Q. Could you briefly introduce yourself?

Hello! I’m Min Hyeongjin. I run the select shop Chance Clothing and my own brand, The Geeks.

Q. At Chance Clothing, you work as a director, while at The Geeks, you work as a designer. How does your approach to fashion differ between the two roles?

With buying and curation, I focus on variety, trends, and whether what we select can actually reach our customers. Our team’s tastes naturally come through as well. Design is much more personal. I simply make what I want to wear based on my current taste. So for me, buying is business, while design is personal.

Q. Your taste has changed over the years. Is there anything that has stayed the same since you first got into fashion?

I wouldn’t say there is one particular taste that has stayed the same. I always try to keep changing and accepting new things. If I had to name one thing, it would simply be that I like good clothes. I also constantly buy classic sneakers and boots. Even when my taste changes, it is reassuring to know I can always pull them out and wear them again.

Q. Vintage garments often appear in your work. Why do you use vintage so much in your designs?

I think most clothes today ultimately come from garments of the past. New designs often come from changing construction, materials, or silhouettes. I prefer to keep the original as intact as possible, adjusting the silhouette to my taste and adding my own artwork while using reproduced fabrics, trims, and threads.

Q. Chance Clothing carries many Japanese brands. What do you value most about Japanese fashion?

More than the style itself, I admire their mindset. They absorbed cultures they admired, made them their own, and eventually created something with an influence of its own. Those experiences were passed down and built into cultures like Ura-Harajuku, giving Japanese fashion a very distinct identity. That is what I find most compelling.

Q. You’ve mentioned being inspired by designers who reinterpret culture in their own way. Who or what inspires you these days?

When it comes to product planning, I think NIGO is one of the best. What I admire most is how he uses vintage references in fabrics, trims, and construction while still giving everything a clear identity of his own. I am not trying to follow his path, but I have learned a lot from his work. He shows how an original can be turned into something original of your own.

Q. Among all the products and projects you have released so far, which one are you most attached to, and why?

The football jersey I made most recently is probably the one I feel most attached to. Instead of washing or dyeing it for a vintage look, I left the garments on our rooftop for two months to fade naturally in the sun. Every piece came out slightly different and was finished by hand. The Geeks is almost like another part of myself, so I’m grateful that I can keep making more of what I truly want to make.

Q. Could you tell us more about this collaboration? Where did the design begin, and what story is behind it?

When SEVEN EIGHT UNDER first approached me, I wondered whether I could do it well since I’m a businessman, not an artist. In the end, I decided to simply make a shoe that I would want to wear. I have always liked metal-inspired graphics, grotesque imagery, and skate culture, and those influences naturally shaped my style. The toe-bone appliqué and the crazy pattern mixing suede and leather are simply elements that I personally find cool. Rather than forcing a story onto the shoe, I focused on combining those elements and finding the right balance.

Q. Was there anything about shoe design that you discovered or found especially interesting through this project?

This was my first experience designing shoes, and I learned that adding cool things is easy, but knowing what to take away is much harder. It taught me a lot about the beauty of subtraction.

Q. As a buyer, if you had encountered this shoe without knowing you designed it, what would have caught your attention first?

The bone appliqué would probably catch my eye first. It is a classic motif within this scene, but not many brands attempt something like it. I think the market is ready for it now, and as a buyer, I would be very happy to bring a product like this into my store.

Q. Is there an ultimate goal you would like to achieve, or a project you would love to take on someday?

I don’t really have a grand goal. I simply want to keep doing this for as long as I can, without losing my instincts, even when I am old. Someday, I would also love to create my own exclusive version of a model from one of my favorite sneaker brands.

Q. Lastly, what would you say to those moving forward on their own path?

Doing something well is important, but I think doing it for a long time matters even more. Life and work always have their ups and downs, so there is no need to get too excited or too discouraged. The key is to keep doing what you love without letting it become something you hate. Maybe that is what it means to keep moving forward.