Jumping in with both feet

Whether launching a new initiative at MHS or with a global footwear company, Hyung Jung Jung ’13 has seldom shied from forming partnerships to move a project forward.

While a student at MHS, Hyun Jung and Arielle Sebestyen ’12 developed the idea for Arty Party, the Horizons project in which ninth-graders market and sell products, donating the proceeds to nonprofits.

Today, as a footwear color and materials designer with adidas, she collaborates with designers, developers, manufacturers, and marketers worldwide to take performance footwear (sneakers) from the drawing board to, well … feet.

“Collaborations that are organic are the best and the most exciting to work on,” says Hyun Jung, who virtually visited Wednesday night with MHS Expressive Arts students to share her story and artistic insights, including examples from her recent installations. “Collaboration is a huge part of my life in general, at work and in my personal projects, in order to bring the ideas in my head to life.”

During her talk, Hyun Jung spoke about her work with adidas and her own art career, and the symbiotic, inspirational relationship between the two. “My life after work allows me to have a good work/life balance, and it is a cycle of motivation, with one fueling the other,” she says. And, collaboration is key in both realms, whether sourcing new materials for a sneaker or developing her latest installation.

Hyun Jung also shared the story of how her senior Horizons internship spurred her interest in textile design and how Miss Hall’s shaped her path to RISD, where she ultimately moved into footwear. Support and encouragement from MHS adults, notably Expressive Arts Teacher Ellie Spangler, helped inspire her to take those leaps.

“When I was at Miss Hall’s, I really did what I wanted to do, and I had the support to do it,” she explains, offering this advice to students: “Ask people who can support you and, based on my experience, they will.”