From Korea to the World: Uniform Bridge

A fresh turn on American Workwear and Military Garments

The fact that military styles have been an important influence for fashion designers from various fields is impossible to deny. With the latest rise of interest in outerwear and functional clothing, the impact of military garments and accessories became more visible than ever. A brand that incorporates these styles yet does things differently, away from the hype, is South Korean Brand Uniform Bridge.

Gorp-core is trending on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, waterproof jackets can be seen on the runways of the international fashion shows and going outdoors is no longer solely for professional hikers or climbers. Equipped with high quality outdoor products, more and more people with urban roots are drawn to the forests and mountains away from the big cities. However, as the trend became more and more technical, people experienced that they didn’t necessarily need all of the fancy functions in their daily lives. After all, not every way to work is equated with climbing a mountain. Meanwhile, Uniform Bridge understood the consumers’ urge to still have military and outerwear-inspired clothes in a rather sophisticated and sleek execution. They benefit from the fact that streetwear in Korea has been rethought by young and ambitious designers for some time now. And successfully so: Asian – and especially Korean – streetwear styles are becoming a global trend. Uniform Bridge skillfully bridges the gap between Korean streetwear and the look of American functional clothing. Therefore the brand is one of the hottest to watch at the moment.

Founded in 2015, the brand quickly became a name nationally and internationally by taking its unique approach to American workwear and military wear. Expect collections with a well-balanced mix of everyday wearable garments and functional, more outdoor oriented pieces like fishermen vests or fatigue military pants.
Crafted in Korea, the single items impress with high quality, minimalistic designs and the possibility for easy yet extensive layering.

Uniform Bridge became a reality after deep research into original military uniforms and workwear, as the founders state. Soon the idea was born to create a brand that combines those classy, timeless designs with modern technology.

The result is impressive: While the utilitarian influences are unmistakable, the brand succeeded in creating garments driven by the young and fresh spirit off the streets of Seoul. This mix meets the modern zeitgeist like not many other brands. The city, likewise the brand balances between tradition and future. Therefore it’s to no one’s surprise that Uniform Bridge underpinned its connection to the Korean capital by opening its first-ever ‘edit edition’ store in April 2020 in the Dragon Hill Yongsan District of Seoul City.

Despite the brand’s very young age of only six years, Uniform Bridge outperforms brands with way more experience in the field with their knowledge and product range. Moreover, collaborations like the outerwear industry giant Marmot underline the brands promising future.

Now also stocked at HHV, the brand made its way from Korea to Europe and along come their classy yet refined styles. Tops like the M65 Sweatshirt or the Canadian Fatigue Jacket dive into the military-inspired roots of Uniform Bridge, while the zip-up sweatshirts explore the Americana influences. Thanks to the earthy and almost monochrome colour palette, all items are easy to combine and perfect for layering in different styles and looks.

To better understand where Uniform Bridge comes from and go more into detail about its influences and design processes, we sat down with Hyun-Soo, designer and co-founder of Uniform Bridge.

Hey Hyun-Soo, nice to meet you!

What is the origin of Uniform Bridge?

Uniform Bridge started with a new creation in consideration of the culture and body shape of the present era based on military uniforms, outdoor, vintage, and classical designs.

How did it start, and where is it going?

As mentioned earlier, Uniform Bridge started by re-creating military uniforms or designs such as outdoor, vintage, and classical, and tried to make clothes that could be worn comfortably for a long time. The direction for Uniform Bridge to move forward is not to lose our originality and to make products that can be worn comfortably and for a long time in the future, but to make products that can be worn by all generations, not just gender and age.

Can you take us with you on the process from the first idea to the final product?

First, we start by redesigning it to suit the sensibility of the present era and uniform bridge, inspired by World War II, the Civil War of Korea, or the vintage, and classical design and military uniforms of various countries in the present era.

It depends on the design, but it sometimes deletes unnecessary details in real life, and sometimes adds details for more comfort in real life. However, at that time, we are very careful to add and delete in order not to lose the mood of the original. Based on the design, we make samples and review the details we added or deleted. In addition, production begins after adjusting the fit for fit.

How does living in Seoul influence you?

Seoul has a high population density and is a city where generations of people and people from various countries live. In other words, it is a city where countless people of individuality live, and living in such a city is always busy and hectic, but there are countless things to see, hear, and feel in it. There are tons of occupational groups in everyone who lives busy, and there are many inspirations from them.

There is also various cultural inspiration, such as exhibitions and performances held in a city called Seoul, and inspiration from many people mentioned above.

When does a piece of clothing become “functional” in your eyes?

When considering the functionality of clothes, you can also think of the functionality of products using fabric produced with advanced technology, but we look functional when the clothes we wear while living in the city match outdoor activities without awkwardness.

Among the products we’ve produced, for example, ‘utility mountain jacket’ go well with no awkwardness even when living in the city, and go well with outdoor activities (hiking, running, fishing, camping), and I think one is the most functional clothing when you can wear it without awkwardness in various environments.

What is the most important thing you look at when creating new products?

As with all fashion brands, quality and design are the most important.
And we think a lot about how our products will be accepted by customers who like uniform bridge and customers who are new to us.

Also, we think a lot not to lose the uniform bridge’s originality we talked about earlier. We design our products in the hope that they can go well with various environments, generations, and cultures without awkwardness.

What’s next for Uniform Bridge?

We started in 2013 and celebrate our 10th anniversary next year. We started with men’s clothing and have been expanding the women’s clothing line little by little since 2020.

Our closest goal this year is to strengthen the women’s clothing line. Also, we hope that this year will be a year to strengthen our brand’s nourishment so that we can take a bigger step by thinking about the next 10 years, looking back on the path we have taken 10 years before the brand’s birth.