Though she travels to Korea yearly, Jenni Lee’s newest go to was further particular. The founder and designer behind sock and loungewear model Comme Si travelled to Seoul—together with her husband and toddler in tow—to rejoice and showcase her collaboration with USM Modular Furnishings. Impressed by conventional Korean hanok structure, the gathering consists of particular version loungewear and eight custom-designed furnishings items, a few of which incorporate Comme Si’s signature textiles. Beneath, Lee walks us by way of her journey, from the wonder merchandise she picked as much as the ‘80s-themed restaurant she referred to as her “favourite.”
Expensive ITG,
I’m writing to you after spending 10 days in Korea. I reside in LA, however as a child, I went there each summer time to go to household. This time round, I went to showcase my {custom} furnishings assortment for USM in Seoul at 10 Corso Como. USM makes among the finest modular furnishings round (if I do say so myself). My assortment was impressed by Korean architects and conventional hanok designs, after which I custom-made the items even additional through the use of linen from the corporate I based, Comme Si. We debuted the furnishings assortment in New York, but it surely made lots of sense to showcase it in Korea, too. So when the chance happened, my husband and I made a decision to make use of the journey to introduce the nation to our toddler.
We particularly deliberate a daytime flight as a result of we didn’t need to threat our son not sleeping on a red-eye and disturbing everybody else. The flight was a whopping 13.5 hours, however we landed within the night. That’s truly a extremely good trick for jet lag on the way in which there as a result of we went to mattress as quickly because the aircraft landed, after which we had been able to go the subsequent day. Coming again is a unique story although…
Earlier than I journey, I normally do my nighttime skincare routine whatever the time as a result of I do know it’s going to be further dry on the aircraft. The primary star is Aestura’s Atobarrier 365 cream. It’s been the primary winter cream in Korea for six years straight. I bought it on my final journey to Korea truly. It’s superb. And I’ve a bit of laborious case equipment that I all the time take with me. It has Beekeeper’s Naturals propolis throat spray so that you don’t get sick, Laneige lip balm, Tamburins hand lotion, Purell, and Huxley face mist. I additionally had my Great thing about Joseon Aid Solar Aqua-Contemporary SPF, Sulwhasoo Clarifying Masks, Medicube, and Aestura Atobarrier 365 Hydro Cera-HA Ampoule with me.
We stayed within the Yongsan district, which is close to downtown Seoul, for the primary half of the journey. It’s good as a result of it has a direct path to the Mount Namsan move and forest. There’s a bit of child’s forest, too. After a handful of days we moved over to the Grand Intercontinental Parnas Resort within the Gangnam space as a result of we wished to be close to 10 Corso Como. The lodge is definitely connected to the COEX Mall—well-known for its big library and aquarium—so you possibly can go immediately from the lodge to the Hyundai division retailer inside. In Korea, department shops have all the things from groceries to clothes. They also have a meals courtroom and correct advantageous eating eating places. You may spend the entire day in them if you happen to wished to.
After all the wonder purchasing in Seoul was next-level. There have been so many good merchandise that I bought overwhelmed. Rejuran’s face and neck cream is actually well-liked proper now. It has salmon sperm DNA, which individuals have been injecting into their pores and skin, too. Truthfully, once I went to at least one pharmacy, the pharmacist was tremendous blunt and advised me that it isn’t going to magically change my pores and skin. ‘It’s simply one other cream,’ he advised me. I ended up displaying him extra merchandise and he’d inform me in the event that they had been price it or not. I did purchase a few bottles of pharmaceutical D-Panthenol’s diaper rash cream. Just like the Aestura moisturizer, it’s actually good for dry or chapped pores and skin. And there was a lot at Olive Younger, a well being and sweetness retailer, too. I bought a bunch of lip merchandise from Hince and a cushion basis from Fwee for my mother.
I bought some facial laser therapies proper once I bought to Korea. Since I had the Corso Como launch, I couldn’t do something that was going to go away my face uncooked or unseemly, however I bought Onda and Titanium. They aim particular layers of the dermis to tighten and carry. You’re imagined to do them in repetition for one of the best outcomes, however I solely had time to get them accomplished two occasions. They advised me I’d see a distinction about two weeks later and that was positively the case. I simply regarded refreshed and brighter.
We ate a lot throughout the journey. We went to lots of hole-in-the-walls. I liked how the eating places didn’t have large menus, simply six or seven gadgets that had been all superb. My favourite was Nanpo, this ‘80s-themed restaurant. I took my mother with my son, and he or she stored commenting how nostalgic the meals was. Oh, and I used to be capable of attempt Ashotchu, a preferred drink that has a shot of espresso with a bit of little bit of iced peach tea. The mix of the sweetness from the tea and the bitterness from the espresso was so yummy.
I attempt to go to Korea fairly regularly, and it’s all the time attention-grabbing to see how a lot issues change, even within the span of a 12 months. The retail atmosphere is so progressive and it strikes so rapidly, so for me, it was actually fulfilling to see folks in a unique market react to Comme Si and the exhibit total. I didn’t develop up in Korea—I solely visited—however I’ve a love for the normal structure and translating that into the furnishings and having individuals who reside there say that my perspective is a contemporary interpretation was actually, actually superb.
Love,
Jenni Lee
—As advised to Daise Bedolla
Pictures courtesy of Jenni Lee and Comme Si
