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When South Korea swore in its first female president, Park Geun-hye, last month, the proceedings included a speech calling for North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions, a 21-gun salute, and a performance of Gangnam Style by Psy, the country’s rap sensation whose YouTube video for the song was not only the first to reach more than one billion views but also a hyper-efficient conduit for introducing Korean style (or, at least, the styles of the Gangnam shopping district) to the rest of the world.
不久前，當韓國首位女總統樸槿惠(Park Geun-hye)宣誓就職時，整個就職典禮中既有呼吁朝鮮放棄其雄心勃勃核計劃的演講，也鳴放了21響禮炮，還有該國Rap明星樸載相(Psy)現場演唱《江南Style》(Gangnam Style)的助興。他演唱的《江南Style》不僅成為YouTube網站上首個點擊率超億的視頻，而且成為向全球推介韓國時尚生活（抑或說至少是江南購物區的時尚風）最行之有效的手段。
South of the Han in Seoul – the country’s capital and a sprawling concrete megalopolis – Gangnam was known in the 1980s for its art galleries and alternative scene. In the 1990s small stores moved in, which have been followed by major designers (the biggest six are Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo, Fendi, and Christian Dior), lured by the growing appetite in South Korea for luxury goods.
韓國首都首爾如今是一棟棟摩天大樓林立、不斷向四處延伸的特大型城市，其漢江南岸(South of the Han)的江南地區在上世紀80年代以藝術畫廊與非傳統生活場景著稱。上世紀90年代，小型店鋪不斷涌入該地區，緊隨其后的是全球知名品牌（最大的六家是：路易威登(Louis Vuitton)、古姿(Gucci)、普拉達(Prada)、菲拉格慕(Ferragamo)、芬迪(Fendi)以及迪奧(Christian Dior)），它們都是由于韓國消費者越來越青睞奢侈品而登陸該國市場。
“Korean fashion culture is developing very fast. Lots of Koreans are trying to express their own personality and sensibility with their clothes,” said designer Lie Sang Bong, whose inspiration is often taken from Korean cultural motifs adapted to create East-meets-West looks worn by Lady Gaga and Lindsay Lohan, among others.
“韓國時尚文化發展迅猛，許多韓國人希望通過自己所穿的服裝來展現自己的個性與情感，”設計師李尚邦(Lie Sang Bong)說，他的設計靈感通常來自韓國文化主旨，經改動后設計出了東西方交融的服裝款式，受到了Lady Gaga與林賽•羅韓(Lindsay Lohan)等眾多明星的追捧。
When asked how Psy’s success has changed the fashion landscape in Korea, Lie San Bong says, “A couple of months ago [the actor and Les Miserables star] Hugh Jackman was trying on a jacket that I gave him and asked, ‘Is this Gangnam style?’ Gangnam Style was a great advertisement of Gangnam in Korea.”
當問及樸載相的一舉成名如何改變韓國的時尚格局時，李尚邦說，“幾個月前，影星及《悲慘世界》(Les Miserables)主演休•杰克曼(Hugh Jackman)試穿了本人送給他的一件夾克后追問，‘這是否就是江南款式？’可見《江南Style》為韓國江南地區做了一回了不起的廣告。”
Now a shopper’s paradise, Gangnam is packed with swarms of young people dressed in expensive designer gear on the hipster drag of Garosugil. While global fashion brands have a major presence, local designers are increasingly proving a draw – both at home and abroad.
江南地區如今成了購物者的天堂，身穿名牌時裝行頭的年輕潮人摩肩接踵，把林蔭道(Garosugil)擠得水泄不通。盡管全球知名品牌占據主流地位，但本地設計師的服裝也越來越受到國內外消費者的青睞。
Consider the Simone Handbag Museum, which opened last year on Garosugil in Bagstage, a multi-story building designed to resemble a bag and to showcase local artisans and designs from its own brand 0914, alongside its museum collection. Or consider Seoul Fashion Week, which ended on March 30, having featured an array of established and upcoming designers such as Shin Jang Kyoung, Kimseoryong, and Munsoo Kwon.
不妨以去年開館的西蒙手提包博物館(Simone Handbag Museum)為例，它坐落于林蔭道上的Bagstage大廈，這是一棟多層建筑，外形酷似手袋，除了展出館藏的手袋之外，還集中展示本地手工制品以及本地品牌0917推出的產品；也可以看一下首爾時裝周(Seoul Fashion Week)，集中展示了Shin Jang Kyoung、金溪龍(Kimseoryong)以及 Munsoo Kwon等知名與新銳品牌。
The latter launched his first collection in New York in 2012 after working for a number of big brands, including Helmut Lang.
為赫爾穆特•朗(Helmut Lang)等眾多知名品牌“做嫁衣”后，Munsoo Kwon 于2012年在紐約舉辦了自己的首個時裝展。
Though Kwon is based in Gangnam, he also has a New York showroom, indicative of the way Korean designers are beginning to branch out in the US market. Indeed, at this year’s New York Fashion Week, Concept Korea, a showcase for Korean designers launched in 2010 to promote Korean fashion designers and help them break into the US, proved one of the most colourful highlights of the week, attracting guests such as the British pop singer Neon Hitch, who modelled one of Lie Sang Bong’s glamorous fluffy white jackets.
盡管Munsoo Kwon的設計基地在江南地區，他在紐約也設有自己的陳列室，預示著韓國設計師開始把觸角伸向美國市場。勿庸置疑，在今年的紐約時裝周(New York Fashion Week)上，“Concept Korea”成了最亮麗的風景線，吸引了包括英國流行歌星Neon Hitch在內的眾多明星捧場，Neon Hitch更是成了李尚邦所設計的蓬松款白色漂亮夾克的模特。集中展示韓國時尚設計師的“Concept Korea” 成立于2010年，旨在推介韓國時尚品牌，幫助它們進軍美國市場。
On display was work from six leading designers, including Lie Sang Bong, Son Jung Wan and Choi Bo Ko and Kye by Kathleen Kye, a Central St Martins graduate whose work can be found in Harvey Nichols in London and in Gangnam in the Daily Projects shop.
其中一場展示會展出了包括李尚邦、Son Jung Wan、Choi Bo Ko以及Kye在內的韓國六大知名品牌。Kye品牌的設計師Kathleen Kye畢業于中央圣馬丁藝術設計學院(Central St Martins)，她的作品在倫敦哈維•尼克斯百貨店(Harvey Nichols)以及江南地區的Daily Projects門店均有銷售。
“Korean consumers like to follow fashion trends,” Kye says. “My hope is that Koreans can express their personality with a more free-minded and witty style, like in the UK and Japan.”
“韓國消費者喜歡緊跟流行時尚，” Kathleen Kye說。“我的愿望是韓國人能夠與英國人與日本人一樣，以更加放松、睿智的方式表達自己的個性。”
“K-pop became famous, and now the attention is moving to K-fashion,” says Lie Sang Bong. “K-fashion is important because it can communicate Korean emotions and feelings throughout the world.”
“K-pop已經風靡世界，如今的關注點則轉向了韓國時尚(K-fashion)，”李尚邦說。“韓國時尚的重要性與日俱增，因為它能把韓國人的情感與情緒傳遍全球。”
