Victorya Hong says she doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t interested in fashion. “It’s clearly something that runs in the family,” she says. “When I was little, my mother made most of my clothes.”

So after a six-year journalism career in Paris, Brussels and Belgium, the Seoul native packed her bags and moved to New York to pursue her original dream of becoming a designer. Today, the 34-year-old Parsons graduate works under her own label, na*be (which means “butterfly” in Korean), and is one of 15 hopefuls on the fourth season of Bravo’s reality sensation “Project Runway,” which premieres Nov. 14. 

 

 

How would you describe your personal style?

I don’t have an over-the-top personality. I like to wear things that are comfortable and wearable, but still have something special about them. Some of my favorites right now are things I have worn to death: a dress that my mother had made for herself when we lived in Korea, a vintage Trussardi blue leather biker jacket, some men’s shirts.

While in Paris, what did you learn about fashion?

I wish I could bottle the French woman’s sense of style. I never failed to wonder at how they could just transform an outfit with the way they wear a scarf or a sweater. The French are also much more keen on quality rather than quantity, which is almost antithetical to the way that we Americans approach clothing.

When and how did you decide to turn fashion design into a career?

I was at a point in my professional life where something was lacking. The work was interesting and I was able to travel to places I had never dreamed I would ever be able to see, but somehow, it wasn’t enough. I literally woke up one morning and thought, “This is a great life, but this is not what I want to be doing.” Six months later, I was enrolled in the Parsons’ associate degree program in New York.

How did you land a spot on “Project Runway”?

I went to the New York casting on what must have been the coldest day of winter, took my number and waited in line all day before I was able to get a chance to show my designs to a panel of rather discerning judges.

What are your hopes for the show?

I’m in an industry where exposure is critical. I hope that people will see that I possess a level of talent and become interested in my work. Aside from the show, my ultimate goal is really to continue doing what I love, which is designing. I think everything else will fall into place if I can always just work toward that.

 

A Dash Of History

Designer Gemma Kahng

  

It didn’t occur to Gemma Kahng that a career in fashion could be in her cards until she enrolled in a fashion history class at the Art Institute of Chicago. “I realized that fashion is art,” says the Brooklyn style-maker, whose background was in sewing, knitting and drawing. “It’s not just about making clothes.”