[Star Column part 2] What does ‘beauty’ mean for GD?
There are two words that have always been glued to G-Dragon. They are: Fashion Leader. G-Dragon is great at picking out outfits. To the fans who come to see him at his concerts, his musical talents are not the only pleasure he gives: his fashion sense is simply an eye-candy for all. In the second part of the Star Column with G-Dragon, or GD, we get to hear stories about how he has come to design his own clothes. He is not solely a great outfit-picker, but he is a designer as well. And we also heard GD is crazy about food. His favorite one is sushi. We want to know what kind of sushi places he goes to. And all the answers to these questions are revealed in this column, kindly written by GD himself. In the final part of Star Column, GD’s adorable childhood photograph will be revealed. Stay tuned.
# What does fashion mean for G-Dragon?
Fashion is one of the media I use to express myself. Just like music, there is no right or wrong, or good or bad. It is simply a tool for me to express my feelings of the day. I, however, do have different outfits for different circumstances – like concerts, music video and other performances. The first impression I make on people does not only include my music, in other words, the auditory part of it, but it also includes the visual part, which is how I present myself. So fashion is… a tool for me to express myself.
My mother used to make my clothes since I was a little boy. I loved wearing unusual outfits that stood out in the crowd. My mother did a great job in satisfying that need. And thanks to my mother, I think I learned to enjoy dressing up in a unique and individualistic way at a very young age. I’m not entirely sure if I can define what I do as ‘fashionable,’ but I have always liked dressing up.
I don’t have any preference for a particular brand. I just choose whatever I want to try on, or whatever that catches my attention immediately. In the past I used to think designer products were better, but now I mix and match my clothes regardless of their brand names. And recently I have been wearing a lot of outfits I have designed in my own style and taste.
I don’t make my own clothes, but there is a stylist who can make the clothes exactly how I want them to be. Sometimes I put my name on them. I try different things.
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The stylist is so talented I just give them some samples and explain how I picture the outcome will be. That’s about it. I’ve always liked drawing, so I sometimes draw pictures to explain what I have in mind.
# GD’s Fashion = Confidence
I myself don’t really know what ‘dressing up nicely’ actually is, but I think it’s important that you pick the outfit that suits you. You need that sense to know what kind of outfit goes with what kind of setting. If you can match your outfit with the setting and the circumstance, that leads to good decision making and a good sense for fashion.
But most importantly, you need to have confidence to make the clothes suit you.
You might feel uncomfortable in an outfit that you’re not used to wearing, but you can’t show that to others. You need to learn to hide that discomfort. You need to try on lots of different things to find out what really suits you. People from my office often wear baggy pants, and that could look back because other people can see your underwear. But if you keep trying it on, you get used to it and the confidence will follow automatically. Every person has a different figure, so you need to keep trying different things before you find that style which perfectly fits you.
I visited France every year because I love fashion so much. And if time allows, I would definitely like to keep that tradition. I get invited to a lot of great fashion events in Paris like Fashion Week, and I feel honored to have such awesome opportunities.
But that doesn’t really mean that I want to go into fashion professionally. I am more than well aware that being successful in one area is extremely difficult. And it is harder for me to start a career in fashion because I have been in love with clothes since I was a very young. I know that there are so many people who have devoted their lives in fashion as much as I have done in music, and I can see how hard their paths would have been to enjoy the success they have now.
# “Looks” matter for food
I love going out to eat. I enjoy eating sushi these days. When I have free time I go eat sushi. It was great to be in Japan for the performance because I was surrounded by exquisite sushi places. I think I could even start writing a column on sushi restaurants in Seoul. The ingredients for sushi change according to seasons, so it will take me a while to get sick of it.
Different restaurants specialize in different dishes, but the dish I really enjoy eating is cooked with mackerels. There are about three sushi places I enjoy visiting in Seoul. I have my own system of giving them rating them by giving stars. And the criteria go like this: what the atmosphere is like, and what kind of courses they have, and the level of sushi’s freshness.
If I can, I choose to eat at the bar seats instead of at a table. Reason? I enjoy asking the chef about different kinds of sushi and I love watching the process of my sushi being made.
The reason I chose sushi as my favorite food is the visual pleasure I get from it. Sushi is just so beautiful. Like when I choose my outfits, I get attracted to beautiful things. For me, how things look is important.
This marks the second week of my Naver Star Column, and next week is the final one. I am already worried that my stories may not be that interesting! Well, I will see you next week then!
