compare to Seoul, where I used to work after my first bachelor graduation, London is bigger and more diverse in terms of fashion industry. My experience working in a fashion company during my “Fashion Contour” study also helped me to better understand how the lingerie industry work. I think London’s proximity to the fashion industry epicenter, its diverse culture, its inclusive and open-minded atmosphere are the biggest motivations encouraging me to come back to London. Here, I have the freedom to let my creativity runs amuck.

There’s a question that I am always curious about: Since Korean entertainment industry is getting more and more international spotlight, have you ever thought of any sort of collaboration with K-pop idols, K-dramas or K-entertainment in general?

Yes, I did. Nowadays, K-pop idols have massive influence on social media and also off-line. For example, if Jennie from Blackpink wears some fashion outfit and post them on social media, the products would surely be trending and generate a lot of sales. K-pop idols are trying to present Korean culture to foreigner in a more understandable, fun, friendly and relatable way. Since the Korean entertainment is getting more and more inclusive, diverse and open-minded, I am definitely open to collaboration with K-pop idols or K-dramas just to give my design, and eventually my future lingerie brand, the visibility to push it further. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with Korean dramas on platforms like Netflix’s A Virtuous Business and Disney Plus’s Kiss Sixth Sense. I’m confident that by actively leveraging this experience, we can create a positive impact and reach a broader audience.

Overall, it was an inspiring experience to meet and speak with Doori Choi, a gifted young designer who reimagines intimate apparels as more than just innerwear, pushing the boundaries of fashion. With her conviction and passion, she did not stop at studying women’s wear, but also finished studying “Fashion Contour” in London, and now she is trying to make her own path that takes advantage of her Korean roots. While I was initially captivated by the sensuality and elegance in her designs, our conversation has left me deeply curious about her work’s infusion of traditional and outerwear-inspired elements. While she acknowledges the challenges posed by East Asian cultural expectations, her varied experiences and experimental approach suggest these barriers will gradually diminish. Additionally, her connection to K-culture may well serve as a powerful platform to elevate her work. Based on her unique perspective, I am looking forward to seeing the distinctive path she will carve out in the fashion world.