Cho Gi-seok

Cho Gi-seok (; born 1992) is a South Korean photographer and founder of KUSIKOHC, a streetwear brand. His brand has released several seasonal collections since its inception of 2016 and was also a semi-finalist for the LVMH Prize in 2023. His photography has appeared in magazines like Vogue and Kinfolk, depicted celebrities like Billie Eilish and the members of Le Sserafim, and been included in seasonal collections by fashion brands like Gucci and Bulgari. Once showcased at the Fotografiska New York in 2021–2022, Cho is known by critics for his incorporation of surrealism into his photography, as well as his frequent motifs of clashing opposites.

The World Photography Organisation listed Cho among "The 11 photographers who will expand your creativity" in 2019. British Journal of Photography included Cho in its "Ones to Watch" series in 2020. In 2021, British Vogue called Cho a must-follow visionary East Asian photographer. In the same year, Dazed and Converse included Cho in their Dazed 100 roster of "people shaping youth culture globally." In 2022, Business of Fashion named Cho in the BoF 500, a list of people shaping fashion worldwide.

Early life Cho was born in Seoul in 1992. In 2023, Cho was one of 22 semi-finalists for the annual LVMH Prize; he had entered the prize's running on behalf of KUSIKOHC.

Photography Cho's photographs have appeared in Dazed, Kinfolk, Rain, Vogue, Vogue Italia, Elle Korea, Esquire Korea, Wallpaper Korea, Dazed China, Numéro, FEMALE, and others. Cho has also photographed for and/or collaborated with brands like Gucci, Bulgari, Solid Homme, Adidas, Cartier, CR Fashion, Prada, Converse, IISE, and several seasons of Songzio. In 2021–2022, Cho's photographs from 2018–2020 were on display at Fotografiska New York with "Coexistence" being the name of his exhibit.

In 2023, Cho's photographs of British model Naomi Campbell with styling by Eunyoung Sohn was featured on the front page of Vogue Korea. In the same year, Cho photographed Korean girl group LE SSERAFIM ahead of their promotions for Unforgiven; he briefly drew controversy for not posting Sakura Miyawaki's photographs on his Instagram account despite including shots of the other four members, causing him to delete his post. Cho also took photos of and handled a music video for American singer-songwriter Kali Uchis. In September, Cho's photograph of Billie Eilish was printed on the cover of Allure. Additionally, he shot teaser pictures for the Red Velvet comeback Chill Kill, as well as group pictures of (G)I-dle in collaboration with 88rising.

In 2024, Cho handled the music video for XG's "Woke Up" music video. One year later, in 2025, Cho directed the music video for Jennie's "Zen", a song from her debut solo album, Ruby. Artistry Cho has identified surrealism as an inspiration for some of his photography; he has also repeatedly pinpointed "the harmony of opposites" and "coexistence" as crucial ideas of his work.

Cho also once led a photoshoot inspired by The Matrix series. In the same year, I-D wrote: "Ask anyone in the know for a list of rising stars in the Korean fashion scene and they’ll mention Cho Gi-seok. With over 300k people—including magazine editors, stylists, celebrities, and luxury brand designers—currently following the photographer's every move on Instagram, it is clear that his reach extends way beyond Korean borders."

Creative Review said that "Giseok's strength comes from his ability to effortlessly synthesise opposing forces, tradition and modernity, growth and destruction, and vulnerability and joy. His photographs conjure both the intimacy of Ren Hang and the performative energy of Floria Sigismondi, all through an ornate hybrid of art and fashion."

British Journal of Photography, which called Cho a photographer to watch in 2020, observed, in his work, "a sense of surrealness that permeates the dynamic portraits... In every carefully constructed image, the colours, lighting and props transform the model into a fantastical character, oozing with narrative and spirit."