All photos courtesy of seoulfashionweek.org
After three years, Seoul Fashion Week returns from the digital world to in-person runways and events for SS23. Held primarily in Zaha Hadid’s futuristic Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the showcased collections fit perfectly with the aesthetic of the building: dystopian, minimalist and ultra-modern.
De Moo Parkchoonmoo
De Moo was one of the first to open Seoul Fashion Week SS23. The collection honed in on avant-garde minimalism with clean-cut layering and architectural tailoring, typical of designer Park Choon-moo’s signature designs. Waists were drawn in to create a cinched appearance, with an exaggerated lower half. The collection had a monochrome palette, primarily blacks and whites. Many looks were paired with oversized sheer silk shirts worn over top.
Songzio
The Songzio SS23 collection’s colour palette began muted, with predominantly grey and black pieces. The collection then took a turn to brighter colours, from neon green clad looks to all white attire. Corporate looks and suit wear were a dominant motif in the collection, with oversized blazers and exaggerated sleeves that hung far past the models’ hands to challenge the traditional human figure.
Holy Number 7
Designers Kyung-ho Choi and Hyun-hee Song create collections which tell a different biblical story every fashion season; the aim of the brand is to deliver a unique sense of hope and positivity to the world from their designs. Models strided down a runway filled with misty smoke at their feet, creating an angelic atmosphere within the event. The SS23 collection focused primarily on a black and white palette, with the occasional splash of neon. Some pieces consisted of sportswear apparel, including baseball caps and shirts with the brand’s number ‘7’ printed on them.
July Column
July Column’s SS23 is full of bursts of colour and florals. The collection does not fall under one theme only, with each look very different to the next. However, one motif that does recur in a few of the collection’s looks is light blue denim with white stripes – one model wears an oversized striped denim jacket paired with a skirt adorned with applique flowers, whilst another features this denim only as puff sleeves stitched to a white buttoned jumpsuit. Most pieces are oversized with a cinched in waist, creating a triangular-like figure on the model. The brand uses only natural colours to dye their pieces, tying in with their sustainability consciousness and aims. Some looks are paired with a farmer’s hat, perhaps a nod to nature and the eco-consciousness of the brand.
Hanacha Studio
Hanacha Studio delivered one of the most iconic shows of SFW. Models glided down a runway that featured abstract pieces and sculptures, with a checkerboard running down the middle. Some models wore a glitter mask that covered their entire face and dazzled onlookers as it glittered in the light. Designer One Tea created a primarily black and white collection, constructing sleek, sultry looks with triangular figures and abstract cut-outs and details.
Kimzisu
The Kimzisu SS23 collection exuded elegance with its diverse variety of abstract designs and forms, which ranged from soft grey and white sheer material falling down an asymmetrical white bodycon dress, to large triangular cut-outs at the waist to defy the traditional silhouette, paired with a black mesh veil. Named ‘A Love Letter From One Rebel to Another’, the concept of the SS23 collection was a ‘rebellious wedding ceremony’ with pieces that playfully challenge the norm of wedding attire. Designer Jisoo Kim aimed to convey the freedom that comes with getting married to someone who has a rebellious character similar to your own.
Doucan
Doucan’s SS23 collection was a statement of floral excellence – the theme centred around an ‘underwater garden’, and all pieces had a curious mystique about them: one look featured a black hat tilted low over the wearer’s eyes and a sharply cut suit with a bound waist and square cut padded shoulders.
Sling Stone
Sling Stone’s signature design motif focuses on a monotone colour palette with black and white dominating each collection, something which is seen in the SS23 line. The collection is described as ‘red carpet ready’, with its ultra-sleek black trench coats overtop smart buttoned-down shirts and wide legged pleated trousers. Each model had slicked-back hair that tied in perfectly with the subtle chicness of the show. Designer Park Jong-cheol takes inspiration for his collections from 1950s and 70s fashion, then intersperses them with a modern twist to create these one-of-a-kind RTW runway fits.
Big Park
With a basic palette consisting of blacks, greys, or creams to an insanely bold palette made up of every brilliant colour pigment possible, Big Park’s SS23 collection demonstrates that it is both pragmatic and unconventional. An eye-catching checkerboard bomber jacket in black and cream was worn by a model as she strutted down the runway with her hands casually tucked inside the coat’s pockets. Additional black and grey outfits included military-inspired clothing, such as a belted stone grey trench coat with a black combat boot and a grey pleated skirt. Other looks, however, stood out as being particularly daring: models wore tall white wigs reminiscent of Marie Antoinette paired with exuberantly colourful pieces, as seen in a floor-length twisted dress with bubblegum blue and green striping adorned all the way to the hem with unevenly cut segments hanging off the edges of the dress. Designer Park Yoon-soo wishes to tell a story of an adventurous existence in his collections, inspired by diverse culture and travel.
Graphiste Man.G
Designer Kim Ji-man builds the theme of love into Graphiste Man.G designs. The SS23 collection involved a considerable range of playful and almost spooky designs, with white love hearts shaped like bones on clothing, creating an apparent skeletal-like appearance. Oversized trousers were tie-dyed and worn loosely on the hips, with models wearing gloves also adorned with bones and spider-like eyeliner applied to the face – outlandish hair with crazy colours tied the look together to create this eccentric, daring, fantastic showcase.
Ensue
Ensue’s SS23 collection embodied the brand’s main aim perfectly: to design and showcase high-end womenswear that exudes feminine beauty through intricately delicate details, luxurious materials and a sensual silhouette to embrace and romanticise female beauty. Ranging from off-white corsets to pastel pink slip dresses, the brand also incorporated some darker clothing into the collection, perhaps as a nod to the diverse spectrum of femininity – that for some women, female beauty is envisioned under delicate colour palettes, whilst for others it incorporates stronger, harsher pigmented designs, or a mix of the two.
PARTsPARTs
PARTsPARTs’ SS23 collection featured abstract, boxy designs in an avant-garde showcase with a broad but muted colour palette. The brand and creative director Seonoc Im follows the Zero Waste philosophy with a focus on minimisation of waste materials in the production process; most clothes produced by the brand are completely sustainable and originate from eco-friendly design methods and production.
UL:KIN
UL:KIN delivers the closing show of SFW with their striking SS23 collection: the brand melts the concept of art and culture into one. Military-esque attire is seen across many looks: models glide along the runway with cargo skirts and vests, metal studded black booted heels and denim skirts, all emanating an unmatched toughness. Another recurring motif seen is white knitted mesh dangling off denim pieces, depicting an outward raw ruggedness with experimental silhouettes incorporated.
