Check Out Hyungmin Lee’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hyungmin Lee.

Hi Hyungmin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Hyungmin Lee, and I run a project called HTML 7277. I spent my early years moving back and forth between LA, OC, and Korea, naturally absorbing different cultures and street environments along the way. I first encountered skateboarding in LA, and that experience sparked my interest in fashion. My family has also been involved in the fashion industry for a long time, so being surrounded by that environment had a strong influence on me. The street culture, subcultures, and the free energy of the city that I experienced during those years still form the emotional and visual foundation of my work today. After spending more time in Korea, I eventually moved to New York, where I studied Fashion Design at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and graduated this year.

HTML 7277 is a long-term fashion and art project that I co-founded with my collaborator, Hirotaro Murayama. Our work questions systems, control, and how clothing reflects the reality we live in.

I didn’t start fashion with a clear goal of building a brand. I was more interested in making things, developing ideas, and questioning how structures work rather than simply creating something visually appealing. Before moving to New York, I experimented with small creative projects and business experiences on my own, and through that process, I learned very early how difficult it is to balance creativity with reality. Those experiences still shape the way I approach fashion today, not just as design, but as a structure and a system.

When I came to New York and began studying at FIT, the way I saw clothing completely changed. I became deeply focused on construction, pattern-making, and how garments actually function on the body. Alongside my small brand experience in Korea, my work in design and development, especially at Willy Chavarria and Proenza Schouler, taught me the real-world process of how ideas turn into products through research, sourcing, sampling, and constant revision. That experience grounded my work in reality and made me more conscious of both the creative and technical sides of fashion.

HTML 7277 began naturally through the shared interests that Hiro and I had in dystopian narratives, social systems, and experimental construction. Inspired by Brave New World, we imagined HTML as a fictional empire that reflects modern society, its control, media, and invisible systems of order. In 2025, we held our first official exhibition in Midtown, New York, where we presented 35 complete looks, all made entirely from deadstock fabrics. The art direction was handled by Yeajin Lim, and the entire exhibition was documented by photographer Solomon Lee.

Our design details are developed through methods such as removing traditional side seams and replacing them with sculptural darts, shifting the placement of pockets, and applying experimental pattern-making. We treat pattern construction itself as a language that expresses control and structure. The garments in our 26.1 collection represent the “civil servants” of this fictional empire, figures who follow order while existing within its internal cracks.

Right now, I feel that I am still in the middle of the journey. I don’t see HTML 7277 as a finished brand. It is an expanding world and an archive of how I observe changes in society. Moving forward, together with Hiro and everyone who has been part of this journey, I plan to continue expanding this world through projects and exhibitions that exist at the intersection of fashion, art, and social commentary.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Honestly, it has not been a smooth road at all. Moving between different countries from a young age meant constantly adjusting to new environments, cultures, and expectations. That naturally came with instability and uncertainty. While those experiences broadened my perspective and senses, they were also very challenging times.

The structural side of building a project has also been one of the biggest difficulties. Before the project became visible, we had to carry everything on our own for a long time. Preparing our first exhibition with 35 full looks made entirely from deadstock fabrics was especially challenging. Because the materials were inconsistent in supply, the designs had to be continuously adjusted. At the same time, everything had to be completed within very limited time frames, which created a lot of pressure.

Creatively, there has always been struggle as well. Maintaining the world and concept of HTML 7277 while creating garments that are actually wearable and executable is something I am still learning every day. When progress felt slow or results were not immediately visible, there were moments when I truly doubted myself.

During those moments, the biggest support came from my father and my fiancée. Whenever I felt shaken, they offered practical advice and constantly helped me regain my mental balance through their support. Their presence alone gave me the strength to move forward again.

Before meeting my current mentor, Professor Mehee Han, I went through many trials and errors while I was in school. I struggled a lot with the question of how experimental my work should be. When I was in high school, I initially planned to pursue fine art, so I approached fashion purely as a form of art. However, in school, there was a stronger emphasis on practicality rather than extreme experimentation. For a long time, I wrestled with the balance between experimental design and realistic design. After meeting my mentor, I was finally able to freely explore experimental work within the school environment. Through that process, I now feel that I have begun to understand that balance more clearly.

All of these difficulties ultimately shaped both HTML 7277 and who I am today. This project has never moved forward easily, and that is why it feels honest and real to me. I am still in the middle of this journey, and I am still learning. But now, instead of fearing uncertainty, I am learning how to move forward within it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work sits at the intersection of fashion, art, and world-building. I run a project called HTML 7277, which I co-founded with my collaborator Hirotaro Murayama. At its core, my work focuses on questioning systems, control, and how clothing reflects the invisible structures of modern society. I approach garments not just as products, but as symbols and tools to express ideas about order, power, and identity.

What I specialize in is experimental pattern-making and design. I am especially interested in how structure itself can become a design language. In our work, this appears through elements like removing traditional side seams, using sculptural darts, shifting pocket placements, and rethinking how garments are built on the body. I focus heavily on how clothing functions physically while also carrying conceptual meaning.

What I am most proud of is our first full exhibition in New York, where we presented 35 complete looks made entirely from deadstock fabrics including accessories. Everything was developed and built from scratch as part of a unified world called HTML. It was not just a collection, but a full narrative space where garments, casting, styling, and installation all worked together. Seeing an abstract idea turn into a physical world was a defining moment for me.

In addition to my fashion work, I also participated in a startup competition called the Pete Prize, where I won second place with Yeajin Lim, my fiancée. We developed an app concept called UpcyLink, a marketplace for deadstock fabrics and surplus fashion products. That experience pushed me to think about sustainability, systems, and fashion from a business and technology perspective as well.

What sets my work apart is that I do not separate concept from construction. For me, the way a garment is built is just as important as how it looks. I treat pattern-making as a system, almost like architecture for the body. I am also deeply focused on long-term world-building rather than season-to-season trends. HTML 7277 is not something I see as a typical brand. It is an evolving universe where fashion becomes a medium to question society, control, and the human condition.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
There are many people who deserve credit for helping me get to where I am today. First, my mentor Professor Mehee Han played a huge role in my growth while I was at FIT. Before meeting her, I struggled a lot with finding the balance between being experimental and being realistic. She gave me the space and confidence to fully explore my ideas, while also teaching me how to ground them in strong construction and clear purpose. Her guidance completely changed the way I approach design.

My collaborator Hirotaro Murayama is also one of the most important people in this journey. HTML 7277 would not exist without our partnership. We challenge each other creatively, push each other conceptually, and build everything together from the ground up. Our shared interest in systems, dystopian narratives, and experimental construction is what shaped the world of HTML.

On a personal level, my father has been one of my biggest supporters both mentally and technically. He worked in the accessories business for over ten years, and I received a great deal of practical, hands-on guidance from him. Whenever I doubted myself or felt lost, he helped me regain my sense of direction through steady advice and emotional support. His perspective on life, discipline, and process continues to shape the way I move forward.

My fiancée, Yeajin Lim, has also been a constant source of strength. She supports me emotionally, but she is also deeply involved in my creative world. She handled the art direction for our first exhibition, and we also worked together on the UpcyLink project, which won second place at the Pete Prize. Being able to share both life and creative work with her has been incredibly meaningful to me.

I also want to credit Solomon Lee, who documented our entire exhibition and helped translate the physical world of HTML into powerful images. His work played a big role in how the project was seen and understood outside of the exhibition space.

I am also deeply grateful to my close friends Joy Guo and Josh Min. Whenever I need help, they always show up without hesitation. They supported me through exhibition installation, styling, and shoots, and their presence during critical moments meant more to me than they probably realize. I am truly thankful to have friends like them.

Finally, I am deeply grateful for everyone who has worked with us behind the scenes. From teammates to models, stylists, and early supporters who believed in the project before anything was visible, their trust and energy made everything possible. HTML 7277 has always been built as a collective effort, and I carry all of those contributions with me as the project continues to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://html7277.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marc____lee/ https://www.instagram.com/html_72_77
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hyungmin-marc-lee/
• Other: personal website: hyungminlee.com

Image Credits
Photo: @solomchlee
Art Direction: @leemchloe
Model: @bao00ziyi & @goyardglizzo
Venue: @theblanc_ny