When South Korea swore in its first female president, Park Geun-hye, last month, the proceedings included a speech calling for North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions, a 21-gun salute, and a performance of Gangnam Style by Psy, the country’s rap sensation whose YouTube video for the song was not only the first to reach more than one billion views but also a hyper-efficient conduit for introducing Korean style (or, at least, the styles of the Gangnam shopping district) to the rest of the world.
不久前，当韩国首位女总统朴槿惠(Park Geun-hye)宣誓就职时，整个就职典礼中既有呼吁朝鲜放弃其雄心勃勃核计划的演讲，也鸣放了21响礼炮，还有该国Rap明星朴载相(Psy)现场演唱《江南Style》(Gangnam Style)的助兴。他演唱的《江南Style》不仅成为YouTube网站上首个点击率超亿的视频，而且成为向全球推介韩国时尚生活（抑或说至少是江南购物区的时尚风）最行之有效的手段。
South of the Han in Seoul – the country’s capital and a sprawling concrete megalopolis – Gangnam was known in the 1980s for its art galleries and alternative scene. In the 1990s small stores moved in, which have been followed by major designers (the biggest six are Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo, Fendi, and Christian Dior), lured by the growing appetite in South Korea for luxury goods.
韩国首都首尔如今是一栋栋摩天大楼林立、不断向四处延伸的特大型城市，其汉江南岸(South of the Han)的江南地区在上世纪80年代以艺术画廊与非传统生活场景著称。上世纪90年代，小型店铺不断涌入该地区，紧随其后的是全球知名品牌（最大的六家是：路易威登(Louis Vuitton)、古姿(Gucci)、普拉达(Prada)、菲拉格慕(Ferragamo)、芬迪(Fendi)以及迪奥(Christian Dior)），它们都是由于韩国消费者越来越青睐奢侈品而登陆该国市场。
“Korean fashion culture is developing very fast. Lots of Koreans are trying to express their own personality and sensibility with their clothes,” said designer Lie Sang Bong, whose inspiration is often taken from Korean cultural motifs adapted to create East-meets-West looks worn by Lady Gaga and Lindsay Lohan, among others.
“韩国时尚文化发展迅猛，许多韩国人希望通过自己所穿的服装来展现自己的个性与情感，”设计师李尚邦(Lie Sang Bong)说，他的设计灵感通常来自韩国文化主旨，经改动后设计出了东西方交融的服装款式，受到了Lady Gaga与林赛•罗韩(Lindsay Lohan)等众多明星的追捧。
When asked how Psy’s success has changed the fashion landscape in Korea, Lie San Bong says, “A couple of months ago [the actor and Les Miserables star] Hugh Jackman was trying on a jacket that I gave him and asked, ‘Is this Gangnam style?’ Gangnam Style was a great advertisement of Gangnam in Korea.”
当问及朴载相的一举成名如何改变韩国的时尚格局时，李尚邦说，“几个月前，影星及《悲惨世界》(Les Miserables)主演休•杰克曼(Hugh Jackman)试穿了本人送给他的一件夹克后追问，‘这是否就是江南款式？’可见《江南Style》为韩国江南地区做了一回了不起的广告。”
Now a shopper’s paradise, Gangnam is packed with swarms of young people dressed in expensive designer gear on the hipster drag of Garosugil. While global fashion brands have a major presence, local designers are increasingly proving a draw – both at home and abroad.
江南地区如今成了购物者的天堂，身穿名牌时装行头的年轻潮人摩肩接踵，把林荫道(Garosugil)挤得水泄不通。尽管全球知名品牌占据主流地位，但本地设计师的服装也越来越受到国内外消费者的青睐。
Consider the Simone Handbag Museum, which opened last year on Garosugil in Bagstage, a multi-story building designed to resemble a bag and to showcase local artisans and designs from its own brand 0914, alongside its museum collection. Or consider Seoul Fashion Week, which ended on March 30, having featured an array of established and upcoming designers such as Shin Jang Kyoung, Kimseoryong, and Munsoo Kwon.
不妨以去年开馆的西蒙手提包博物馆(Simone Handbag Museum)为例，它坐落于林荫道上的Bagstage大厦，这是一栋多层建筑，外形酷似手袋，除了展出馆藏的手袋之外，还集中展示本地手工制品以及本地品牌0917推出的产品；也可以看一下首尔时装周(Seoul Fashion Week)，集中展示了Shin Jang Kyoung、金溪龙(Kimseoryong)以及 Munsoo Kwon等知名与新锐品牌。
The latter launched his first collection in New York in 2012 after working for a number of big brands, including Helmut Lang.
为赫尔穆特•朗(Helmut Lang)等众多知名品牌“做嫁衣”后，Munsoo Kwon 于2012年在纽约举办了自己的首个时装展。
Though Kwon is based in Gangnam, he also has a New York showroom, indicative of the way Korean designers are beginning to branch out in the US market. Indeed, at this year’s New York Fashion Week, Concept Korea, a showcase for Korean designers launched in 2010 to promote Korean fashion designers and help them break into the US, proved one of the most colourful highlights of the week, attracting guests such as the British pop singer Neon Hitch, who modelled one of Lie Sang Bong’s glamorous fluffy white jackets.
尽管Munsoo Kwon的设计基地在江南地区，他在纽约也设有自己的陈列室，预示着韩国设计师开始把触角伸向美国市场。勿庸置疑，在今年的纽约时装周(New York Fashion Week)上，“Concept Korea”成了最亮丽的风景线，吸引了包括英国流行歌星Neon Hitch在内的众多明星捧场，Neon Hitch更是成了李尚邦所设计的蓬松款白色漂亮夹克的模特。集中展示韩国时尚设计师的“Concept Korea” 成立于2010年，旨在推介韩国时尚品牌，帮助它们进军美国市场。
On display was work from six leading designers, including Lie Sang Bong, Son Jung Wan and Choi Bo Ko and Kye by Kathleen Kye, a Central St Martins graduate whose work can be found in Harvey Nichols in London and in Gangnam in the Daily Projects shop.
其中一场展示会展出了包括李尚邦、Son Jung Wan、Choi Bo Ko以及Kye在内的韩国六大知名品牌。Kye品牌的设计师Kathleen Kye毕业于中央圣马丁艺术设计学院(Central St Martins)，她的作品在伦敦哈维•尼克斯百货店(Harvey Nichols)以及江南地区的Daily Projects门店均有销售。
“Korean consumers like to follow fashion trends,” Kye says. “My hope is that Koreans can express their personality with a more free-minded and witty style, like in the UK and Japan.”
“韩国消费者喜欢紧跟流行时尚，” Kathleen Kye说。“我的愿望是韩国人能够与英国人与日本人一样，以更加放松、睿智的方式表达自己的个性。”
“K-pop became famous, and now the attention is moving to K-fashion,” says Lie Sang Bong. “K-fashion is important because it can communicate Korean emotions and feelings throughout the world.”
“K-pop已经风靡世界，如今的关注点则转向了韩国时尚(K-fashion)，”李尚邦说。“韩国时尚的重要性与日俱增，因为它能把韩国人的情感与情绪传遍全球。”