I am Kang Hee Woong (강희웅), though some people might know me better as Danny. I am a model, actor, influencer, and content creator. That might seem like a lot of titles, but l really believe nowadays you don't have to stick to only one job. Every new day we have an opportunity to be whoever we want to be and for me, that means to follow my passions. I often have new goals, and l want to pursue all of them. I never want to regret anything later on. This is something that I have been working to improve since 2015 when I started acting.
Before that, there was one point where I felt like l had lost who I was, that I had been focusing only on becoming the best at studying and many other things that are valued in society here before I finally decided to go for something that I actually felt passionate about. I chose acting because being able to portray a different person every day weirdly enough allowed me to become little by little one step closer to who l really felt I was. I always had the luck of having a very supportive family and great friends that walked with me along my path of self-discovery but now, at the age of 27, I also have the extra luck to have supportive fans and followers who l am extremely grateful for.
This year also brought big changes for me. Some of my good friends and I decided to collaborate together to create The Plus Co. Co stands for Collective, Collaboration, and Company. A group of friends - all actors, singers, content creators, and entertainers of many kinds - who got together to collaborate and decided to create a team to reach different people. First in Asia and then hopefully around the rest of the world.
Danny Kang (Korea) @thizisdan, Aden Tan (Singapore) @adentyz, Changha Jeon (Korea) @chang._.a, Jeremy (Taiwan) @jeremy_0910
This has been a big turning point as l not only found good friends but also new projects that inspire me. When we work together, l am lucky enough to not only do things related to travel, food, and fashion, which are some of the things that I enjoy the most but l am also able to express myself in front of the camera, where l get to be whatever l want to be. The other members had similar thoughts, which is why the idea of creating The Plus Co came to us quite naturally during a trip to Japan. In my particular case, it was as if everything clicked together because I really care about memories and l see all my current work and projects as something that I will be able to look back on and treasure forever.
Q&A
WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST FASHION MEMORY THAT MADE YOU INTERESTED IN FASHION?
That is easy; my parents always worked in fashion-related businesses, and l think my love for fashion came from my mom. It was almost a family ritual that, whenever she would finish getting ready for work in the mornings, she would come out and spin around asking us how she looked. As a kid, l always thought she looked so pretty, it made me proud and I think that got me interested in fashion naturally.
WHAT IS FASHION TO YOU?
For me, fashion is about experimenting and expressing. Because we can experiment about who we want to be but we can also put into physicality what we want to express.
WHAT'S YOUR NO-FAIL OUTFIT?
No doubt, all black. But also black items. I think that if it is simple and black, it can probably fit every situation.
ARE YOU A FASHION TRENDSETTER OR FOLLOWER?
I would like to say that I am only a trendsetter but, to be frank, l think I am both. I like to follow trends but I also like to have things of my own. Since I was young I always used to do some things differently while dressing up. I like experimenting and I really like going to street markets and random stores to find unique items.
JEANS OR A SUIT, AND DRESS OR PANTS AND WHY?
Between jeans and a suit, can't it be both? I think you have already noticed that l don't like to choose only one thing when we can have it all (Smiles). For girls, my favorite item is something casual, like one of those t-shirt-looking dresses. But I think you should always wear whatever suits you. If you are a jeans person, don't just wear a dress because it is someone's style or someone tells you to. Wear what makes you happy.
WHAT DO YOU WISH COULD CHANGE IN THE FASHION AND BEAUTY INDUSTRY?
I don't think I am qualified to make such a strong judgment but from my perspective sometimes I would like to see a bit more of variety. Different people representing fashion and more inclusiveness. Models do a great job and I, of course, like to see clothing on them but a greater variety of different people could bring other perspectives to the game.
HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 YEARS AND WHAT WILL YOU LIKE TO WEAR THEN?
I think exactly the way I am now. I will still be trying to do my best. And I think in 5 years, I will also still want to be whoever I want to be. I do not want to limit myself, saying that I will be doing this or that because who knows what will happen in 5 years? I only know that I just want to be myself.
AND LAST QUESTION, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE WORLD IF YOU COULD BE HEARD BY EVERYBODY FOR 1 MINUTE?
If everybody could hear me I would probably tell them: “Love yourself” I think it is very important for everyone but we many times forget to do so. AND if you have some time love me as well, haha.
Story: Lorena Jiménez
Written for Groove Magazine
Photography: Dianne Pineda-Kim
Commentaires