Designer Rubina sings bohemian rhapsody.

(From The Korea Herald)

By Hwang You-mee Supermodels are known to try their willowy hands at other jobs such as being an actress, businesswomen, yoga guru and designer, but only a few have succeeded. Rubina, a model-turned-fashion-designer, considers herself lucky. "I didn't learn how to make clothes through any formal training. I haven't even gone near a design academy. But only two years after setting up my own boutique I had the opportunity to hold solo fashion shows at the Hyatt Hotel," she said.

Luck has played only a small part in her success as a designer. Rubina was a celebrated fashion model in the 1970s and early 1980s. She studied dance at Sookmyung Women's University and was encouraged to be a model by then-designer professor Bae Chun-bum. She made appearances in a movie and various TV shows as well as on the catwalk. "Everybody knew Rubina. For about 13 years as a model I lived a fearless glamorous life. But I realized that it was not going to last for long and there was only one way left: down from the top," she said. So Rubina decided to try her hands at designing as she knew a lot about clothes having tried on thousands as a fashion model. "I learned from experiences and watching designers work, tried style drawings at home, won a prize at the Joongang Design Contest and then became a designer. Quite reckless, aren't I?"she said.

Reckless she might have been but once she turned herself into a designer, she made sure she became a decent one. Rubina developed a unique way to make up for her lack of professional training. "I trained myself by forming clothes directly on a mannequin," she said. She was a walking mannequin who tried her best to capture the essence of each design she wore and her former career affects the way she works as a designer. "I believe that some designs form on the motion of the wearer. Fabrics such as silk and chiffon reveal a whole new shape when the wearer moves. I've worn so many clothes and that helps me to visualize how a design would turn into actual merchandise," explained Rubina. Her unique, European style has been appreciated since the beginning but it was her devotion to the job that brought her where she is now. "I have been doing fashion shows audaciously since 1982. I even did five shows a season, probably in 1983. I had shows in Taipei and Hong Kong but was short of staff and models. So I designed, modeled and helped other models get dressed. I also had to iron every ...