Korean Slow Fashion
Oma Space
Oma Space is a Korean fashion and textile brand based in Seoul.
The brand's concept is to create handmade textiles out of organic fibers such as raw hemp, silk, and hand-spun cotton, using natural practices such as weaving and natural hand dyeing.
Jang Jiu, Daniel Kapelian and Gil Kyoung-young are the designers and artists behind the ethical design label.
It all started when Jang Jiu moved to London in 2005 after obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Textile Design from Sangmyung University in Seoul. Following her studies, she worked as a textile designer with Michio Koshino, before going on to work with Alexander McQueen for two years.
She decided to follow her own path in 2010 by establishing brand Oma Space in London. By that time, Jang Jiu was already focused on creating ethical fashion that aimed to value artisans in Asia — devising a space away from fast fashion, where the production of unique, exclusive and long-lasting pieces would take precedent.
In 2012 she opened her studio and showroom in Seoul to offer exclusive pieces, which had been produced more responsibly than is conventionally available.
Jang Jiu’s amazing brand artwork intelligently weaves the skills of traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary design.
Over the years, the massive consumption of fast fashion has caused ancient textile practices to disappear in Asia. Oma Space believes that this knowledge and craft should not be lost. This would be an enormous waste of beauty and culture.
Artist Jang Jiu argues that fast fashion is not wholly responsible for the loss of ancient practices, but the devastation is accentuated by our own over-consumption. Society dictates that consumers must buy a new outfit every season, a decree that has been made possible by the development of the fast fashion industry. This has caused us to lose the real value of how we produce clothes and the rights of the workers involved in this process.
For a high ethical label, such as Oma Space, it’s important to create a small range of custom pieces, delivered through partnerships with local artisans based mainly in Asia. The design is minimalist and resides in the subtlety of texture, timeless aesthetics and durable quality materials.
“In all our creations, we express the natural essence of the fabrics, sublimated by an artistic dimension and a spiritual presence within.”
EARTH Installation, Gana Art Center, Seoul