IN THE CLUB: David Kang, who spent more than a decade as chief executive officer of the now-shuttered Parisian outpost of South Korean retailer Tom Greyhound, has opened his own consultancy business.
Called Paris Art Club, it will tap into his experience bridging the European and Korean markets for fashion and luxury brands. Services will cover branding, retail, curating collaborations as well as organizing runway shows and pop-up stores.
In addition to facilitating the expansion of prominent South Korean brands in Europe, he will help develop European luxury brands in the fashion-savvy Asian country.
A graduate in international commerce and marketing, Kang cut his teeth working for independent labels in Paris for six years, building an expertise in retail. That’s when he was approached by Handsome Corp., the fashion arm of South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Group, to head its local subsidiary Handsome Paris.
He was in charge of the fashion company’s expansion to Europe with the 2014 opening of Tom Greyhound in Paris as well as developing its brands System and Time, which recently staged its first show in the French capital.
Beyond managing the retailer, his responsibilities at Handsome included negotiating and managing distribution contracts for European luxury brands exported to South Korea.
This new chapter is also an opportunity for the newly independent entrepreneur to branch out into art. He is planning to simultaneously open two galleries in Paris and Seoul next year, with a 5,000-square-foot space in the Marais already in his sights.
Kang plans to juxtapose a curation of contemporary artists, vintage design by the likes of Pierre Jeanneret, Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand with a selection of vintage clothing, cars and motorbikes. A keen rider, he’s often pictured on social media astride a range of fine motorcycles.
Paris Art Club will have offices in central Paris and in the up-and-coming design Hannam neighborhood in Seoul.