The recent pop-up at Shibuya Parco was a great success for the up-and-coming Korean brand "POST ARCHIVE FACTION (PAF)". PAF is one of the brands that are creating a trend in Korean culture, which is attracting attention from all over the world.
The clothes are not déjà vu, but rather products created through a new context that creates the future. In response to this process, the brand has collaborated with "Off-White" at the urging of Virgil Abloh in the past, and has recently collaborated with the Swiss-born "On.
How are these clothes designed and how do they satisfy the wearer? When we visited the designer, Dongjun Lim, who came to Japan on the occasion of this pop-up, he politely spun words in Japanese, which he is still studying, to answer our questions.
Photo_Satoru Tada
Text_Tsuji
Edit_Seiya Kato
PROFILE
He studied industrial design in college and started Post Archive Faction with co-founder Sookyo Chung in 2018. The radical approach, which differs from the traditional fashion design format, has garnered attention and support from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Goldlink. In 2022, he collaborated with Virgil Abloh's Off-White, and in 2024 with the Swiss sports brand ON.
Instagram:@limdongjoon
We are not designing clothes, we are designing products.
Please tell us about the brand concept of "Post Archive Faction".
Dong Jun: With this brand, I design as if I were creating my own uniform. I spent much of my life wearing a uniform. This was true when I was a student, and in Korea you have to do military service, and I wore a uniform at that time as well.
However, when I was released from such obligations, I had no idea what to wear. I looked around at various brands of clothing, but I realized that the only way to find clothes I wanted to wear was to make them myself. That's when I decided to make a new uniform.
It's a uniform for yourself, isn't it?
Dongjun: Yes, that's right. But I wanted to design a new design, not an existing uniform. You want to make clothes that are constantly changing, as if they are alive.
As you said, Post Archive Faction's clothes have designs that we have never seen before. What are your influences and when do you get inspired?
Dongjun: As a child, I loved playing with LEGO bricks. From that time on, I felt the joy of doing something creative. I feel like I am doing the same thing now. I look for materials and combine them to complete something.
Also, I studied industrial design in college. I think that has an influence on my work. I feel that I am not designing clothes, but products. I think that's why I get different impressions from existing clothes.
This is a personal guess, but I thought there might be some influence from anime and manga.
Dongjun: That's part of it. I love anime, and I am learning Japanese because of it. When I watch anime, I see a kind of human aura that cannot be seen in the real world, and I can visualize it. I am conscious of this aura when I make clothes and when I style them. I believe that people can change by wearing an aura.
What exactly does the design process start with?
Dongjun: The first thing I do is pick up some archival clothing. For example, classic shirts. The word "Post Archive" in the brand name means "after the archive.
But the clothes you actually make don't really show the influence of such archives, do they?
Dongjun: I think so. It is not an archive that looks like an archive, but a new archive. When our clothes become an archive in the future, I think we can boast that this was a good project (laughs).
I think it takes a lot of imagination to create something completely new. How do you put that power to work?
Dongjun: Ideas don't come to me suddenly; they are born when I am looking at or touching something. Without materials, nothing is possible. That is why it is just like with Legos. For example, you can create something by mixing materials that happen to be nearby with materials that you already have. That is what I do. Experience is useful in gathering such materials.
Korea provides an environment for searching for such materials.
Dongjun: It's a good environment. There is a flea market at Dongdaemun in Seoul, and there are quite a few factories in the country.
What is the theme of your clothing for the 2024 Fall/Winter season?
Dongjun: We don't have a concept for the season. Because it is a product. It is just like the chair I am sitting on right now.
So it is completed as a stand-alone item.
Dongjun: Yes, that's right. What is always important to us is that our products are born from nature. For example, for the products we collaborated with ON, we incorporated the flow of a river into the design. I try to make it look both artificial and natural.
Why do you base your work on the concept of "nature"?
Dongjun: Because I think it is natural. For example, here is a ballpoint pen, right? This thin cylindrical shape is designed to be held with the fingers. That's why it has this shape, so we can easily write with it. That's why products have such a reason. That's why I think the design of "Post Archive Function" should be like that.
It is a very logical way of thinking. I think it is connected to what you said at the beginning about "industrial design" and also to the word "uniform".
Dongjun: I think the harmony of artificiality and nature is important.
You said you always want to create something new. Do you ever run out of ideas?
Dongjun: There are quite a few times when I don't have any ideas (laughs).
What do you do in such cases?
Dongjun: Traveling, going to museums to see various works of art, etc. I also exercise and watch movies. That's how I look for inspiration. But I don't think it's a problem if I don't have any ideas. I think it's a natural thing. If you are getting inspiration every second, something bad must be happening to your mental health (laughs). But I always want to create something cool and attractive.
Do you have a particular piece of clothing that you like?
Dongjun: Down jackets are the way to go in winter, aren't they? Are winters in Japan cold?
It's cold. But winter started late this year.
Dongjun: I see. It is really cold in Seoul, so when I started my brand, I made a down jacket for myself.
Q: Your recent collaboration with "ON" is also a hot topic. How did that project start?
Dongjun: In the winter of 2021, ON contacted me, "Would you like to collaborate?" I was still very young at the time. At the time, my knowledge of ON was still limited. So when I actually held the product in my hands and looked at it, the quality was really good. There were many other attractive sports brands, but I thought this would be a good opportunity, so I started the project. Now I am convinced that my choice was not a mistake. We have recently collaborated with Loewe, and ON is getting more and more powerful.
What do you keep in mind when designing for the collaboration with "ON"?
Dong-Joon: When I saw ON's products, I felt that the design was systematic, if you could call it linear. So I wanted to add curves to it. I also had a masculine sensibility, so I wanted to create cooler, more feminine lines. So I did my best to draw the lines. The result was very good, and everyone was happy. It was very satisfying. After that, I think the mood of the ON inline changed.
Post Archive Function inspired ON.
Dongjun: I would like to think so (laughs).
Virgil changed my personality and my way of thinking.
What do you do outside of work?
Dong Jun: I read a lot of books. Other than that, all I do is work.
What kind of book is it?
Dongjun: Lately I have been reading books on evolution. Like "The Complete History of Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari (historian), books on evolutionary psychology and selfish genetics.
So that's what you're interested in.
Dongjun: I am interested in DNA and other human instincts. Why do we work and make money? Do we enjoy fashion and wear diamonds and luxury brands? You think about those things. I am sure that such things come to your mind as an extension of your work.
So there is a link with design.
Dongjun: I am very curious and wonder why we are living in this kind of culture now.
I feel that this is a fundamental question in product design.
Dongjun: You may be right. I enjoy understanding people. In "Death Note," Ryuk says that people are interesting. I agree with him. The DNA of a person 10,000 years ago and a person living today are almost identical. But they live in completely different worlds. I think it is really interesting.
What brands of fashion do you like?
Dong-Joon: There are many brands, but I like avant-garde clothes like COMME des GARCONS and ISSEY MIYAKE, and I also like minimalist clothes like Helmut Lang. Recently, I also like "Hour Legacy," "Auralee," and "Komori.
What about "off-white"?
Dongjun: I didn't know much about it, actually. But I got a direct DM from Mr. Virgil. I was really surprised. I was also the director of Louis Vuitton at the time.
How was it actually working with Mr. Virgil?
Dongjun: Many things have changed. His personality, his way of thinking, etc. I think he is an amazing person. I think he is an amazing person. He was very kind, and there is no one else like him.
Although Mr. NIGO is now designing for Kenzo, I think it is really rare for an Asian to be chosen as a director of a luxury brand. I feel like there is some kind of invisible wall between us.
But with Virgil, I never felt those barriers. I feel like he opened the door for me. He is very open. I felt really honored to work with him.
What kind of changes have you seen in yourself?
Dongjun: I have always been a negative person. I rarely expected anything. I used to work with that kind of energy, but Virgil was very positive. He had a different way of working, and his atmosphere and aura were totally different from mine. I was very much influenced by that, and I made an effort to change. So now I think I am half and half (laughs).
I think that Korean culture is now attracting a lot of attention. What do you feel as a participant?
Dongjun: Yes, I do feel that a big wave is coming. Before his death, Mr. Virgil said, "The World Produces Waves, Surf or Drown, You Decide. That is exactly what is happening right now. Conditions are great in Korea right now. I am trying my best to catch this wave.
Why do you think Korea is getting so much attention?
Dongjun: In Korea, the flow is very fast, and things are always changing. In Japan, there is a virtue of staying the same, and I love that way of thinking. But in Korea, there is no limit. Things are always changing. I sometimes worry, "Is everything going to be okay? But there is also a sense of fun. I can feel the cultural dynamics and see trends immediately. So it's a great test bed.
Finally, what are your goals for the future?
Dongjun: My own goal is to stay well (laughs). I am working all the time. As for my goals as a brand and designer, I want to try designing things other than clothes. Furniture, and also cars that I like. I also want to open a store in Tokyo, and I have many other things in mind.
