I was invited to speak at a Fashion Tech startup conference during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and visited Moscow. It was truly nonsensical for a fashion terrorist like me—who relies on my wife, a former fashion designer, for styling—to attend such a prestigious event, but I was amazed to find myself in Russia thanks to a recommendation from the director of a renowned Spanish accelerator. The Fashion Startup Conference was actually part of the Fashion Week program. It was a gathering where startups working on innovative technologies or new business models applicable to the traditional fashion industry came together to share knowledge and network. I participated in a panel discussion introducing K-Fashion case studies and Korean fashion startups. It felt like a meeting point where fashion vanity and intellectual vanity converged.

I’ve been on many overseas business trips, but I’ve always traveled while carefully managing company expenses. So, this Moscow trip, where the organizers covered everything—airfare, hotel reservations, all transportation, and even meals—felt overwhelmingly generous and awkward. I was astonished from the moment I stepped off the plane and boarded the Mercedes-Benz prepared by the organizers, checking into a historic five-star hotel. The harp music performed daily during breakfast at the hotel restaurant was a luxury unique to Russia. When planning startup events in Korea and inviting overseas speakers, I’ve always felt their gratitude. This time, I was on the receiving end of that gratitude. I constantly felt the pressure to “earn my keep,” and I participated in the keynote presentation and panel discussion with that weight on my shoulders.

Seeing so many famous designers and models here, with people constantly taking photos and selfies to promote themselves (myself included), reminded me of what the pastor said in last week’s Bible study: this era has become an SNS age where we praise ourselves because it’s a culture where we don’t praise each other. Looking around, the space was packed with people dressed in stylish, glamorous outfits, but I felt a loneliness within the crowd as I watched a fashion show that was hard for me to understand. Thankfully, I had a VIP pass that gave me a good seat, but without someone explaining it to me, the event was difficult for me to grasp.

It felt like I’d become a lizard freely roaming a magnificent palace. I met world-renowned designer Karim Rashid, received VIP guest treatment, mingled with influential figures from the global fashion industry, and returned with a valuable experience. I later learned that Karim Rashid is a Steve Jobs-like figure in the fashion world; his lecture, where I could sense the arrogance of a genius, left a lasting impression. At the evening party, I met a 12-year veteran fashion designer from Italy. He mentioned visiting Namdaemun in Korea for a photo shoot, and we became somewhat friendly. What he said struck me deeply.

“Fashion is all fake…”

And it reminded me of this Bible verse:

People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

After the presentation, I spent my personal time with a light heart. Walking through Moscow, I saw the statues of Pushkin and his wife—Pushkin famously died defending his and his wife’s honor in a duel with Dantes—and visited the Multimedia Museum to view Picasso photographs and contemporary artworks. I also saw the statue of Engels, who laid the foundation for Marxist thought. I also visited the Pushkin Museum and saw various works there.

I also took the subway for one stop. While the scale was quite large, I thought the facilities and maintenance were better in Korea. I went to the Bolshoi Theatre too, but since I’m not particularly interested in ballet and the ticket prices were quite expensive, I gave up. In the evening, I went to Red Square, looked around the shopping mall, and took commemorative photos in front of the uniquely shaped buildings, playing the role of a clueless Asian tourist.

Besides the main fashion show, there were fashion events held every evening at various locations in Moscow. One particularly memorable show was held at the Historical Museum, which was rented out entirely for the occasion. The fashion designer was apparently a famous singer from the 90s, but my Russian companion remarked that she’d had so much plastic surgery that her face looked exactly the same as it did 20 years ago. I thought holding events in unused historical facilities like this at night was a great idea. It reminded me of businesses renting out the SF City Hall building for weekend weddings or Seattle’s Aquarium being used as a party venue by companies in the evenings – excellent examples of space utilization. They also held a fashion show at the Petroff Palace. Perhaps because the designer was the daughter of the Chechen Republic’s president, it was quite crowded.

On the last day, a two-person scam team approached me on the street. They pretended to drop a wad of cash, picked it up, then claimed there was another wad and demanded my passport. I wisely left the area and avoided the crisis. They tried to pass themselves off as KGB detectives, so I complimented their acting skills and slipped away. Their methods were creative. I wish they’d used that kind of idea to start a business instead.