The bolder the better at Seoul Fashion Week 2023 S/S shows

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The bolder the better at Seoul Fashion Week 2023 S/S shows

Published: 18 Oct. 2022, 13:44 Updated: 18 Oct. 2022, 18:02

Looks from tibaeg's Friday show, whose collection was curated by singer Solbi, otherwise known as artist Kwon Ji-an [TIBAEG]

Actor Cha Seung-won and model Han Hye-jin took Seoul Fashion Week by storm last week at the Songzio opening show.

After two years of having no choice but to either skip seasons or air pre-recorded shows online, Seoul Fashion Week fully returned in person with the 2023 Spring/Summer (S/S) collection at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Dongdaemun District, eastern Seoul.

Fashion insiders also expressed their joy at how the offline tradeshow saw an immense number of visitors and potential buyers, as the only garments that sold well during the coronavirus pandemic had been leisure wear, “devastating” participating fashion designers.

Here are some highlights of Seoul Fashion Week’s 2023 S/S shows, which lasted from Tuesday to Saturday.

Sustainable yet fashionable

Holy Number 7 used old wedding dresses in addition to recycled cloth. [HOLY NUMBER 7]

A handful of brands focused on recycled and natural materials this season, like Holy Number 7, which used old wedding dresses in addition to recycled cotton, leather and wool. It also utilized natural materials including paper yarn and bamboo.

The brand’s collection, designed by Choi Kyoung-ho and Song Hyeon-hui, was created under the theme “Wave of Love,” which attempted to “liken emotional changes to waves, using frills and draping to construct a dimensional and voluminous look,” the designers said.

Doucan's collection featured exquisite flower-patterned dresses. [DOUCAN]

Some other brands that also jumped on sustainability trend include Choi Chung-hoon’s Doucan, Lee Sung-ju’s Sung Ju and Park Youn-hee’s Greedilous.

Doucan’s “Underwater garden” collection featured flowy silhouettes and smooth textures for an added feminine look. In comparison with the overall outfits of mainly exquisite flower-patterned dresses, the shoes were kept simple: laced-up heels or knee-high black boots.

Sung Ju's collection emphasizes each garment’s solid colors of neon green or bright magenta. [SUNG JU]

Sung Ju took a turn away from Doucan’s nature-centered concept for chaos and confusion. Its “The Stranger” collection was at first glance bold, emphasizing each garment’s solid colors of neon green or bright magenta, rather than having intricate patterns.

“'The Stranger’ draws on the chaos I had felt during when I was a teenager,” designer Lee said. “A significant amount of the collection is based on recycled and environmentally friendly materials. I tried to adapt the movement of lines, curves and wrinkles in its most straightforward and purest form [...] The final work may be simple but it makes a statement and is delicate at the same time.”

Greedilous, a compound of the words “greedy” and “fabulous,” had futuristic and geometric designs that are what an alien would probably favor. For its 2023 S/S collection “Back to the Greedilous!” the brand used recycled cloth stamped with gradient digital prints.

A look from Greedilous' 2023 S/S collection [GREEDILOUS]

Its show on Tuesday evening was met with hoots from the audience, especially when drag queen Nana Youngrong Kim graced the finale on the runway rocking a large, puffy blonde wig with a short dress, ginormous green hoop earrings and red knee-high boots.

“With Nana, we wanted to portray how the boundary between genders is disappearing and that the same applies in fashion,” designer Park told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “We created the looks with silhouettes from the ‘80s to paint Greedilous’ own identity — digital retro — and the collection was inspired by the [1985 sci-fi] film ‘Back to the Future.’”

Generation next

Jiminlee’s Thursday show saw a lot of drastic cut-outs and sheer tops. [JIMINLEE]

In every S/S or Fall/Winter collection, Seoul Fashion Week handpicks several rising designer brands deemed to have potential.

For 2023 S/S, seven made the list: Iryuk, Jiminlee, Ajobyajo, Wovement, Kimzisu, Anonymouth and Ensue. Just because the brands are relatively new, however, did not necessarily mean that they were cautious with their designs. Rather, they were more playful and adventurous.

For instance, Jiminlee is a menswear designer brand founded in 2019 by Lee Ji-min that reflects her interest in “eroticism, sexuality and the naked human form,” as stated on its website.

Jiminlee’s Thursday show featured many drastic cut-outs and sheer tops. Men walked down the outdoor runway, some wearing what appeared to be an ordinary suit when seen in the front, but from the back, had many cut-outs.

Others had pants that had the outer part of each leg cut out entirely, completely exposing the models' thighs and calves.

Kimzisu likened its Wednesday show to “a wedding with a daring mood.” [KIMZISU]

Kimzisu, a womenswear brand founded in 2019 by designer Kim Ji-soo, on the other hand, boasted a collection for women based on “feminine aesthetics.” Called “A Love Letter from One Rebel to Another,” its newest collection is like if Bonnie and Clyde tied the knot.

This season’s outfits are for “a woman who feels a sense of freedom and independence in life through marriage, after promising to be with a partner who has rebellious values.” The brand likened its show to “a wedding with a daring mood.”

Female models stunned Wednesday in restrained wedding looks, some wearing veils and holding petite bouquets, in mostly whites or blacks.

Other unisex brands, like Hong Woo-sung’s Anonymouth and Kim Se-hyung’s Ajobyajo (pronounced “ajo-by-ajo”) aimed for amped up streetwear.

Models in Anonymouth’s Thursday show donned chain necklaces, ski masks and plaid jackets similar to fashionistas seen in the streets of Hongdae.

Anonymouth's Thursday show proved hip; models wore garments similar to what the fashion savvy wear in the streets of Hongdae. [ANONYMOUTH]

“When you’re sitting on the sidewalk and see people passing by, somehow they seem alike yet all have different looks,” designer Hong said. “I think that it shows how everyone’s style is derived from their own jobs or lifestyles. There’s no answer in style, and it’s to each their own — any style can become the trend.”

Ajobyajo’s Friday show saw a range of models don varsity jackets, hoodies and puffer jackets, the latter with Marilyn Monroe’s face stamped across the front.

The collection is an “outsider’s rebellion,” the brand explained, which “expresses a contemporary outsider mood through streetwear.”

K-celebs on the runway

Singer Bada of girl group S.E.S walked the runway for Kwakhyunjoo Collection last Friday. [KWAKHYUNJOO COLLECTION]

Seoul Fashion Week was star-studded with celebrities who visited DDP as VIP guests, and some even took the opportunity to jump on the runway.

On Friday, Kwakhyunjoo Collection, by fashion designer Kwak Hyun-joo, showed off high-end street casual looks that were described as when “classic meets casual.” The collection was heavily reliant on statement jewelry pieces, checkered patterns, distressed jeans and tweeds.

Bada, a member of girl group S.E.S, appeared on the catwalk brimming with confidence. She strutted her stuff wearing a black see-through dress with a lace train.

Singer Son Ho-young of boy band g.o.d walked the runway for Kwakhyunjoo Collection last Friday. [KWAKHYUNJOO COLLECTION]

Although she’s frequently worn the brand’s outfits on stage for around 10 years, it was her first time to model on the runway for the brand.

“I naturally became the brand’s muse because the crew has always been together with me at every one of my shows,” the singer told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “They’re really like family to me, and I feel like the designer’s [Kwak] charisma and aspirations fit well with me.

“I was at the store and I was trying on all these outfits pretending to be a model, and we got this idea that I should go on the runway,” Bada continued. “Afterward I got a call from [Kwak] saying she has an outfit that would really suit me — that’s how I ended up joining this season’s show.”

Another familiar face to walk for Kwakhyunjoo Collection was singer Son Ho-young of boy band g.o.d. Son wore a white jacket on top of a black dress shirt and tie, matched with black pants that had zippers.

Another look from tibaeg's 2023 S/S collection [TIBAEG]

While this star was not a model for a show, her artworks were incorporated into fashion brand tibaeg’s 2023 S/S collection.

Singer Solbi, who uses her real name, Kwon Ji-an, when she is referred to as an artist, curated for the brand (led by fashion designer Cho Eun-ae). Flowery patterns were printed onto bouncy silhouettes of dresses and blouses, fit for the upcoming spring season.

Kwon’s artworks “tell a story about love and a sense of yearning that cannot be put into words,” tibaeg described in a statement. “Kwon’s exhibition drew designer [Cho] in a strange way, as if [her works] were quietly reciting something [...] tibaeg teamed up with Kwon as they are similar in that they are about hope and love.”

After tibaeg’s Friday show, Kwon came up on stage with Cho and bowed to the applauding audience.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]