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Haute Couture Comes To Niwot
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| By Anna
Mahorski On the eastern edge of Longmont, Young Hahn lives a quiet life among her outstanding jeweled and beaded designs for clothing, table runners, plates, bed skirts and other haute couture designs.  Originally from Seoul, South Korea, she now calls Colorado her home. Her mother and brothers have lived here for many years, and Young has found this is a good spot to search out new clients. What makes her work so unique is her style of Victorian beading that is no longer used. She has special tools which hold the weight and balance of the beads on the materials she uses. Along with 40 “in-house” workers in Colorado, she has over 200 workers around the world. One of her many specialties is a pre-washed knit fabric intricately woven with tiny glass beads. The process for creating this fabric is so intricate that only a few inches can be made a day. But it can be stretched, cut and it fits like a “mermaid. It’s beautiful,” Young said. Young has been in the fashion industry for nearly three decades. For 20 of those years, she “has made couture, tailored gowns for the stars,” of which many have gone to the Academy Awards. “My gowns are seasonless, [and] can be worn any time of the year. People mix and match my clothing. Also, these special gowns are passed down through generations. They last forever.” Young counts well-known designers like Estee Lauder and Versace among her clients. Young travels every few weeks around the world to buy only the best glass beads. These beads are very small and beautiful and include crystal and pearlized beads, and pink and black tube beads. Interior designers often use her work which include pillows and quilts with “special” English embroidery silk thread. The quilts are lined with silk padding that make them warm and light. Pillows also are embroidered with the same care. Other unique creations include plates and chairs designed per client request. Young can recreate a favorite painting with beadwork, which is then slowly stretched over the plate or chair. This technique takes days to stretch. Young became interested in this work from seeing older fashions in museums. “Nuns used to bead and make lace for the upper class. The beads always interested me.” She has a showroom in New York, a home in Seoul and one here in Colorado. “Colorado hasn’t found me yet, but the population is growing, and there are people looking for the haute couture taste!” For more information, contact the Brass Bed at 303-322-1712 or Young Hahn at 303-651-0200. |
Posted January 2001