PASSION FOR TASTE A fashion designer’s journey to spirits
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of essays written by interns and participants in the STEPUP Foundation, a spirits training and entrepreneurship program for underrepresented professionals in the spirits industry. Learn more at stepupinternship.org. I’m a misfit. Or at least that’s what I’ve always told myself. That dreadful feeling like you don’t quite belong? That you don’t have a place in your culture? That’s been me. Like a lot of immigrant kids, I grew up differently. Seaweed rice rolls (kimbab) at lunch in school while other kids ate ham and cheese? Working after hours at your parents’ store while other kids hung out? Not Korean enough for the Korean folks in my community, but not Canadian enough for the Canadians? Check, check and check. What does one do when they don’t quite belong? Go into fashion, naturally. If I was
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going to be a misfit, the best kind of misfit to be is a cool one. Fashion gave me a way to express myself and stand out—but in a good way. Being a shy person, I discovered that a great outfit could provide a sense of confidence and spark some interesting conversations. I wanted to help others feel great about themselves, so I entered the fashion industry thinking it was a great way to express my creativity while getting to make something. Over the course of my career in fashion, I found myself in situations that resembled “Mean Girls” meets “Devil Wears Prada.” There were some lovely folks, but more often than not, people were cut-throat and competitive. It was every person for themselves. If you were too good at what you did, you were perceived as a threat. As fast fashion took off, the world was beginning to view fashion as disposable. This ultimately translated to the people behind the clothes being treated as
disposable. I was disposable. I started to feel like fashion wasn’t sustainable for the environment, the people who made the clothes or for myself. So, I took a step back and freelanced while I tried to find a new dream—a new me. People always talk about following your passions, but finding a new passion to sink your heart into felt like an intimidating prospect. Where do you even start? Thankfully, I heard some great advice: Follow your interests and those interests will lead you to a passion. So, I did. I’ve always been a taste-curious person. Long after a meal or beverage is gone, I find myself thinking about the flavors. If it wasn’t what I’d just tasted, I’d be thinking about what I was going to eat or make next. To me, being able to identify flavors is like solving a mystery. It feels like a superpower to be able to connect those dots between past memory and the present. But what can you do with a
C R AF T S PI R I T S MAG .CO M
PHOTOGRAPHS: JEFF CIOLETTI
BY ERIN LEE