Plan B

Where Fashion Meets Art

Interview by Melline Galani.

For many of us, style or fashion can be trends that we choose to follow or not. But for some, fashion is a lifestyle, and clothes are a means of artistic expression. Moreover, we know that many expats here have difficulties in finding their style and in the right sizes. Recently, I met with the owner of Plan B, a clothing store that sets itself apart from others. We hope this interview is not only interesting but also helpful for those in search of a distinct clothing style.

Gwangju News (GN): Hello and thank you for taking time to participate in this interview. Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Park Sang Won: Thank you for having me. My name is Park Sang Won, I am 28 years old, and currently I am working in the apparel and restaurant industries. I moved from Gyeonggi-do to Gwangju and have lived here since I was in the sixth grade. I began dressing up starting in middle school and wanted to meet and communicate with other people like me, and that became my dream at the time. Now I have been in the clothing business for the past six years.

GN: What are the biggest challenges of owning and running your own business?
Park Sang Won: I think every business has its own challenges. As with all businesses, communication and customer satisfaction along with distribution and flexible styling are important, and we have to find the colors and know the styles that our customers want in their clothes that are trendy and distinctive. Likewise, there are difficulties, but I work diligently to manage this store.

GN: What were you doing before you opened the store, and how long has Plan B been around?
Park Sang Won: Before starting my own business six years ago, I used to do a lot of different things, such as working part-time at convenience stores, factories, or arcades. I opened the clothing store after coming back from the army.

GN: We know you also run the jazz bar Lucchetto. Isn’t it difficult to operate two businesses at the same time?
Park Sang Won: Lucchetto was opened in December 2019. It started as a place for friends who are like my family, and I prepared a stage for performances with the aim of becoming a jazz bar, but now I am operating it as a place where I can meet and communicate with people rather than planning performances. Of course, it is difficult to operate the clothing store and the bar at the same time, but I have a partner and an employee at Lucchetto, and the place has a family-like atmosphere, so I am enjoying it rather than finding it difficult.

GN: How do you select the clothes you sell and from where do you acquire them? Who are your target customers?
Park Sang Won: All the clothes that I sell are selected by myself from different places such as Seoul, Busan, China, and Japan, and they are designed for styling (for example, animal print, punk, and tech styles). I usually bring in the clothes I would wear myself. There are no stereotypes about the garments I sell, so the target customers can be anyone regardless of gender or age.

GN: In addition to clothes, does the store offer other products or accessories? If so, please tell us about them.
Park Sang Won: In my opinion, there is no styling without accessories; therefore, I select things that I think look pretty, such as rings, necklaces, shoes, or other trendy and unique accessories. Now I am in the process of preparing a new category of products consisting of handmade accessories that will be available in the future.

GN: There are many clothing stores around here, some of which are cheaper. Why should people come to this store, and how do you keep up with the competition?
Park Sang Won: There is no business without competition. I think the main reason customers come to Plan B is because of my bright and positive energy and pleasant attitude. I am joking, of course – I think it is because I sell unique clothes made with good fabric and style. Moreover, Plan B also offers custom repair or clothing adjustments if necessary.

GN: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know many businesses are facing hardships. Please tell us how the pandemic has affected your business.
Park Sang Won: As strange as it may sound, COVID-19 has not made it difficult to operate the store nor did it lower sales. I know that other businesses have had a different time, though. During this period, I did my best to promote the business and researched and studied the market. Hence, I could still sell clothes. Maybe this is the reason I have gotten good results.

GN: What is your favorite or most rewarding aspect of your job? What’s the most challenging part?
Park Sang Won: The most rewarding part about doing business is seeing customers satisfied and meeting many people while working. Some of them have become my friends, and we like to spend time together whenever possible. Seeing a shy person gain more self-esteem just by dressing up is also rewarding for me. The difficult part is that I do not have time during the day, since I work seven days a week. I would like to study personal development more, but for now, it is not possible. But I am always enjoying my work as if today were my last day.

GN: Do you have a favorite fashion period, or do you have a particular fashion icon that you admire most?
Park Sang Won: There are many different fashion styles for each period. There is a saying that fashion goes in cycles, but from the 1980s, the movement of deconstructivism in fashion also started under the influence of postmodernism and, accordingly, stereotypes like gender and age were dismantled. Deconstruction in terms of fashion (a.k.a. anti-fashion) refers to garments that are unfinished, coming apart, recycled, transparent, and grunge, so in other words, they were unfinished, decomposing and/or reassembled. This unbiased, deconstructive style, which involves finding a personal background and color, seems to be the style now, and my favorite designer is Jean Paul Gaultier precisely for his way of presenting his haute couture collections, using unorthodox, sometimes inexpensive, materials like braided straw or unconventional designs.

GN: Thank you for telling us about yourself, Plan B, and the types of clothing that one can find there.

Photographs courtesy of Plan B.

PLAN B (플렌비)
Address: Gwangju, Dong-gu, Chungjang-ro 3-ga, 38-9 (Underground, near The First Alleyway) 광주 동구 충장로 3가 38-8번지 지하
Business Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Instagram: @ilove_sangwon

THE INTERVIEWER

Melline Galani is a Romanian enthusiast, born and raised in the capital city of Bucharest, who is currently living in Gwangju. She likes new challenges, learning interesting things, and is incurably optimistic. Her favorite fashion store in Gwangju is Plan B. Instagram: @melligalanis