For a few years now Korean media has played a substantial role in defining what’s cool and culturally relevant in pop music, television series and film. A new book by Fiona Bae, Make, Break, Remix: The Rise of K-Style, introduces readers to some of the Korean stars behind the scenes, the style makers whose creativity and daring make k-style so vibrant.

Bae, a communications consultant, who was raised in Seoul and now lives in London interviewed creatives that include a k-pop choreographer, an interior designer, fashion designers, a model, a chef, a tattoo artist and a k-pop stylist. Her subjects are people whose names may not yet be familiar to most k-media fans, but who are well respected by fellow artists. They define what Bae describes as k-style, an approach to creativity that’s currently attracting attention as part of the Hallyu or Korean Wave, but actually predates the global fascination with k-media.

“A lot of people ask me, why so sudden? Like, why is Korea getting all this attention? And a lot of creators will tell you, no, we have been doing this for decades, but you just discovered us. Maybe it’s because of the digital transformation, things like Netflix and YouTube. Korean artists feel that this is our time. There is a strong solidarity. Let’s make it even better. Let’s keep it going.”

Some of Bae’s interviews focus on people who work in k-media, but she also explores adjacent avenues of creativity. She interviewed designer Young Kim who dresses k-pop stars NCT, but also talked to Kevin and Terrence Kim who founded the streetwear brand IISE. She spoke with Serian Hu, visual director at the entertainment company Hybe, and also interviewed Doy, the pioneer of Korean style tattoo.

So, what exactly is k-style? It’s a question Bae keeps getting asked. The answer became clear the more interviews she did. What it comes down to, she noticed, is primarily an attitude, one that defies social constraints and prompts people to look at the familiar in a new way.

“I came to a conclusion that it’s definitely beyond fashion style,” said Bae. “It is more about how you live your life and how you create your work. This was very consistent across all the creatives I interviewed. They’re the ones who are not afraid to break the mold.”

While k-style has its roots in Korean culture, an increasingly interconnected digital world makes it easier to incorporate global influences. If the Internet helps promote Korean culture—with music lovers watching more k-pop on YouTube and Korean dramas on Netflix—it also provides inspiration for Korean creatives.

“Make-Break-Remix was what I found to be the mantra and the spirit of what Korean creators are doing,” said Bae. “Those three words really define the Korean style. It is the bold and brave attitude to create something of your own, something original by observing whatever is cool out there and then working so hard to make sure it's really your own.”

Technology also makes it easier for Korean creatives to branch out on their own without the support of major corporations. She cites the example of Dream Perfect Regime: DPR, a multi-genre music and video group interviewed in her book.

“DPR is a music collective formed because they didn't like how the music industry works in Korea with these huge entertainment labels,” said Bae. “It was a group of young friends with different backgrounds. They're all Koreans, but they grew up in Australia, Guam and New York. They told me that now if you’re talented you don’t need a TV audition. You can post your own work on YouTube and the global audience is in front of you.” DPR posted their work and, indeed, the big entertainment companies came calling.

K-style is an attitude that’s captured in the inventive photographs that illustrate Bae’s book. The photos were taken by Taekyun Kim, a fashion photographer who shoots covers for Vogue and GQ, as well as album covers for k-pop groups such as Super Junior. His pictures capture the look of k-style but also the spirit.

“In our book, which is very visual, you look at these kids and how they dress,” said Bae. “This will change, fashions change, but underneath that, I think people can see the dynamic and their very bold attitudes. We were trying to capture the moment and time or what is happening, but we felt that the underlying attitude will have a long life.”

Bae interviewed tattoo artist Doy for the book and really admired his courage. When Doy first began working at his craft most Koreans still associated tattoos with gangsters.

“When he started 18 years ago, he didn’t want to have gangsters coming to his studio to get tattoos because he didn't want to worry his wife or his mother,” she said. “So that’s why he really delved into a new style of tattoo, which is very, very delicate and beautiful, which now dominates the world’s style of tattoo and is being called Korean style tattoo.”

Tattoo artists in Korea face fines, even prison time, if reported, so many work underground. Despite these challenges Doy transformed the tattoo world and gained global recognition.

“The fact that performing tattoo arts without a medical license was illegal in Korea actually spurred his creativity and he came up with something totally new,” said Bae. “That kind of brave attitude and creativity is something I think people in South America, South Africa or Europe can recognize.”

Through interviews with 18 tastemakers, Bae examines the decades of change that helped create k-style and some of the reasons it captures the global imagination. Her book is published by Thames and Hudson.