But being an outsider in fashion has benefited Jung’s brand to some extent, as evidenced by the vote of confidence in early 2022 from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital China, which bet big on the brand – largely thanks to its dual Asian roots and eye for international markets. In Hong Kong, you can find We11done stocked in hip fashion retailer I.T.

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“Our team members, they’re Korean, but they have experience worldwide,” says Jung through her translator for the day, We11done CEO Sang Mo Kim. “They have been educated outside [Korea]. Our origin and DNA is from Seoul, but our professional experience [is] most likely from Western fashion.”

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While Jung acknowledges 2023 has been yet another watershed year for Korean culture, she’s quick to set the record straight: We11done’s return to Seoul wasn’t about cashing in on the hype. “Actually, it was difficult to decide whether to show in Seoul or not,” she says. “But once we decided, it was really easy.” The decision all came down to what Jung calls “instinct” – a trait one could say is deeply ingrained in We11done’s brand identity. “I could say we were homesick,” says Jung. “This is the instinct we get when we want to go back home.”

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The beauty of We11done’s clothes lies in how they have wordlessly translated Korean identity for an international audience over the years – that is to say, how they defy conventional labels one might ascribe to a “Korean” designer. “We really didn’t think that nationality was important for us,” says Jung.

Instead, the larger idea that We11done has posited season after season is that such labels are limiting – and that the idea of identity is a social construct meant to be broken down, challenged and questioned over time.

Exploring what makes us all human is a common theme. The brand’s collections aim to transcend borders and capture that essence of humanity through a cheeky blend of sensuality and subversion. Its spring/summer 2024 collection Remnants of Home was inspired by the work of Korean sculptor Do Ho Suh and explores the concept of memory through the lens of Jung’s own memories of growing up in Korea.

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One could say Jung and Suh might be kindred spirits. After making the decision to return to Seoul to present this collection, Jung says her team naturally developed their idea to be about home, which led them to delve deep into the renowned artist’s work: “[Throughout] his artistic career, his theme is a house. So we adapted this concept to our show.”

Just as Suh first became famous for sculpting houses and other prominent architectural forms as an “act of memorialisation”, meticulously recreating them down to the finest detail, Jung memorialised her childhood through tailored, sculptural clothing marching down the runway. Think strapless dresses fashioned to look like a child’s blanket and a series of crinkly white silhouettes reminiscent of paper dolls.

The confidence with which Jung makes the abstract appear palpable seems fitting for a brand that continues to blur the boundaries between fashion and art, streetwear and luxury clothing, East and West, menswear and womenswear. This is, after all, a proudly Asian brand that made its Paris debut right before the pandemic and has presented its collections to primarily Western audiences ever since.

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But if Jung had any worries about how audiences at home might react differently to her collections, her responses suggest quite the opposite. “[Now] that we represent our brand in Seoul,” she says, “We felt that [We11done] became really global. Ready for a global audience.”

Indeed, We11done’s arrival in Seoul not only coincides with Korea’s expanding impact abroad, but also the influence of globalisation at home, which has caused some cultural cognitive dissonance – and growing pains. “As a Korean, when we were kids, we actually never imagined our culture getting this kind of attention from the world,” says Jung.

“We always admired Western culture, Hollywood films. But nowadays, Korean pop culture is really the core of worldwide pop culture. We say that this is really ironic because Korea is traditional, too. We are Asian. As a Korean, we are so proud of that, but at the same time find it really hard to adjust.”

Take the issue of gender inequality for example, which continues to be deeply pervasive in South Korean society despite its rapidly growing and fast-moving economy – the country ranks among the worst in the world for economic opportunity for women, according to the World Economic Forum.

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“We consider ourselves to exist in a unique space, straddling the line between a Korean brand and a global presence,” says Jung. “I still remember when I got a question from a journalist (Vogue Runway) in 2016 or 2017: ‘Are you menswear or womenswear?’ I couldn’t answer that, because when I made this brand, I never imagined that it would be mens- or womenswear. What I think about beauty is that it’s really beyond gender. Everybody, no matter what gender, can enjoy We11done.”

As many fashion brands reckon with how to position themselves on modern-day global issues – diversity, inclusivity, sustainability, just to name a few – there’s little doubt We11done will continue to pave the way when it comes to sparking conversations about these topics: “Our ultimate goal is to gain recognition for our thought-provoking garments and innovative concepts.”

A fitting mission statement for a forward-thinking brand that consistently calls into question the boundaries of what clothing can do for us.