Alexander Martha: How did you first get into fashion?
Jay Songzio: I grew up in the fashion industry, as my parents are fashion designers. Our brand, SONGZIO, was founded even before I was born, and growing up in the brand and in the industry, fashion came very naturally to me. Where I lived, studied, traveled were all because of and for our brand, every conversation was about fashion and creativity, so again, fashion is the most natural part of my life and will always be.

AM: Could you describe the path you took to becoming a designer?
JS: I grew up in our offices, factories, and ateliers. Agonizing to find new designs and being creative has been my everyday routine since I was a kid. I started to work for the brand from a very young age as a designer, illustrator, patternmaker, seamstress, so I became a designer without a formal fashion education. Growing up in Paris and New York was also an essential part of becoming a designer; learning about fashion and mostly about fine arts and cinema helped me a lot as a designer.

AM: What made you decide to work for such a storied brand as SONGZIO instead of starting your own label?
JS: Our family brand has a unique legacy and standing in the Korean fashion industry. As a second-generation head of the house, my most important objective is to make sure the brand grows to an exponential level both in Korea and overseas. Before me, our brand was solely focused on designing and developing new and creative designs. We were never about commercial success and did not produce commercial products. However, in this fast-moving and developing world, I deemed it necessary for our brand to grow commercially using all our creative assets and qualities. Leading SONGZIO to the next level is a more important mission for me than starting my own label.

AM: How do you work to incorporate the long history of SONGZIO into its current collections and garments?
JS: In every way that I can. First, our ateliers, who are artisans with more than 30 years of experience, are essential in bringing our visions to life. Our textile atelier creates unique fabrics every season with new textures and techniques. Our silkscreen atelier is of the highest quality in Korea. Our most well-known embroidery atelier enriches our collection.

AM: You have stated before how each one of your collections “begins on a black canvas.” What do you mean by that? How would you describe your creative process?
JS: We have always sought to create a ‘wearable art’ and approach fashion in the most pure and creative way. Therefore, before designing a new collection, I begin by writing a story of our protagonist and paint on a black canvas the season’s painting that also serves as the season’s main artwork and inspiration. From this painting, we set the texture of the textiles, set color palettes of the season, and try to design a conceptual collection that tells a new story.

AM: Your collections often carry a theme of duality, with your Spring/Summer 2022 collection focusing on the contrast of light and darkness, silence and noise, loneliness and thrill. Why do you put such an emphasis on opposing aesthetics in your collections?
JS: Seeking depth of creativity and always searching for something new, I try never to constrain myself in a particular genre of fashion or arts. Of course, I have my own way of doing things and my preferences, but I try to do something new every season. I try to tell a new story. In doing so, there is much of a self-retrospective process through which I always find a sense of duality. I find myself most creatively free and interesting in this idea of duality.

AM: Under your leadership, SONGZIO has expanded and undergone a creative renewal. Can you describe that process? Did you have a specific plan for where you wanted to take SONGZIO?
JS: As of last year, we have become the largest eponymous designer brand in Korea, with four brands under the SONGZIO umbrella. But, we still have a long way to go, as we have plans to expand into sportswear, children’s wear, furniture, formalwear, etc. I plan to achieve a sense of omnipresence with SONGZIO, a creative house present in different ways in people’s lives.

AM: What are your goals for the future of SONGZIO?
JS: As of last year, we have become the largest eponymous designer brand in Korea, with four brands under the SONGZIO umbrella. But, we still have a long way to go, as we have plans to expand into sportswear, children’s wear, furniture, formalwear, etc. I plan to achieve a sense of omnipresence with SONGZIO, a creative house present in different ways in people’s lives.

AM: Under SONGZIO, there are various brands such as SONGZIO HOMME, ZZERO SONGZIO, and ZIO SONGZIO. What purpose does each of these brands hold? Do you plan to create any more sub-labels in the future?
JS: SONGZIO is our flagship collection line where we express our creativity with a strong focus on Avant-garde and orientalism. From this creative pillar, I wanted to expand our brand in various directions for two purposes: first, to develop a certain sub-concept such as embroidery/artwork creations or certain fabric play, and second, to have a wider audience experience our brand. I plan to create many more sub-labels in the future.

AM: What ideas do you believe to be integral to the SONGZIO ethos and the label’s various brands?
JS: Avant-garde and creativity with a sense of strength are the ideas that are integral to SONGZIO brands. We don’t like to do just ‘cute’ or ‘pretty’ things.

AM: What traits exemplify the SONGZIO individual?
JS: I always define SONGZIO’s protagonist as a misanthrope, a man of stark and stoic exterior but with a sensible and artistic interior.