The Foreign Post - FPI

India's 'brown beauty' makeup influencers go global

Real People

Mumbai, India - Under the glow of a ring light in the spare bedroom of a Mumbai high-rise apartment, Indian make-up maven Debasree Banerjee has found fans across the world with a simple philosophy: brown is beautiful.

Banerjee's audience includes women from as far afield as the Middle East and United States who also have a deeper complexion but have historically been overlooked by the cosmetics industry.

"I actually have a lot of followers who are outside India, and I feel like it's probably because our skin tones match," Banerjee told AFP.

"They can see how the product looks like on my skin tone, how the lipstick applies on my skin tone, and just have that sense of belongingness."

Banerjee, 34, began experimenting with make-up videos in her spare time a decade ago, after graduating from university and moving to Mumbai to work in sales.

She is now a full-time beauty and lifestyle influencer, teaching more than half a million followers how to beautify themselves on Instagram and YouTube.

Early inspirations included British beauty content creators Tanya Burr and Fleur De Force -- both white and with millions of followers between them.

But Banerjee said she had found no role models who resembled her.

She credits Rihanna for the seismic shift towards greater inclusiveness in the cosmetics industry.

In 2017, the pop superstar launched her make-up line Fenty Beauty, which offered 40 shades of foundation and turned her into a billionaire.

"Fenty Beauty really, really changed the game," Banerjee said. "I think that's when people knew that this is important."

While other international brands have tried to keep up, many still have "miles and miles to go" before they can be considered truly inclusive, she added.

"I still see products being launched in three shades, in four shades, calling them 'universal'. And it's just ridiculous," Banerjee said.

"In India, everywhere you go... you see our features changing, our language changing, our skin colour changing. So it's very, very important to have more inclusive make-up."

- 'Learning to love ourselves' -

Cheap internet data, rising income levels and the world's largest population of young people have fuelled an explosion in India's beauty and personal care market.

The industry is now worth $15 billion nationally each year, with Euromonitor projecting that figure will double by 2030.

Homegrown e-commerce platform Nykaa -- which helped make global cosmetic brands easily available to Indians for the first time -- was one of India's most-anticipated IPOs in 2021.

"People thought brown skin is not pretty," Faby, another beauty influencer living in Mumbai, told AFP. "But now we've started learning to love ourselves."

Faby has nearly 900,000 Instagram followers and has established herself as one of India's top cosmetic stylists, recently teaming up with top Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone to promote a skincare line.

Almost her entire apartment has been refashioned into a studio with professional lights, camera equipment and retractable backdrops to stylise her regular online tutorials.

The work can be taxing, with some daylong shoots lasting until well after midnight, but the money Faby makes from brand collaborations is enough to comfortably support both herself and her mother.

"It has been difficult, but now I can have my own Dior bag, I can have whatever I want," said Faby. "It's all because of the followers who are watching."

- 'Look more beautiful' -

India's government belatedly recognised the explosive growth of online content creation last year, announcing a 10 percent tax on promotional gifts worth over 20,000 rupees ($244).

That move brought part of the country's $120 million influencer market under the tax net -- chiefly those advertising products beyond the purchasing power of the vast majority of Indians.

A single lipstick by a prominent international brand can cost around 2,000 rupees ($24) locally -- more than what half of India's households pay for their weekly groceries, according to British market research firm Kantar.

But the gap between material desires and means has proven to be fertile ground for other Indian influencers showing their audiences how to keep on-trend without breaking the bank.

"There are many people who cannot afford expensive products, so my DIY shows them how to look more beautiful," Kavita Jadon, 34, told AFP.

From her home a couple of hours' drive from the capital New Delhi, the housewife and mother-of-two makes videos showing how to make ersatz concealers out of moisturiser and coffee grinds, at a fraction of the cost of name-brand products.

Despite filming from a cheap phone, editing with free software, and lacking Banerjee and Faby's elaborate studio setups, Jadon has amassed more than 169,000 followers on Facebook.

Many of her homemade product ideas are the result of painstaking trial and error, with her audience eagerly sharing their own ideas or petitioning her with requests.

"Using products from big brands is not essential -- it's possible to use local products and create beauty products at home too," she said.

"That's why my page has grown so significantly."

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A handout photo obtained on April 7, 2023 from US amateur photographer Jos Avery shows an image generated by the AI program Midjourney. Jos Avery has been fascinated by photography since he got his first camera as a child. But recently he found a new creative outlet, one that led him to deceive thousands of people: the AI image generator Midjourney. "Soon after starting with Midjourney, I became obsessed with the creative possibilities," he told AFP. Midjourney and rivals like DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion generate unique images from brief text prompts thanks to a vast database of images they have been "trained" on.

The camera never lied... until AI told it to

Lifestyle

An amateur photographer who goes by the name "ibreakphotos" decided to do an experiment on his Samsung phone last month to find out how a feature called "space zoom" actually works.

The feature, first released in 2020, claims a 100x zoom rate, and Samsung used sparkling clear images of the Moon in its marketing.

Ibreakphotos took his own pictures of the Moon -- blurry and without detail -- and watched as his phone added craters and other details.

The phone's artificial intelligence software was using data from its "training" on many other pictures of the Moon to add detail where there was none.

"The Moon pictures from Samsung are fake," he wrote, leading many to wonder whether the shots people take are really theirs anymore -- or if they can even be described as photographs.

Samsung has defended the technology, saying it does not "overlay" images, and pointed out that users can switch off the function.

The firm is not alone in the race to pack its smartphone cameras with AI -- Google's Pixel devices and Apple's iPhone have been marketing such features since 2016.

The AI can do all the things photographers used to labour over -- tweaking the lighting, blurring backgrounds, sharpening eyes -- without the user ever knowing.

But it can also transform backgrounds or simply wipe away people from the image entirely.

And the debate over AI is not limited to hobbyists on message boards -- professional bodies are raising the alarm too.

- Sidestepping the tech -

The industry is awash with AI, from cameras to software like Photoshop, said Michael Pritchard of the Royal Photographic Society of Britain.

"This automation is increasingly blurring boundaries between a photograph and a piece of artwork," he told AFP.

The nature of AI is different to previous innovations, he said, because the technology can learn and bring new elements beyond those recorded by film or sensor.

This brings opportunities but also "fundamental challenges around redefining what photography is, and how 'real' a photograph is", Pritchard said.

Nick Dunmur of the Britain-based Association of Photographers said professionals most often use "RAW" files on their digital cameras, which capture images with as little processing as possible.

But sidestepping the tech is less easy for a casual smartphone shooter.

Ibreakphotos, who posted his finding on Reddit, pointed out that technical jargon around AI is not always easy to understand -- perhaps deliberately so.

"I wouldn't say that I am happy with the use of AI in cameras, but I am OK with it as long as it is communicated clearly what each processing pipeline actually does," he told AFP, asking not to use his real name.

- Not 'human-authored' -

What professional photographers are most concerned about, though, is the rise of AI tools that generate completely new images.

In the past year, DALL-E 2, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion have exploded in popularity thanks to their ability to create images in hundreds of styles with just a short text prompt.

"This is not human-authored work," Dunmur said, "and in many cases is based on the use of training datasets of unlicensed work."

These issues have already led to court cases in the United States and Europe.

According to Pritchard, the tools risk disrupting the work of anyone "from photographers, to models, to retouchers and art directors".

But Jos Avery, an American amateur photographer who recently tricked thousands on Instagram by filling his feed with stunning portraits he had created with Midjourney, disagreed.

He said the lines drawn between "our work" and "the tool's work" were arbitrary, pointing out that his Midjourney images often took many hours to create.

But there is broad agreement on one fundamental aspect of the debate -- the risk for photography is not existential.

"AI will not be the death of photography," Avery said.

Pritchard agreed, noting that photography had endured from the daguerreotype to the digital era, and photographers had always risen to technical challenges.

That process would continue even in a world awash with AI-generated images, he said.

"The photographer will bring a deeper understanding to the resulting image even if they haven't directly photographed it," he said.

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'Since the 1940s we've known that dogs' noses worked a little like fingerprints,' said Petnow's Peter Jung

Clones, noseprints, flying taxis: Sci-fi meets reality at expo

Innovations

Barcelona (AFP) – The Mobile World Congress (MWC) is primarily a pow-wow for the big-wigs of the telecom industry, but far from the main thoroughfares of the vast conference there are always hidden tech gems.

Here are some of the most offbeat products spotted by AFP.

Eternal clone

As advertising slogans go, "you can live forever" is up there with the best.

That is how Memori Yamato explains the "personalised AI clone" from her Japanese company Alt Inc.

"Your descendants can continue to speak and interact with you, even after your death," Yamato told AFP.

The idea is to upload as many videos, images and audio samples as you can while alive.

The system will use it to generate an AI mirror, cloning you forever in the digital world.

"It will look like you, it speaks in your voice, and it even thinks like you," she said.

The idea has been nine years in the making, she said, and feedback from early users suggests the technology has nailed appearances and voices.

Noseprint ID

A dog's nose carries similar identifying traits as a human fingerprint.

South Korean start-up Petnow took this info and ran with it -- like a dog after a stick -- to create a biometric database of pets based on noseprints rather than microchips.

"Since the 1940s, we've known that dogs' noses worked a little like fingerprints," the firm's Peter Jung told AFP.

He explained that around 100,000 animals are abandoned each year in South Korea, often because owners cannot afford vet bills.

"Less than 10 percent have chips because people don't like the process," he said.

Petnow just requires a photo and AI does the rest, ensuring the photos are good enough for identity purposes.

Jung says 50,000 pet owners have signed up since last year and he hopes the government will change the rules to allow his system to replace chips.

And cat lovers need not worry. Their noses may be too petite to be identifiable, but each feline face is unique and can be used in the system.

Flying taxi

A staple from the pages of science-fiction and the dream of the super-rich, flying taxis could be with us as soon as 2025, according to SK Telecom.

At the MWC, some attendees got an early taste, thanks to VR headsets and a real-life prototype complete with juddering seats.

Halfway between a helicopter and a drone, the craft has six electric motors that allow vertical take-offs and landings.

It can carry up to four passengers and move at speeds of up to 320 kilometres (198 miles) per hour.

South Korea's biggest telecoms provider developed it with Californian start-up Joby Aviation and hopes it will solve congestion in South Korea's cities without costing the earth.

"In Korea, in urban areas, we have severe traffic congestion, but constructing a mass transportation system like a highway or subway needs many social costs," said the firm's Ken Wohn.

"Using this UAM (Urban Air Mobility) service can shorten our customers' travel time without making so much infrastructure."

Never alone

In the future, we may live our later years in the company of "socially intelligent" robots capable of "building an emotional relationship" with us.

That is the vision of Spanish technology outfit Eurecat, which has developed a robot called NHOA -- or "never home alone".

It is designed to reduce the loneliness of older people living at home.

The orange and white robot stands 160 cm tall and can be controlled with a touchscreen and by voice.

Eurecat's David Mari said the aim was not to replace human relationships but to "humanise" the applications and connected objects used by older people.

Enthusiam for artificial intelligence within the microchip industry is palpable at the Mobile World Congress

Chips industry goes all-in on AI

Innovations

Barcelona (AFP) – It's been a wild few years for the microchip industry, recovering from a long-term supply squeeze only to be thrust into the centre of a US-China battle to control supply lines of the valuable technology.

But an industry long associated with volatility is quietly getting excited that artificial intelligence (AI) could be the key to some longer-term stability.

US firm Nvidia dominates the market in specialised chips known as GPUs, which happen to be ideal for training AI programmes like the wildly popular chatbot ChatGPT.

"Technology trends are working in Nvidia's direction," the firm's vice president Ronnie Vasishta told AFP this week at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

This has helped make Nvidia the biggest company in the sector -- and one of the biggest firms of any kind in the United States -- with a valuation of $580 billion.

Traditional rivals like Intel and Qualcomm are now on manoeuvres, desperate to make sure they do not miss out.

The tiny components, also known as semiconductors, are essential in everything from smartphones, PCs and electric cars to sophisticated weaponry, robotics and all other high-tech machinery.

AI already features heavily in all of these fields, and the advent of chatbots is only pushing it further into the public imagination.

Even in a sector where low-key engineers do the talking, the enthusiasm is palpable.

'Scratching the surface'

"The most exciting thing right now is AI," Cristiano Amon, boss of rival firm Qualcomm, told a Wall Street Journal event at the MWC.

He wants the world's phones to be tooled up with chips able to handle even the most tricky AI-related tasks, largely because Qualcomm leads the field in phone chips.

Vasishta is equally enthused.

"Where and how does AI get used? It's probably going to be easier to answer where is it not getting used," he said.

Another chip firm, the British-based Arm, is even further back in the production chain than Nvidia -- it provides the designs used by chip suppliers.

The firm's Chris Bergey told AFP there was massive potential with AI.

The kind of chips Nvidia produces are great for training AI models in data centres, he said, but smartphones need chips that can act based on those models.

"It's a huge opportunity and it's ubiquitous," he said.

He compares the AI revolution to the onset of apps, which appeared about 15 years ago and rapidly changed the way we used technology.

"Definitely AI is something that has a lot of interesting applications and we're still scratching the surface of where we'll go."

'Too cool'

Yet, with chips, nothing is straightforward.

The supply chain is fiendishly complex -- consulting firm Accenture reckons a chip crosses borders 70 times before it ends up in a phone, camera or car.

Countries like China and the United States would prefer to have greater control.

And there is an added problem: the factories that make most of the world's chips are in Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China claims.

This could bring China and the United States into direct conflict.

Mild-mannered as ever, semiconductor executives will not be drawn into discussions on these issues.

"We don't have really a position on the geopolitics, we comply with all the US regulations that are required as a US company," said Vasishta.

Bergey, who has spent 25 years in the industry, said he had seen chips lurch from being "very cool" to "very boring".

"They're cool right now, perhaps too cool with too much attention," he said.

"It's a dynamic thing the industry is dealing with and we'll have to see how these things play out."

Goodbyes and good buys: Paris Fashion Week highlights

Lifestyle

Paris, France - The womenswear autumn-winter season finally comes to a halt having rumbled through New York, London and Milan before ending in the French capital. Here are some of the highlights from the final set of shows in Paris.

- Vivienne and Paco, au revoir -

The fashion crowd said adieu to two titans of 20th century design.

Vivienne Westwood's widower Andreas Kronthaler presented something of a greatest hits collection, with new takes on her iconic pirate boots, corsets, petticoats and platform shoes.

"Maybe the most important thing you ever taught me was to put the woman on a pedestal," he said in a poem accompanying the show, while Westwood's granddaughter Cora Corre capped proceedings in an appropriately inappropriate wedding dress.

For the farewell to eccentric Spaniard Paco Rabanne, who died last month at 88, it was the clanging, tinkling sound of gold and silver dresses -- a fitting memorial to the man behind the sci-fi "improbable dresses" of the 1960s.

- Balenciaga's Humble-core -

When the hype bubble grows too large and bursts in your face, it's time for a reset.

Balenciaga's Demna was in full contrition mode after disastrous ad campaigns last year that appeared to reference child abuse (unintentionally, he insists).

No clever stagings or provocative $1,500 trash bags this time -- just a clean white room and some elegant clothes. Call it "Humble-core".

Before the fall, it would have been "praised to high heaven", said the New York Times, but in the circumstances it "seemed more like the march of the penitents".

- Buyer's delight -

For the buyers from Harrods, the highlights included Chloe, Rick Owens and Schiaparelli.

It was Chloe designer Gabriela Hearst's "strongest collection to date," said the department store's womenswear head Clemmie Harris, with "luxurious fabrics... in newer, cleaner shapes" and "instant must-haves" such as puffer capes and shearling vests.

Rick Owens consistently finds new twists on his dark, alien aesthetic -- this time with dramatic capes and huge cocooning wraps.

"While always true to his distinct and compelling vision he never fails to push the boundaries," said Simon Longland, Harrods director of buying.

There was also praise for the first pret-a-porter catwalk show by Schiaparelli's Daniel Roseberry: "An important step in the revival of the house... rich in detail fabrication and execution," said Longland.

- Louis Vuitton eye-lights

The French brand's hot streak was evident from the front row, which included film stars Zendaya, Alicia Vikander and Lea Seydoux, as well as hip-hop artist Pharrell Williams, its newly minted menswear designer.

The show was a mix of classic, elegant and inventive tailoring, but it was accessories like the light-up visors that grabbed the most attention.

- Pencilled in -

Last cool when it was encircling the legs of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, several labels seem to think it's time to bring back the pencil skirt.

They were part of Dior's homage to the 1950s -- though in a crumpled, less figure-hugging form -- while Saint Laurent combined them with giant shoulder pads and aviator shades to create some kind of ultra-elegant 1980s fever dream.

Young designer Charles de Vilmorin made them out of vinyl for Rochas and what he called a "pimped-out mermaid silhouette".

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New York state vs New York City: the war over foie gras

Lifestyle

Ferndale, United States - In New York, one of the most celebrated culinary centers in the world, a war over foie gras is pitting the city, backed by animal rights activists, against duck farmers and restaurant owners, whose position is supported by the state.

Karen Frommer, enjoying a meal at an upscale restaurant in Manhattan, shrugs when asked about the Big Apple's ban on the sale, consumption and possession of the controversial delicacy.

"We will never be able to deal with vegans at all," the 78-year-old tells AFP.

"But if they are always focused on the feeding of the ducks, let them watch a film on a slaughtering process of lambs, or housing of chickens in huge buildings," she adds.

The retiree developed a taste for foie gras in southwestern France half a century ago and often eats it terrine, whole or pan-friend at the restaurant 15East @ Tocqueville.

For director Marco Moreira, a Brazilian of Italian origin, "It's hard to imagine no fine dining without foie gras."

For now he doesn't have to, as the courts consider a challenge to New York City's ban that was supposed to take effect last November.

All of the foie gras in New York is made exclusively in the state of 20 million people, as France no longer exports the controversial delicacy.

Ex-NYC mayor Bill de Blasio signed off on municipal legislation outlawing foie gras in November 2019, following a similar move in California and after lobbying by animal welfare associations.

Lawmakers ruled it was cruel to force-feed ducks and geese to fatten their livers for human consumption, and the ban prohibiting any establishment from selling, serving or even possessing foie gras was due to take effect three years after its passage.

But last September, New York state's two largest duck farms and foie gras producers -- Hudson Valley Foie Gras Farm and La Belle Farm -- won a stay on the ban from a local court.

Late last year, restaurant owners and farmers then won the support of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, which challenged the legality of New York City's law.

The dispute deepened further when in January the city, led since last year by center-right Democrat and vegan Eric Adams, countered by suing the state to get the ban back in place.

Farmer and producer Marcus Henley is equally certain of his rights, with foie gras legal everywhere else in New York state.

Resembling an old rocker, and with a slow, soft-spoken delivery, the vice president of Hudson Valley Foie Gras Farm gives AFP a tour of his huge duck and chicken operation in Ferndale, two hours northwest of Manhattan.

'Worrisome' -

Employing 320 mostly Latin American farm workers who force-feed, slaughter, bleed, pluck and then remove the livers from the ducks, Henley says he generates $25 million in annual sales.

He would lose a quarter of that if the ban comes into force.

"Anytime you go into court, it's always a little worrisome," the 66-year-old says.

"(But) you can't pass a local law that negatively impacts farming in a state-certified agricultural district," he adds, showing off pens full of tens of thousands of ducks, which are raised from three days old until they are killed at 105 days.

Under huge, creaking sheds amid a pungent smell typical of poultry farming, three-month-old ducks are force-fed with compressor machines bearing plastic pipes and tubes that send grain mixed with water into their gizzards.

The practice is banned in several countries, including Britain.

"I can tell you as a farmer, that, no, absolutely not, the animals don't suffer," insists Henley, who believes the gizzard has a natural storage function.

"It's easy to anthropomorphize," says the trained scientist. (But) animals and people are different," he adds.

Bryan Pease, a lawyer for the Voters for Animal Rights association, which worked on the New York law, is shocked by the ducks' treatment.

"The vast majority of people believe that all animals deserve to be humanely treated, even animals raised for food," he told AFP.

Pease is convinced that foie gras will disappear from New York City tables for good "in a few months."

But until judges rule on the final decision, all predictions are for now just speculation.

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Philadelphia, United States-US President Joe Biden departs after speaking about his proposed Federal budget for the fiscal year 2024 at the Finishing Trades Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 9, 2023.

Deficit cut, billionaire tax: What is in Biden's budget?

Business

US President Joe Biden's budget blueprint released proposes cutting deficits by nearly $3 trillion in the next decade along with a minimum tax on the wealthiest, an announcement seen as a build-up to his reelection pitch.

But the proposals set up a long stand-off in Congress -- which is currently split between Democratic and Republican control -- to set and fund a budget for the government.

Here are some highlights:

- Taxing wealth -

The president is proposing a 25 percent minimum tax on the wealthiest 0.01 percent, or those with wealth exceeding $100 million, according to the budget proposal released Thursday.

He also seeks to raise the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent, undoing legislation passed under his Republican predecessor Donald Trump in 2017.

The plan lifts the top tax rate to 39.6 percent as well for single filers earning more than $400,000 a year, and nearly doubles the capital-gains rate for those who make more than $1 million.

But in general, those earning less than $400,000 annually are not to pay more in new taxes.

- Healthcare -

A core feature of Biden's proposals is a plan to raise taxes on high-earners to ensure that Medicare -- the government-funded health care system for people over 65 -- remains solvent.

The budget raises the Medicare tax from 3.8 percent to five percent for the wealthiest Americans.

The aim is to extend the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by at least 25 years, amid warnings that the program risks running out of money by 2028 without intervention.

The budget also aims to lower the cost of prescription drugs, including proposals to curb inflation in drug costs and cap the prices of insulin products at $35 for a monthly prescription.

- Cutting 'wasteful spending' -

The White House added Thursday that the President's budget will cut the federal deficit by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade -- up from the $2 trillion reduction Biden was earlier aiming for.

Apart from "making the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share," the aim is to slash "wasteful spending" on Big Pharma and the oil industry as well, the White House said.

The budget seeks to lower spending by raising the number of drugs Medicare can negotiate the prices of, while expanding a requirement under the Inflation Reduction Act for drug manufacturers to pay rebates when they raise prices faster than inflation.

It also looks to eliminate special tax treatment for oil and gas company investments -- saving $31 billion -- and end a tax subsidy allowing real estate investors to put off paying tax on profits from deals, as long as they keep investing in property.

- Defense and security -

But amid efforts to slash the deficit and support Medicare, the budget also flags continued support for Ukraine and the United States' alliance with the states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

It requests resources to "out-compete China" while looking to boost capabilities in the face of "Russian aggression."

The budget includes nearly $25 billion for US Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with funds to hire more border patrol agents and fight fentanyl trafficking.

The proposal also includes a 3.2 percent increase in defense spendings, from last year's figures.

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Korean Fashion Brands Make Landfall in European Market: Menswear Brands Debut at Paris Fashion Week This June, First in 22 Years

Lifestyle

- Seoul City opens Seoul Fashion Week Pavilion in Tranoï, the Paris Fashion Week’s official tradeshow

- Tradeshow dates are March 2-5, and the Korean pavilion showcases six womenswear designers’ 2023 F/W at the tradeshow’s Palais Brongniart venue

- Seoul City is focused on consulting global buyers, driving sales overseas sales and on online platforms

- Seoul City will present five menswear designer brands at Tranoï and a 3-brand joint fashion show this June

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that the presentation of the six Korean womenswear designer brands at the 2023 F/W Paris Fashion Week Tranoï (March 2-5) Palais Brongniart venue was successful.

SMG signed an MOU last spring with Tranoï, the official tradeshow concurrent to Paris Fashion Week (PFW). Through this MOU, a SFW pavilion opened at Paris’ Tranoï trade show, aimed to support European sales engagement of Korean designer brands.

Tranoï is the Paris Fashion Week’s exclusive tradeshow, a global B2B event that brings together a community of ready-to-wear and accessories designers selected by Tranoï in partnership with the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (Fhcm). The trade show brings together major buyers from global destinations including Europe, the Middle East, and the North Americas, across major department stores, boutique shops, and online shops.

The 6 SFW womenswear brands that showcased at the 2023 F/W Tranoï were: Kwak Hyun Joo Collection, DOUCAN, LIE, MMAM, Vegan Tiger, and tibaeg.

The SFW pavilion was situated on the ground floor of the Basilica of Notre-Dame des Victoires, where Seoul City attended closely to space-composition for an immersive and appealing buying experience.

Seoul City collaborated with Tranoï to set up a dedicated sales team focused on driving per-brand sales and contract signings at the tradeshow. Online order consultation was provided via entry support for Le New Black, an B2B fashion platform, as well as a special exhibition . On March 3 (Friday) at 10:30 a.m. (local time), the event was live broadcasted for buyers who were unable to visit the tradeshow in person.

Le New Black is a B2B fashion e-commerce platform partnered with Fhcm (Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode). The platform offers virtual showrooms where items can be registered and viewed, buyers and sellers consulted, and orders placed.

The 6 SFW designers presented a catalog of uniquely Korean fashion and engaged in order consultations with buyers around the world. Seoul City is set to provide SFW’s Tranoï presenters with ongoing support to ensure successful contracts.

The designers who presented at Tranoï are set to return from Paris and participate in Seoul Fashion Week, slated from March 15 (Wednesday) to 19 (Sun). A broad and colorful set of brand fashion shows is ready to step out before guests at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), visiting from near and far. SFW is scheduled for 31 brand fashion shows, concurrently with a 67-brand SFW tradeshow.

In step with the rising European interest in Korean Fashion, Seoul City announced further support for 5 Korean menswear designer brands at the Tranoï tradeshow in June 22-25, at Garage Amelot in Paris. The 5 menswear brands to present at the 24 S/S show in June are Beyond Closet, sling stone, AJOBYAJO, IRYUK, and ul:kin.

Concurrently in Paris, three men’s brands will present a joint fashion show, making it the first time in 22 years of SFW history that a SFW menswear brand is showcased on the runway at Paris Fashion Week. The three brands slated for the runway are ul:kin, Beyond Closet, and sling stone. In particular, ul:kin will also grace the opening runway event at the 2023 F/W SFW.

Song Ho-jae, Director-General of Economy & Employment Planning Bureau at SMG stated, “Seoul Fashion Week first entered the Paris Tranoï tradeshow last year, and has since found enough footing to introduce Korean fashion competitively in the European market,” and added, “The city will continue to provide support and bolster sales, public relations, and marketing efforts to ensure that these brands not only participate in these events, but also reach successful sales deals and contracts. Seoul Fashion Week has the potential to become an attractive springboard for Korean designers seeking overseas expansion.”

Seoul City hosts crash-course seminar to springboard Korean design abroad

Business

- Instructional session on U.S. trademark registration for Korean designer brands, during SFW Trade Show

- Customs and legal experts to instruct on drafting documents for international trade, payment, and practical matters, followed by a Q&A session

- Consultation booths for first-time exporters seeking trade and logistics advice, during SFW Trade Show

- Seoul City to support Korean brands seeking entry into overseas markets, as international interest in Korean fashion grows

A “crash course” seminar will open for budding designers seeking export opportunities.

An instructional seminar for export-hopefuls is set for March 17 (Fri), in the midst of the Seoul Fashion Week (SFW) Trade Show (March 15-19). The crash-course seminar will open at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) Design Lab 3F Design Hall, with customs officials, lawyers, and other experts providing condensed must-know information and practices for Korean design brands new to product export, brand and trademark registration, and international trade agreements.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced a seminar aimed to springboard Korean designer brands overseas. The instructional seminar will be a crash-course delivered by customs and legal experts on drafting documents for international trade, payment related to exports, clearing customs, registering brands and trademarks overseas, and other practical matters, followed by a Q&A session.

The SFW Trade show is an initiative first opened by the SMG in 2016, aimed to foster and spotlight new fashion talent and brands as well as invigorate the Korean fashion industry. The Trade Show includes a variety of support programs to foster and advance Korean designer brands and to launch them onto the global runway.

This crash-course seminar is hardly an isolated event. During the SFW Trade Show (March 15-19), consultation booths will open on the DDP 2F Design Lab where interested businesses can seek custom consultation on international trade and export logistics.

Consultation services are provided by The Consulting Group, a firm specialized in customs, tariffs and trade, and Swoop by Hanjin, a firm specialized in logistic services for Korean fashion brands expanding overseas.

All participating brands in the SFW Trade Show are encouraged to visit the booths on the DDP 2F Design Lab for consultation, even if between buyer meetings.

Businesses and individuals interested in participating in the Seoul Fashion Week Trade Show seminar "Trade Practices and Trademark Application" can register via the Seoul Fashion Week Trade Show website (https://www.tradegns.com/seminar/), starting February 25 (Sat). The seminar is open to the first 100 registrants, with on-site participation subject to availability.

Song Ho-jae, Director-General of Economy & Employment Planning Bureau at SMG stated, “the seminar aims to help clarify the overall export processes for overseas export, which can be daunting and seemingly complex to first-timers.” He added, “International interest in Korean fashion has been on the rise, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to help iron out challenges in export efforts. We will be planning and executing programs across multiple columns of support to our brands seeking entry into overseas markets.”

Seoul Fashion Week heralds Korea’s fashion evolution, appoints New Jeans as global ambassador

Lifestyle

- Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) venue confirmed for Seoul Fashion Week 2022 (March 15-19). Events to livestream on YouTube

- K-pop’s newest darling girl group and fashion-icon NewJeans revealed as global ambassador for Seoul Fashion Week

- Runway design overhaul, first in 22 years, and show order put to lottery for fairness and transparency

- Seoul Fashion Week (SFW) tradeshow is the largest of its kind in Korea’s dynamic fashion industry, participated by 130+ buyers from 27 countries

- SFW seeks to bolster sales in Europe via the Paris Fashion Week in March, invites non-industry individuals to all fashion shows

- SFW aims to drive fashion industry growth and springboard Korean designers abroad

□ The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced the 2023 Fall Winter Seoul Fashion Week (2023 F/W SFW) details, slated as a 5-day event from March 15 (Wed) to 19 (Sun)

□ 2023 SFW fashion shows will be 100% on-site and livestreamed on SFW’s official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@SFW_official) for general public viewership

□ 2023 SFW ambassador is NewJeans, the fast-rising K-pop that soared into the U.S. Billboard’s Hot 100 six months after its debut and currently has two platinum albums. NewJeans’ promo video for SFW will premiere on the SFW YouTube (@SFW_official) channel on Saturday, February 25.

○ Seoul City officials designated NewJeans, fashion icons and “the next biggest thing in K-Pop” as global ambassadors to SFW. Less than year since debut, NewJeans was formally appointed as the honorary ambassador for the Seoul City on February 16, making SFW the group’s first official post. NewJeans will continue throughout 2023 to help promote SFW globally.

○ NewJeans’ promo video for SFW showcases a mix-and-match of participating brands (UL:KIN, BLR BLUER, AJOBYAJO) and promotes the works of designers participating in SFW to global viewership. UL:KIN, BLR BLUER, and AJOBYAJO represent uniquely Korean fashion designers and brands that have powerful appeal to the Gen Y and Gen Z demographic.

□ The 2023 F/W Seoul Fashion Week will feature three main events. ① 30 fashion shows for designer-brands ② trade show participated by 130+ buyers from 27 countries, largest of its kind in Korea ③ citizen participation programs featuring fashion meshed with innovative tech.

□ ① 30 quintessential Korean designers of the year present their F/W season collection at the show, with significant changes to stage design and an introduction of the show order lottery system.

□ The stage is now a circular walkway (previously pier-form) for improved audience experience. This is fresh stage design change is unprecedented in the SFW’s 23-year history. The new design allows for shows with greater clarity and maximum exposure of visual beauty, with participating brands given a variety of unique runways.

○ The stadium runway in Art Hall 1 now has a radial structure that is intuitively immersive, drawing in viewers into the show. The runway in Art Hall 2 now features a versatile LED backwall.

□ All Seoul Collection fashion shows, except the opening stage, will be ordered by lottery drawn by designers, addressing concerns of fairness. The opening stage will be performed by UL:KIN designer Lee Seong Dong, who was awarded top score by the brand-selection panel.

□ Support has been bolstered for designer excellence, to advance and develop SFW. “Top 5 shows we want to revisit” will be selected by Korean and international buyers, and selected brands will receive favorable consideration next season.

○ "Top 5 Brands" is a new review system to be tried out this year, selecting 5 brands across Seoul Collection (established brands) and Generation Next (emerging brands) for international buyer preference. The 5 brands will be provided considerations such as next season free participation, show order preference, and partial support for fashion show expenses.

□ ② The largest fashion industry trade show in Korea is set to open concurrently at DDP Design Lab D(D)-Forest. This season, more than 130 buyers from 27 countries around the world are set to participate, including department stores and select shops (big buyers) expected to maximize B2B exports.

○ The trade show will feature 70+ established designer brands (SC-Seoul Collection), emerging designers (GN-Generation Next), and stakeholders (TS-Trade Show) influential and significant to the Korean fashion landscape. The show floor and booths will provide Korean and international buyers, distributors, and investment companies to engage directly and inject new vitality into the domestic fashion industry with the boost over the pandemic slump.

□ Tranoï, the official Paris Fashion Week trade show will dedicate a pavilion to Seoul Fashion Week, with six womenswear designers representing Seoul. This year plans for additional SFW pavilions in New York and Tokyo during respective fashion weeks have been under development as part of broader initiative to support Korean designers’ entry into the global fashion industry.

○ SMG signed a partnership last spring with Tranoï, the official tradeshow concurrent to Paris Fashion Week. This has launched the event launched an SFW pavilion at Paris’ Tranoï trade show, aimed to support European sales engagement.

○ Tranoï, the Parisian trade show is set for March 2 (Thu) to March 5 (Fri) at the Palais Brongniart in Paris.

□ ③ Show venue DDP’s Eoullim Plaza will be the ground for a “K-Fashion Spirit” public area for hands-on experience and fun, including a live studio for fashion influencers as well as a photo-zone where citizens can vicariously experience the catwalk via AI technology.

○ Individual brand booths related to fashion and beauty will also be on the grounds to provide SFW visitors a fun and unforgettable experience about fashion.

□ SMG aims to lower the entry barrier to SFW events and broaden touchpoints with non-industry citizens, holding a SFW Fashion Show Invitation Event from February 23 (Thu) to March 6 (Mon). SFW guests can apply to reserve shows to visit in-person on the Seoul Fashion Week website (www.seoulfashionweek.org) during reservation periods, and the raffled show invitations will be sent to the winners starting March 7 (Tue).

○ A detailed schedule of the 2023 F/W SFW is available on the official website of Seoul Fashion Week (http://www.seoulfashionweek.org), Kakao Channel (Seoul Fashion Week 2023), and Instagram (@seoulfashionweek_official).

□ Kim Tae-kyun, Director of Economic Policy Office at SMG, was quoted "The competitiveness of SMEs in fashion manufacturing continue to face challenges and polarization as we pass the “pandemic-corridor.” He added, “We will develop SFW as a springboard for overseas opportunities for our capable fashion designers and a growth-engine for Korean fashion competitiveness. We want to see more big-buyers, nurture even more talented designers, and engage more citizens to improve the foundations of our fashion industry.”