“Uniformed” officially launched in 2022.
The collection was conceived when the world was “locked down” during the pandemic, after the designer serendipitously discovered a story that brought to light the under-appreciated history of natural dyeing in Korea. Having been born in Daegu, South Korea, where major textiles are produced, the designer then felt compelled to learn more about her cultural heritage in relation to clothing design and sustainability. Working together with her mother, they both reached out to artisans, specializing in traditional Korean natural dye techniques.
This developed into a “pen pal” relationship while the world was locked down, and ultimately evolved into a friendship between the designer’s mother, who needed some way to connect to her homeland during isolation, and the artisan. Once travel restrictions opened up, the designer traveled to Korea to meet with the artisan in person for the first time, where she had the opportunity to learn the traditional natural dye techniques that the artisans have grown up on.
During this time, she decided to launch “Uniformed”, only working with stock / leftover fabrics and trims — including materials gathered from her mother and her mother’s childhood friends’ traditional Korean clothing (“hanbok”) - developing products that are inspired by her Korean heritage, while collaborating with Korean artisans. The goal is to create a lifestyle collection that produces with little waste and supports local talent in Korea and the United States.
UNIFORMED:
> Based in New York City.
> Produced with little waste and using sustainable methods.
> Partnering and supporting local artisans and talent.
Jennifer Chun is a designer based in New York. She has worked for Michael Kors, Derek Lam, Brian Reyes, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Studio 189, in addition to serving as creative director of her namesake line for many years. She was born in Daegu, South Korea and grew up in the Midwest.
