Joongang Ilbo ? “Korean Hand-Crafted Ceramics Contributes to Cultural …

“Korean Hand-Crafted Ceramics Contributes to Cultural Development by Promulgating Its Excellence”
The most appealing sense of handcrafted ceramics, which must be made by hand and fired, is its simplicity. The premium handcrafted ceramics brand that has reinterpreted Korean ceramics in a modern way, Yido, is one of the best handcrafted ceramics that is pleasantly simple. It has gained popularity with their handmade qualities and has even recently entered the main branch of Lotte department store. We met Chairman Yoonshin Yi (58 picture), who is a potter at the flagship store of Yido in Gahoe-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul to hear her story of success.
“Hand-Crafted Ceramics Made by 60 Craftsmen Shows Natural Beauty and Goes Well with All Types of Cuisines all over the world”
If you put food on a beautiful ceramic dish and set it on the table, the food looks more appetizing. Hand-crafted ceramics of ‘Yido’ can make the food look more appetizing and more presentable and this is the reason consumers are giving their attention to this brand. It is easy to find hotels or quality dining brands including restaurants that use Yido ceramics. Celebrity chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who runs a famous Michelin 3 star restaurant in New York is also using Yido products.
Good Ceramics Should Make Food Look Appetizing
“These days, consumers enjoy valuable consumption. I think hand-crafted ceramics brand like ‘Yido’ suits perfectly to this type of consumption trend. Good ceramics makes food look appetizing.” Yido ceramics go well with a variety of cuisines such as Korean, Western, Japanese or fusion. ‘Yido Dining’, which was operated in the Gangnam store in Seoul gained popularity because they used Yido ceramics for their brunch or Western style menus. The chairman’s philosophy is that whatever food is put in quality ceramics must look appetizing. This is because if there are many patterns or if the color is strong, it is difficult to achieve harmony with food. The quality of Yido ceramics have been acknowledged by foreigners as well. During the Milan World Expo in Italy last year, they received positive feedback saying that Yido’s beautiful ceramics could be used for a wide variety of foods for all Asian and Western cuisine. She continued saying, “Ceramics are different from the common conception in that they are light, durable and easy to store.” Yido products are hand-crafted ceramics in which the rough nature of clay and the enamel harmonize naturally. The representative lines are ‘Cheongyeon’, which expressed the blue-green colors in a modern way, ‘Onyu’, which is warm and simple, ‘Soho’, which is the color of nature, and ‘Yoonbit’, which has the color of the sky. The newly released “Soon” line, which emphasizes cleanliness, or the ‘Premium Vintage’ line, in which various colors overlap and a pictorial technique is highlighted, are also receiving positive feedback.
Managing a Complex, Cultural Ceramics Studio
Yido products are now being sold at 15 stores including at Shinsaegae/Hyundai/Lotte department stores and duty free stores. The number of department stores is scheduled to increase to 30 by the end of this year. This is quite significant compared to the many tableware brands that are pulling out from department stores. Chairman Lee explained, “This was possible because we commercialized hand-crafted arts.” The ceramics studio in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, which was opened in 2014 for establishing hand-crafted ceramics and expanding distribution networks, played a big role in this success. At the studio, designers and craftsmen practiced their skills for 2 years to make products with the same touch. It wasn’t easy. “It wasn’t easy because 60 craftsmen had to make all products by hand. All processes including molding and production had to be done by hand, so there were many things to about in terms of production of quantity.” The ceramic studio is the production facility for hand-crafted ceramic products, but it is also a complex cultural space in which one can experience be concerned exhibitions, events, shopping and performances. In the 11,634m2 studio, there is a space for hand-crafted creative arts called the Y-Factory and Y-Square, and a resting and lodging area for Yido’s craftsmen called the Y-House. There is even a ‘Yiyoonshin Hall” where one can see the story of the Yido brand and the course of its progress. Chairman Lee emphasized, “The ceramic studio is the result which incorporated Yido’s principle of surpassing from a ceramics brand to a cultural business.”
She is making a strategy for differentiating Yido from other brands during the early stages of the business. The goal is to become a cultural business which leads the lifestyle and art field. As part of this strategy, they are managing a Yido academy at their flagship store in Gahoe-dong, Seoul. They are providing ceramics classes so that anyone can directly experience the value of ceramic arts. Beginning from the latter half of the year, they are planning to launch a ‘Yido Atelier’ in which they will introduce and show artwork of various fields. They want to contribute to making more space for life and to strengthen their identity as a cultural business. Chairman Lee hasn’t forgot her ambitions for lowering the threshold of pure arts. She has been working to incorporated ceramics into the daily life, and now she is widening the scope and contemplating on how to incorporate art into the daily life. “We aim for practical beauty and beautify of daily life that cannot be mimicked. We hope to promulgate the excellence of Korean hand-crafted ceramics through our brand ‘Yido’ and contribute to the development of cultural arts.”