OHTNYC is a New York-based accessories and apparel brand founded by Jinsol Woo, a one-time engineering student turned jewelry designer. Born out of creative frustration and boosted by TikTok, the brand has gained a following among Gen Z celebrities and musicians and is starting to target a wider audience. Woo attributes his success to his heritage as a South Korean-raised New Yorker, which gave the brand a point of difference and access to an international market from the beginning.
ning.
Engineering to designing
Before he made a name for himself as a jewelry designer, Woo studied engineering but dropped out after a year. He went on to complete his mandatory military service in South Korea and then moved to New York City to study design at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
After graduating, he worked as an assistant designer for several fashion brands, including Calvin Klein and Helmut Lang but quickly realized he wasn’t built for a nine-to-five workday and felt creatively stifled in a corporate environment.
In 2018, he began tinkering with product designs that would eventually lead to the launch of his jewelry and accessories brand, OHTNYC.
Designed for “genderless expression,” the brand offers a wide assortment of accessories, from Y2K butterfly necklaces to more alternative pieces, such as dagger earrings and a shibari-inspired teddy bear choker.
“I always like to challenge the norm,” Woo said. “I don’t like [that] there are so many rules and norms within society, so I wanted to bring certain subcultures into the mainstream by creating products of good design and quality.”
Harnessing the power of TikTok
Like many brands that launched in the early stages of the pandemic, Woo knew he could build brand awareness through social media and zeroed in on this marketing tactic.
The first few videos that he posted for OHTNYC went viral, thanks in large part to his connections within the South Korean pop music scene. He further leaned into this trend by gifting pieces to several up-and-coming musicians, such as South Korean rappers Lil Cherry and Bibi.
While working with these artists, Woo became more integrated into the international music scene and was able to leverage his cultural awareness of what was trending in America, especially New York, to position himself as a trendsetter in South Korea.
“I think what makes it [the brand] unique is that I have two different heritages [as a South Korean-raised New Yorker],” he explained. “I became recognized as a trend stylist and I was able to connect and vibe with a lot of people in this industry, I was communicating with them in Korean, and gave them not only New York-inspired designs but also a sense of the culture [there].”
At the same time, Woo noted that among young Asian-Americans in the US, it has become cool to wear OHTNYC. While he is grateful for the brand’s popularity, he stressed the brand’s focus on inclusivity and his overarching goal “to be loved by everybody”.
OHTNYC has been worn by a wide range of both South Korean and American pop culture icons, including Keshi, Jay Park, Willow Smith, Chloe and Halle Bailey, Doja Cat, and members of musical groups including Aespa, The Rose, and (G)I-DLE, just to name a few.
OHTNYC’s past and bright future ahead
From initially crafting jewelry on his commute, to now having over 80 SKUs, Woo has shifted from being a one-man show, handling everything from product design to marketing himself, to managing a team of seven to eight part-timers.
He disclosed that the brand experienced 40 per cent year-over-year growth in 2023 and he hopes to keep the momentum going with upcoming releases, including a second collaboration collection with 88rising, an American music label, which will be exclusively available at the upcoming Head in the Clouds music festival.
Woo plans to continue stocking his designs in trendy local boutiques and is working on setting up partnerships with edgier fashion retailers like Ssense and Dover Street Market.
Knowing what he knows now, Woo said he would have hired a chief financial advisor in the early days of the business to handle the more technical details while he dealt with the creative side of building a brand.
“I think branding, design, and growing the brand itself, it’s fun to me. I don’t really need a work-life balance, because I have fun, I enjoy creating, and that is blended into my daily life,” Woo explained.
However, he encouraged other entrepreneurs to not think of their business as “just a project. Think of it more as a company inside of you.”
Further reading: Three up-and-coming Asian-American-owned brands to have on your radar