Sung Choi

HS: Are there any shoes in your closet that might be a surprise to people?

Sung: I have a pair of ping pong sneakers by Matsuka that I bought last spring in Hong Kong. They’re a lo profile/lo tech white mesh and suede combo with a blue pop and gum sole. They bring my pong game up a notch.

HS: On leather, obviously there is the typical cow hide. But, you can have bison and so on. If you've had the opportunity to work with leathers from different types of hide, are they're any major differences that make you say something like "aha, with this leather I can finally make dreams come true!"

Sung: I really like the feel and wear of Calf skin, but Id prefer to wait for an eco-friendly synthetic that captures the same attributes that will be more accessible to a wider audience.... that would be amazing.

HS: One of your shoes is named, I think, after Jacques Cousteau. Are you a fan of nature programming? I notice some jazz reference to the naming of the shoes as well. Generally speaking how do you come up with model names?

Sung: Cousteau is named after Jacques Cousteau -- the man synonymous with under water exploration. I designed a boat shoe so who better to name it after than the man who said, “a lot of people attack the sea, but I make love to it.” I respect his love for the Earth and his endless quest for discovery through travel.

The model names are my paying homage...you know, I’m trying to follow in the footsteps of greatness. It's about the individuals’ vision, discovery, and art of pursuing. Whether it's Sonny Rollins, Steve McQueen, Walt Whitman or Romare Bearden, they all have a certain essence and style that triggers a mood or feeling which I try to bring out in my designs.

HS: I actually noticed the Romare name too. Seems a good point to switch focus and discuss art for a second. With Bearden there is a great connection between his work and the music of his time (and passion). Where do you find inspiration outside of music/fashion?

Sung: Architecture, furniture design, industrial design, photography, film, art, food, travel...not in any particular order.

HS: Anybody in particular within those fields that you get a charge from?

Sung: Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, IM Pei, Mies Van Der Rohe, Isamu Noguchi, Charles Eames, Dieter Rams, Tibor Kalman, Saul Bass, Paul Rand.... and the list goes on and on.

I used to watch a lot of films in my college days between classes: Wim Wenders, Kirosawa, Kubrick, Godard, Truffaut, Hitchcock to Lynch, Spike Lee and Wong Kai Wai. Ridley Scott's Blade Runnner and Terry Gilliam's Brazil had a big impact as a youth. More recently, 70's Japanese gangster flicks and lecture videos from Joseph Campbell have been influencing me.

The Cai Quo Chang exhibit at the Guggenheim blew me away this last spring. And Olafur Eliasson had a great installation at MoMa last summer. The Emory Douglas exhibit at the Pacific Design Center last year was truly raw and powerful.

Doze Green, David Ellis, and West amongst my contemporaries get me charged.

I get great joy from cooking and eating, especially Asian cuisine. Since I travel frequently on my shoe development trips, I try to seek out the local flavors, sort of like an amateur Anthony Bourdain. I get up before the sun breaks and hit the streets to take some flicks and grab some local breakfast. Cities like New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong are truly amazing to witness in the few hours of tranquility before the morning madness. And the food is just fantastic.