Local designers at Seoul Fashion Week look to New York

Five years ago, the South Korean government launched its Concept Korea initiative, which would ultimately become a semi-annual collective show at New York Fashion Week.  The event includes a rotating roster of several top designers whose consumer base is largely domestic, aiming to gain some retail ground in Big Apple.

Exclusively in Seoul: one of the rare menswear pieces in the LIE SANGBONG Fall 2015 collection, not shown in New York. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

Others choose to tackle other major fashion capitals on their own.  CHOIBOKO, a Concept Korea alumnus, has shown in London, Hong Kong, Paris, Beijing and Berlin.  Additional designers and labels crossing borders over the years include Andy & Debb, kimseoryong, Steve J & Yoni P, CRES. E. DIM and KYE (who will show at one of the brand new official New York Fashion Week venues for Spring 2016, Skylight at Clarkson Square).

Still, the litmus test for mass commercial production remains New York, the grounds that boast one of the world’s most cosmopolitan lineups, and can either become a permanent home for some or a one-and-done deal for others.  Here are four labels that presented their Fall/Winter 2015 collections in Seoul and New York:

1) LIE SANGBONG

Background: Lie Sang Bong (이상봉) showed for 12 years at Paris Fashion Week before moving to New York – following a turn in Concept Korea – and eventually back to Seoul.  His namesake boutique in the Meatpacking District opened just before the Fall/Winter 2015 collections in New York.

Showing at New York Fashion Week Spring 2016?: Yes (solo show at official venue)

Showing at Seoul Fashion Week Spring 2016?: No

Differences between New York and Seoul collections: In New York Lie presented womenswear only, whereas in Seoul he added a few men’s outfits – perhaps a nod to the popularity of menswear in Asia compared to other regions.  It’s an outlying consumer pattern that labels like Desigual, which recently set its sights on Asia, had to adjust to after learning that menswear accounted for double the percentage of their sales outside the region.

Our take on Fall 2015 in Seoul: When Seoul Fashion Week issued its press release looking ahead to “Korea’s established top designers” on the fourth day of the Fall/Winter 2015 collections, LIE SANGBONG was conspicuously left off the list.  This is a travesty for someone like Lie, whose overseas reputation surpasses many of his fellow Seoul Fashion Week colleagues.  Of his elegant “Oriental Ink” collection, Lie said, “I wanted to focus on subtlety and to explore the mixing and matching of classic autumnal fabrics in new and fresh ways.”  The result was a combination of sharp construction and art, which include floral prints featuring peonies and cherry blossoms.  Burgundy was a welcome color throughout, and other touches included detachable and reversible collars.

Photos: LIE SANGBONG runway and red carpet – Seoul Fashion Week Fall 2015
all photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine
New York video courtesy of C&M Media; Seoul video by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine

2) KAAL E.SUKTAE

Background: A Seoul Fashion Week mainstay since 2008, KAAL E.SUKTAE designer Lee Suk Tae has started to re-establish his presence in New York.

Showing at New York Fashion Week Spring 2016?: Yes (as part of Concept Korea XII alongside JARRET)

Showing at Seoul Fashion Week Spring 2016?: Yes

Differences between New York and Seoul collections: Both featured womenswear inspired by the South Korean cartoon “Dooly the Little Dinosaur,” but in Seoul, Lee added five outfits.

Our take on Fall 2015 in Seoul: The collection featured the use of mixed materials, such as faux fur, neoprene and nylon, as well as a kaleidoscope of colors. What saved the cropped jackets, trench coats, turtlenecks, windbreakers and other pieces from heading into borderline kitsch territory – particularly with a cartoon character as a reference point – was a reliance on structured cuts and basic solids as a steady contrast beneath the Dooly images featured throughout.  (Fun fact: The title of the collection, “830422,” refers to the first six digits of Dooly’s registration number as an honorary resident of Bucheon.)

Photos & Video: KAAL E.SUKTAE – Seoul Fashion Week Fall 2015
all multimedia by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine

A close-up of a jacket sleeve from the KAAL E.SUKTAE Fall 2015 collection as actor Ji Chang-wook (immediate left) applauds in the background. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

3) Parkchoonmoo

Background: Designer Demi Park was part of the very first Concept Korea collective in New York in 2010, and has been showing in Seoul for the past 15 years.

Showing at New York Fashion Week Spring 2016?: Yes (solo show, off-site)

Showing at Seoul Fashion Week Spring 2016?: Yes

Differences between New York and Seoul collections: The Seoul runway show featured a half-dozen additional looks.  The promotional materials in Seoul referred to her Fall 2015 collection under her diffusion label, Demoo Parkchoonmoo, but it was the same ready-to-wear offering that appeared in New York the month before.

Our take on Fall 2015 in Seoul: Predictably minimalist in its typical color palette of black and white, but always unpredictable in its execution, the Parkchoonmoo [un-bound] collection drew on the concept of dust and ashes – evident as prints in the clothing and on the runway as the models walked through a perpetual cloud of theatrical smoke.  Wide collars up to the chin added welcome asymmetry to oversized sweater dresses, while intriguing unisex pieces such as vests and jackets featured large, flaring lapels.

Photos & Video: Parkchoonmoo – Seoul Fashion Week Fall 2015
all multimedia by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine

Inspired by dust and ashes: the PARKCHOONMOO Fall/Winter 2015 collection, as shown in Seoul. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

4) RESURRECTION

Background: Designer Lee Ju Young has brought her collections to various Fashion Weeks and tradeshows in the United States, Asia and Europe, but it was only this year that she started to show in Seoul.

Showing at New York Fashion Week Spring 2016?: No

Showing at Seoul Fashion Week Spring 2016?: Yes

Differences between New York and Seoul collections: Lee’s showing in New York did not include her entire “New Post Punk” collection; sharing the runway with two other labels as part of Concept Korea, the audience at Lincoln Center saw just 15 outfits.

Our take on Fall 2015 in Seoul: Lee’s signature modern punk menswear may not appeal to the masses, but those favoring fur, leather, jackets in wrinkled shiny gold and suits with dark floral prints will take to this collection.