A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / FashionARCHIVE № 363
1959 —   FASHION DESIGNER

WOOYOUNG-MI

1959South Korea

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 29, she went independent and started the menswear brand Solid Homme. Lady Kyunghyang says Solid Homme began to gain fame as its designs spread by word of mouth.

In 1993, she took part in the New Wave in Seoul collection. The year she turned 38, she took part in a Paris menswear trade show with Solid Homme for the first time. In 1998, a second appearance was reported.

The year she turned 41, she was about to take the stage at the New Wave in Seoul collection, and Maeil Business Newspaper described her as well known for Solid Homme. In 2001, she won the New Designer award at the Seoul Fashion Awards. In 2002, she took part in the Paris men’s collections for the first time under the name Wooyoungmi.

The year she turned 45, she was named by Dunhill one of the top 11 designers leading world fashion. In 2005, it was reported that she signed a formal contract with the Paris showroom MC2. In 2006, she entered Le Bon Marché department store and also opened a standalone store in the Marais.

The year she turned 49, she received a presidential commendation at the first Korea Fashion Awards. In 2012, she became the first Korean designer to be a full member of the Paris trade body. In 2014, she became the first Korean named to the BoF 500.

The year she turned 56, Solid Homme entered Harrods in London. In 2016, she expanded to Harvey Nichols and Galeries Lafayette Paris. In 2018, she opened Seoul Fashion Week with the Solid Homme 30th anniversary show.

The year she turned 61, Wooyoungmi ranked first in sales at Le Bon Marché’s men’s store. In 2021, she appeared on You Quiz on the Block and Master in the House. In 2022, it was reported that Solid Homme would enter Paris Fashion Week for the first time. In 2023, she opened a standalone store on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris.

The year she turned 65, she showed a Wooyoungmi Paris collection and released a Solid Homme collaboration collection. In 2025, she opened her first standalone flagship in Seoul, Wooyoungmi Itaewon. In 2026, she presented her 50th Paris collection, and Sapid Seoul opened in the basement of Wooyoungmi Itaewon.

Woo Young-mi (born 1959) went independent and started the menswear brand Solid Homme in 1988, the year she turned 29, and became known through that brand. She held her first Paris collection in 2002, the year she turned 43.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 33 records1988 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 34 · 1993
  2. 38 · 1997
    International

    First Paris menswear trade show

    Solid Homme took part in a Paris menswear trade show for the first time. Lady Kyunghyang says it took orders worth about 70 million won at that first show.

    Source 01 · Lady Kyunghyang (Korean) · The designer who opened a standalone Paris store · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Solid Homme at a Paris menswear trade show · opens in a new tab The month is based on the 1998 Yonhap article saying it was the second time after last July.
  3. 39 · 1998
    International

    Second Paris menswear trade show

    It was reported that she would take part for a second time in the Paris menswear show held at the exhibition park at Porte de Versailles. In February she was also scheduled for the menswear and jeans collections in Cologne, Germany.

    Source 04 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Solid Homme at a Paris menswear trade show · opens in a new tab The article announces planned participation. Actual participation could not be confirmed in news reports.
  4. 41 · 2000
  5. 42 · 2001
  6. 43 · 2002
  7. 45 · 2004
  8. 46 · 2005
  9. 47 · 2006
    International

    Enters Le Bon Marché department store in Paris

    She entered the first-floor menswear section of Le Bon Marché. Yonhap says it was the first case of a Korean clothing brand entering a Paris department store.

    Source 08 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Woo Young-mi enters a Paris department store · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Designer Woo Young-mi opens a Paris boutique · opens in a new tab The articles give no entry date. Sales were reported to start at the end of that month.
  10. 47 · 2006
  11. 49 · 2008
  12. 50 · 2009
  13. 51 · 2010
  14. 53 · 2012
    International

    Full member of the Paris trade body

    Maeil Business Newspaper says she became the first Korean designer to be a full member of the Paris trade body, which organizes the Paris collections.

    Source 13 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Woo Young-mi becomes a full member of the Paris trade body · opens in a new tabSource 31 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Full member of the Paris trade body · opens in a new tab Some later articles give 2011 as the year she became a full member. This follows the reports from the day itself, March 7, 2012.
  15. 53 · 2012
  16. 55 · 2014
  17. 55 · 2014
  18. 56 · 2015
  19. 57 · 2016
  20. 59 · 2018
  21. 61 · 2020
    Key moment

    No. 1 in sales at Le Bon Marché’s men’s store

    Maeil Business Newspaper says Wooyoungmi ranked first in sales in 2020 at the men’s store of Le Bon Marché, one of France’s three major department stores.

    Source 19 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Woo Young-mi faces off on a Paris luxury street · opens in a new tabSource 30 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · The designer who hit No. 1 in Paris on her own name · opens in a new tab The articles give no month or day, or the period the sales ranking covers.
  22. 62 · 2021
  23. 62 · 2021
  24. 63 · 2022
    Collection

    Solid Homme at Paris Fashion Week for the first time

    Fortune Korea reported that it would enter Paris Fashion Week for the first time, for the fall/winter 2022 season. The schedule ran from Feb. 28 to March 8.

    Source 22 · Fortune Korea (Korean) · Solid Homme at Paris Fashion Week, fall/winter 2022 · opens in a new tabSource 33 · Handmaker (Korean) · Solid Homme 2026 fall/winter Paris collection · opens in a new tab Only the reported schedule is available, so the date is given to the month. Handmaker (2026) says it has been on the official schedule since 2021, which does not agree.
  25. 63 · 2022
  26. 64 · 2023
  27. 65 · 2024
  28. 65 · 2024
  29. 66 · 2025
  30. 67 · 2026
  31. 67 · 2026
  32. 67 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1988–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Woo Young-mi when she started Solid Homme?
In 1988, the year she turned 29, she went independent and started the menswear brand Solid Homme. The articles give no month or day.
How old was Woo Young-mi when she became famous?
In 1988, the year she turned 29, she became known through the menswear brand Solid Homme, which she started on her own. Lady Kyunghyang says Solid Homme began to gain fame as its designs spread by word of mouth. No article names the year she became known; in 2000, the year she turned 41, Maeil Business Newspaper already described her as well known for Solid Homme. Abroad, her entry into Le Bon Marché in Paris appears in articles in 2006, the year she turned 47.
How old was Woo Young-mi when she entered Paris?
In 2002, the year she turned 43, she took part in the Paris men’s collections for the first time under the Wooyoungmi brand. In 2006, the year she turned 47, she opened a standalone store in the Marais.
How old was Woo Young-mi when she became a full member of the Paris trade body?
On Mar 7, 2012, the year she turned 53. Maeil Business Newspaper says she was the first Korean designer to do so. Some articles give 2011, which does not agree.
How old is Woo Young-mi?
Born in 1959, she turns 67 in 2026. Her age in years is 66 or 67 as of Oct 3, 2026; her birthday is not in the articles.
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.

COLLECTION363Woo Young-mi / WOO YOUNG-MI

Fashion · South Korea
1959 —

Sources and method33 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1959: the year of the event minus 1959, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Lady Kyunghyang (Korean) · The designer who opened a standalone Paris store ↗June 2006. Went independent in 1988 at 29; directly run store in Apgujeong-dong; first Paris menswear trade show in 1997; first Paris collection in 2002; standalone store in the Marais
  2. Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Interview with CEO Woo Young-mi ↗August 2017. Solid Homme created the word “men’s casual” 30 years earlier; stores at Harvey Nichols and Galeries Lafayette Paris in 2016
  3. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · New Wave in Seoul collection ↗Nov. 24, 1993: Solid Homme’s Woo Young-mi took part in the spring/summer 1994 collection
  4. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Solid Homme at a Paris menswear trade show ↗Reported January 1998. Second participation after last July; to take part in Cologne Messe in Germany in February
  5. Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · New Wave in Seoul collection ↗Reported November 2000. Collection at COEX on the 25th; describes her as well known for Solid Homme
  6. Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · Seoul Fashion Association’s 2001 Seoul Fashion Awards ↗Ceremony on Dec. 13, 2001; New Designer award
  7. Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · The Amazons of the fashion world ↗April 2001. Popularity of second- and third-generation designers; says she built her own domain after Solid Homme in 1988
  8. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Woo Young-mi enters a Paris department store ↗Reported Jan. 13, 2006. Entered Le Bon Marché; first Korean clothing brand in a Paris department store
  9. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Designer Woo Young-mi opens a Paris boutique ↗Reported May 15, 2006. Standalone Marais store in mid-April; became a member of MC2 in summer 2004
  10. Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · Solid Homme’s push into Europe ↗Feb. 2, 2005. Formal contract with the Paris showroom MC2
  11. Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · Woo Young-mi sets out to take Paris ↗July 19, 2004. Chosen by Dunhill as one of the top 11 last January; to take part in the Paris men’s collections for spring/summer 2005
  12. Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Korea Fashion Awards ↗Dec. 17, 2008. Presidential commendation at the first Korea Fashion Awards
  13. Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Woo Young-mi becomes a full member of the Paris trade body ↗March 7, 2012. First Korean designer to become a full member; says she had made her name in Korea with Solid Homme
  14. Newsen (Korean) · First woman to win an A-Award ↗Dec. 18, 2012. 7th A-Awards, Creation category
  15. Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · MK meets Woo Young-mi ↗May 2014. Born in 1959; opening of the Haut Marais store last January; her profile lists Seoul Fashion Week tribute designer in 2010. The profile gives the Solid Homme launch as 1998, but the article text says 1988
  16. Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · A tasty meeting with Woo Young-mi ↗December 2019. Profile lists a Paris design studio and expansion to Japan in 2009, and the BoF 500 for 2014 to 2016
  17. Ajunews (Korean) · Solid Homme enters China ↗Aug. 3, 2015. Entered Harrods in London early this year; entered Hong Kong last year
  18. Chosun Ilbo (Korean) · Solid Homme 30th anniversary show ↗Oct. 16, 2018. DDP on the 15th, opening of Seoul Fashion Week, 100 models
  19. Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Woo Young-mi faces off on a Paris luxury street ↗Reported Sept. 25, 2023. Standalone flagship on Rue Saint-Honoré on the 26th (local time); No. 1 in sales at Le Bon Marché’s men’s store in 2020
  20. Xportsnews (Korean) · Appearance on You Quiz on the Block ↗Aired Nov. 17, 2021
  21. Xportsnews (Korean) · Appearance on Master in the House ↗Aired Dec. 12, 2021; said she reached No. 1 in sales 20 years after entering Paris
  22. Fortune Korea (Korean) · Solid Homme at Paris Fashion Week, fall/winter 2022 ↗Reported Jan. 20, 2022. To enter Paris Fashion Week for the first time, Feb. 28 to March 8
  23. Korea Textile News (Korean) · New Guui-dong headquarters, House Wooyoungmi ↗Nov. 25, 2022. Moved offices after the new building was completed earlier this month
  24. Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Woo Young-mi’s standalone Itaewon store ↗Nov. 4, 2025. Wooyoungmi Itaewon opened on the 29th of last month
  25. Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · K-fashion at Paris Fashion Week ↗Jan. 22, 2024. Fall/winter 2024 collection on the 21st (local time)
  26. Fashionbiz (Korean) · Solid Homme and Stefan Cooke collaboration pop-up ↗Aug. 9, 2024. First collaboration with Stefan Cooke; pop-up at The Hyundai Seoul
  27. Fashionbiz (Korean) · Solid Homme fall/winter 2026 collection ↗Jan. 23, 2026. Maison des Métallos in Paris on Jan. 21
  28. Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · When Woo Young-mi meets Michelin ↗May 20, 2026. Opening of Sapid Seoul, a collaboration with Alain Ducasse
  29. Fashionbiz (Korean) · Woo Young-mi’s 50th Paris collection, spring/summer 2027 ↗July 2026. Her 50th in the 24 years since her first collection in 2002
  30. Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · The designer who hit No. 1 in Paris on her own name ↗Jan. 28, 2022 W interview. Born in 1959; No. 1 in sales at Le Bon Marché’s men’s store in 2020
  31. Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Full member of the Paris trade body ↗March 7, 2012; says she became a full member that day
  32. Beyond Post (Korean) · Wooyoungmi Itaewon opens ↗Reported Oct. 28, 2025. Korea’s first standalone flagship opens on the 29th, the third in the world; fashion, architecture, food and music
  33. Handmaker (Korean) · Solid Homme 2026 fall/winter Paris collection ↗Jan. 23, 2026. Says it has shown collections on the official Paris menswear fashion week schedule since 2021

Fact-checked: 2026.10.03 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.