Fashion career profile
Lie Sang Bong
Lie Sang Bong is a South Korean fashion designer whose collections connect contemporary womenswear with Korean language, architecture and traditional visual culture. After graduating from the School of Performance at Seoul Institute of the Arts in 1975, he worked for five years designing jeans and suits for a ready-made clothing company before launching his own label in Seoul’s Myeong-dong in 1985. His early business was built with local market vendors and ready-to-wear customers, not only runway visibility. He later pursued international buyers, going to the Paris Prêt-à-Porter trade show in 1997, then developing a recognizable design language around Hangul calligraphy and Korean architectural motifs including dancheong and wooden lattice patterns. His official biography also records service as inaugural president of the Council of Fashion Designers of Korea and as a chair-professor at Hongik University’s graduate fashion school. The record separates his own design practice from industry-building and teaching, and avoids treating every institutional role as a fashion-house appointment.
- Role
- Founder & Designer, Lie Sang Bong
- Nationality
- Korean
- Age
- 71
- Early career: Ready-made clothing companyLie said he spent five years designing jeans and suits before launching his own brand; the company and dates are not specified. · Korea JoongAng Daily
- Label founded: Lie Sang Bong, 1985The label opened in Seoul’s Myeong-dong. · Korea JoongAng Daily
- International market: Paris Prêt-à-Porter trade show, 1997Lie described traveling to Paris to find export and sales opportunities during Korea’s financial crisis. · Korea JoongAng Daily
- Signature motif: Hangul calligraphy designs, 2006The Korean alphabet became a signature visual element in his fashion work. · Korea JoongAng Daily
- Industry service: Inaugural president, Council of Fashion Designers of KoreaHis official biography identifies him as the council’s first president. · Lie Sang Bong
- Teaching: Chair-professor, Hongik University Graduate School of FashionRecorded in his official profile; no appointment dates are published there. · Lie Sang Bong
- 1975 — Graduates from Seoul Institute of the ArtsGraduates from its School of Performance before entering apparel design.
- 1985 — Opens the Lie Sang Bong label in Myeong-dongThe first business grows through local market vendors and ready-to-wear sales.
- 1997 — Travels to Paris to pursue international buyersParticipates in the Prêt-à-Porter trade show during Korea’s financial crisis.
- 2006 — Develops Hangul calligraphy designsKorean alphabet motifs become a signature element of his collections.