We Spoke to Hyped Korean Streetwear Label ADER Error About Instagram & Crazy Colors
Is South Korea the new Japan? A slew of fashion industry insiders seem to think so. And with so many promising Korean labels like IISE, Beslow, and Eastlogue on the rise, a blossoming retail scene in Seoul, and cover-worthy K-pop stars like CL becoming global sensations, more eyes are on the country than ever.
One of the most interesting labels to stem from the Korean fashion scene is Ader Error. An ostensibly genderless clothing line of colorful knitwear, oversized outerwear, voluminous trousers, and quirky patchwork denim, the label just debuted its Fall/Winter 2016 lookbook.
With a distinct visual language and robust social media following, one may describe as a mix of brutalist-minimal lines like Acne Studios with a touch of the savvy street appeal possessed by MISBHV. Inherently youthful yet self-aware, Ader Error's clothes appeal to the individualist who seeks fashion as a form of expression. We interviewed the team behind the brand to gain a little more insight behind its inspirations, expert use of color, and building an engaging narrative across multiple platforms.
What are some of the main inspirations behind Ader Error? "But near missed things." This is our brand slogan. A basic, simple, aesthetic, color and edit. We reinterpret things that people would be able to miss easily, and suggest a different minimalism.
You always have great color stories, what influences the palette? We absolutely believe sight is most powerful of the five senses. Color makes people intuitionally recognize an object. It makes us consider the color as a very, very important factor of Ader. Everything that has its own color gives us inspiration about how we deal with color.
Where did the name Ader Error come from? A: aesthetic D:drawing + er = Ader. The people who do aesthetic drawing. "Error" means something negative such as a failure or mistake. Everyone can’t be perfect and there is nothing perfect. We reinterpret "error" as an expression of imperfection. We think there is an absolutely attractive point in there, so we took it.
You have a huge following on Instagram. How has social media helped you build a cohesive brand universe across multiple platforms? Our content on the web is the message which we deliver to people in the world. Of course, no one can deny the power of social media in a digital age now, including us. There is no space-time limitation in online, but there is in an offline platform. As well as online platform like SNS [social networking services], we want to take this kind of limitation to go beyond. We’re preparing some content with which we can communicate with people on an offline platform soon.
As more and more consumers look at clothes for the cut, silhouette, and material instead of gender-specific categories, what does that say about where fashion is going? As well as the change of gender roles, the development of new technology like SNS. This kind of flow of culture makes people look at for the cut, silhouette, color, and material instead of gender-specific categorizations, because it also make people think objectively and unglue them from binary and vertical thinking.
There is a South Korean trend of couples dressing alike, not that you guys are following that, but since many designers look to an ideal couple to inform their men's and women's offerings, is there a sort of synergy between that trend and the brand's emphasis on genderless garments? The thing we consider most is the difference of power between showing one styling and twin styling—not just couple styling with a man and woman, but considering its harmony.
The South Korean fashion scene is gaining a lot of steam among editors and consumers, what has changed recently that is garnering it a lot of buzz? Compared to the present, channels are limited for the brand to show, and there were lots of limitations. Nevertheless, for the past year, some fashion brands in South Korea have hardened their foundation with their own good essence. These well-made brands catch the opportunity well with the rising of K-Culture and the development of SNS technology. We would say that the light finally come in, not due to specific reasons.