COMPASS Show 2010 – Clae Fall/Winter 2010

In ways, designer Sung Choi’s demeanor is an exact reflection of his designs for Clae, his footwear label since 2001. Composed and cordial, the designer’s affable personality is similar to Clae’s simple, familiar silhouettes. If you speak to Choi at length, however, you find someone with a quiet intensity, the ability to decipher what makes a design good or market trend forecast for next season and beyond. His footwears are no different. Each is a creation of bounded complexities and hidden elements that aren’t visible at first glance, like the reflective inserts in some Russell high-top or the dual lace colors on Strayhorn chukka. All to make the footwears’ end users appreciate them even more.