ADVENTURER COTTA

Notes from Europe

There is a limit to what you can learn about fashion through a screen. Recognizing this at the tail end of summer in 2025, a creative named Jeong Se-woon came to us with a unique proposal. 

Operating under the nickname Cotta, he wanted to prove a singular theory, trusting that total cultural immersion would radically sharpen his creative instincts.

Boarding a flight to Europe, he set out to shadow the everyday lives of designers from Paris to Antwerp. This is the unfiltered record of what he found.

 

Q1. We are always looking for positive eccentrics. Please introduce yourself.

I go by Cotta, a name I pulled from the Italian word for cooked. It sounds strange, but I am deeply obsessed with the slow burn of creation. Whether it is a garment or a person’s entire life, I love watching things simmer over time and slowly take their final shape. Outside of that philosophy, my actual name is Jeong Se-woon, and I direct visuals for a collective called Cringe Friends.

 

Sean and Shim Jae

 

I am just a guy who grew up eating dirt on a countryside playground. Moving to Seoul for university was a massive shock to my system. The city completely stripped away that raw, unpolished freedom I had as a kid, and I started feeling incredibly suffocated. Starting a fashion archive channel and tracking down designers for interviews was my rebellion against that sterile environment. I needed to force an adventure just to breathe again.

 

 

Q2. We heard you traveled as a special correspondent for Jente.

By September 2025, I was itching for some kind of massive reset.

  

I wanted to track down the absolute masters of the European fashion industry, but I knew that wandering around completely unmoored had its limits. I needed an ally. I pitched my chaotic vision to dozens of platforms, and Jente Store was the only one crazy enough to respond. We sat down, aligned our goals, and suddenly I was their official correspondent. It was a reminder that you have to aggressively knock on doors if you want anyone to let you in.

 

Q3. You planned a highly specific wardrobe for this European journey. Can you elaborate?

If you are going to show up in European fashion capitals, you need a strategy. I adopted the concept I am calling “The Stranger from the East”. Clothing is the ultimate icebreaker, and I wanted a look that made people curious before I even opened my mouth.

 

          

I practically lived in a brand called 'yanghyeonjun' for this exact reason. The designer aggressively strips away every predictable detail. Pockets are buried behind the sleeves, and buttons are hidden deep inside the fabric. It erases your context entirely and turns you into a walking blank canvas. 

I wanted to weaponize that curiosity. I wanted European designers to look at me and actively wonder what my story was. Wearing a highly secretive, minimalist uniform made it incredibly easy to bypass the usual awkward small talk with brilliant creators like Sandrine Philippe (@Sandrinephilippe_sp) and Devastator(@devastator_tailormade). Discussing the hidden architecture of my outfit instantly proved my respect for the craft of fashion.

 

Q4. Did Europe prove your theory that true masters weave their actual lives into their garments?

Before I even boarded the flight, I spent time talking to young student designers in Korea. Those conversations made one thing very clear. When a design is pulled directly from the reality of someone's life, it instantly commands empathy.

 

Sean and Shim Jae

 

I flew to Europe holding onto a specific formula. I believed that when a life becomes a design, a master is born. Sandrine Philippe, a brilliant artisan designer in Paris, validated that theory on day one. She showed me that you do not survive thirty years in this grueling industry by accident. She sustained her passion entirely by linking her daily, mundane routines directly to her creative output.

 

 

She taught me that if you want to build a real future, you have to fiercely protect and curate your smallest daily habits. It completely shifted how I value my own time.

            

Q5. What is in your luggage? Tell us about the items you hauled back to Korea.

I brought back three very specific pieces from the Netherlands, and none of them are typical souvenirs.

 

• THE VIRIDI ANNE Twill Cap:

 

 

I found this at Devastator Tailormade, a phenomenal select shop in Rotterdam. The shop is run by an older couple who spent their youth dreaming of opening a clothing store. Listening to their story, I knew I needed a physical piece of that space. I debated for days before dropping 200 euros on this adventurer's hat. I wear it relentlessly now, so the investment paid off.

 

• Devastator Shopping Bag:

 

This is the bag they handed me with the hat. It carries the warmth of two people who finally opened their dream shop in 2022. Every Saturday, they disappear into their atelier to build garments that defy logic. The bag itself has a bizarre, elongated vertical shape. It felt incredibly awkward to carry at first, but that vertical depth actually makes it the most practical bag I own.

 

 

• Albert Heijn Net Bag:

 

 

Albert Heijn is essentially the Dutch equivalent of our local convenience stores. I was buying groceries constantly and desperately needed a tote bag that I could reuse. I spotted this chic, woven net bag hanging there for exactly three euros. I fell so deeply in love with the aesthetic that I bought five of them right there on the spot.

Q6. Tell us about a completely unexpected moment in Paris.

The BLESS shop in Paris occasionally throws a highly coveted sample hunting event. I showed up ten minutes early and found a fiercely dedicated, cult-like crowd already waiting.

         

 

They hand you a hand-written paper bracelet, start a timer for exactly five minutes, and unleash you. It is pure chaos. Most of the crowd consisted of fashion students tearing through fabric scraps and raw materials. Since I have absolutely zero sewing skills, I bypassed the textiles entirely and grabbed the weirdest object I could find. It was an actual, functional bottle of laundry detergent. I brought it home, emptied out the soap, and it currently sits in my apartment as a vase.

 

Q7. Did wandering through these fashion capitals make you obsess over any new brands?

I went into this trip actively refusing to stick to my usual tastes. I wanted to completely ignore algorithms and brand loyalty. Instead, I forced myself to prioritize the physical, tactile experience of offline shopping.

That shift in mindset led me to unexpected places. I walked into a tiny Parisian boutique and demanded a perfume that smelled exactly like an ancient church. They handed me a flawless fragrance. Similarly, my new hat does not feel like a branded accessory, it feels like a tool that amplifies my own identity. I did not fall in love with a specific label on this trip. I fell in love with the forgotten art of real world, physical retail.

        

All Gone: A Year Book style art book documenting the best and rarest street items released each year.

 

Q8. Drop your ultimate curated city recommendations.

• LONDON

TWOS

75a, Regent Studios, London E8 4QN, UK

This is a secretive, almost hostile space hidden deep among furniture. The curation is lethal. The journey to actually find the entrance makes you question your sanity, but the payoff inside is brilliant.

• PARIS

SANDRINE PHILIPPE (6 Rue Hérold, 75001 Paris, FRANCE)

This was my baptism into avant-garde artisan culture. The entire space is suffocated in black, which ironically forces your eyes to hyper-focus on the insane textures of the garments. There is also a legendary darkwear shop nearby, but they will not even look at you unless you know the right people.

• BERLIN

Flohmarkt am Arkonaplatz

Arkonapl., 10435 Berlin, Germany

• Skip the tourist traps and hit this Sunday flea market. It is ruled by local elders selling devastatingly cool vintage archives. I stumbled upon a vendor who exclusively hoards and sells Dieter Rams products. It is the absolute peak of Berlin.

• ROTTERDAM

DEVASTATOR

Van Oldenbarneveltstraat 124A, 3012 GW Rotterdam, Netherland

I hit Amsterdam first, and honestly, it completely missed the mark for my aesthetic. Rotterdam was the real revelation. Devastator is run by two impossibly stylish grandfathers who travel to Paris for buying trips and document the chaos on Instagram. They aggressively refuse to open an online store because they believe physical retail is everything. It is a philosophy I completely respect.

• ANTWERP

STOF

Mechelsesteenweg 78, 2018 Antwerpen, Belgium

The legendary Kostas Murkudis sent me here. He is the man who wept while watching a Yohji Yamamoto show in the late eighties. STOF is operated by two former models. It looks quaint and harmless from the street, but the curation inside is absolutely cutthroat. It is the ultimate space to discover your own definitive taste.

 

 

 

Q9. You documented so much on this trip. What is the biggest question keeping you awake right now?

 It all boils down to the brutal compromise with reality. There are so many brilliant, fragile creators doing beautiful work right now. I constantly obsess over how we can force the industry to make their art financially sustainable. I have watched too many visionary brands completely evaporate before their fifth anniversary. It is a tragedy. This reality forced me to look at the cold mechanics of business longevity. I recently decided to dive headfirst into the business side of sustainability to try and fix that survival rate myself.

            

   

Q10. What message are you leaving for your future self?

 

My career started with 3D archiving, evolved into interrogating fashion designers, and now consists of tracking down pioneers forging their own paths. You have to ride the current of the times, but you absolutely cannot lose your core essence in the process. 

You have to ruthlessly ask yourself if you are still pushing boundaries. So, to my future self, are you still causing trouble and seeking an adventure?

 

 

Q11. Define your current era in three words.

Adventurer. Empiricist. Sponge.

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Q12. Leave us with one final thought for the world.

Love one another!

             

Next to the magazines, clothes and other unique items line the shelves