Supermodel Soo Joo Park, our Spring 2014 cover girl, proves she’s got quite the skill set even off-camera in a collaboration with tech company Caeden. Park is not only the face of the brand’s Linea headphones campaign, but she also serves as the product’s creative advisor. With the cutting edge off-duty fashion sense she’s known for and the design skills she learned back in architecture school, Caeden’s Linea headphones turned out to be absolute stunners, not unlike Park herself. Here, the busy supermodel speaks with us about the design experience and fills us in on what’s next in her career.
As the creative advisor of this project, how involved were you throughout the process?
I started to get involved with Caeden from the beginning. David (Watkins, co-founder and chief creative officer of Caeden) and I are friends, and we realized early in our friendship that we both had a shared appreciation for design, architecture, style and fashion. Our casual creative conversations evolved into a more formal creative role, and I’ve been working with David throughout the creative process. This includes discussions on design direction to selecting materials and finishes, testing the fit and function, packaging etc.
What music are you listening to right now?
Actually, I made a playlist for Caeden’s launch, you can listen to it here.
What’s an important common thread between the fashion and technology industries?
For me, an immediate connection is the rising significance and use of social media in the fashion industry. Editors can now post exclusive photos from fashion shows in real time, models stay in touch with their fans through candid updates, and brands and customers can speak to each other directly through their social media platforms. Smart phones and mobile devices are now an essential accessory for staying up-to-date and relevant, and I think it’s important to look stylish and chic doing so!
How do the lessons you learned in design school help you when you’re modeling?
As a designer you learn to conceptualize and creatively execute an image or idea. I think this is helpful when I am modeling and working within a photographer’s creative vision.
What can we expect next from you?
With Caeden, we are in the development phase of our exciting line of connected jewellery, which will launch next year. Hopefully the musical collaboration I’m working on with some friends of mine will be completed soon, too. And, of course, another great and busy year of photo shoots and travelling as a model!
Learn more about the brand at caeden.com and shop the collection here.