Parkchoonmoo Fall 2013: Embracing the unpredictable

The Parkchoonmoo label will give the New York retail scene another try this year. (photo by Bibs Teh / Meniscus Magazine)

Parkchoonmoo designer Demi Park, whose Fall 2013 show took place the night of the snowstorm that hit during New York Fashion Week, wants to warn you that there’s probably more where that came from.

For her most recent collection, Park derived inspiration from the power of nature, particularly the glaciers in the Arctic Sea. Primarily, it is the destruction of such beauty that she wants to prevent.

“Just like today’s weather, I’m really concerned about the environment, [like] how a mass of iceberg actually fell off from the glaciers,” she said in an interview with Meniscus Magazine after the show. “I want to warn people that the environment is not the same as it was before.”

Accordingly, Park’s avant-garde designs walked the line between strength and vulnerability, the architectural and the comfortable. One model walked down the runway in a navy blue asymmetric leather and jersey dress while carrying a matching duvet wrap and wearing white sneakers. Another was thoroughly bundled up in one of the designer’s signature pillow-like coats, as if bracing herself for even more snow.

Organic cotton, tech fabrics and water-repellant leathers were used in the collection, reinforcing Park’s point that beauty is fragile and needs protection. She plans to use more organic materials for Spring/Summer 2014 as she continues to contemplate how best to protect the environment.

Just like the weather, the New York retail scene can be as unpredictable. After operating a store in Nolita, Park was forced to close after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, scarred the city. She is now contemplating a move back into the market with a store location planned for either Chelsea or the Meatpacking District.

Park believes that her line’s modern aesthetic would fit right in with the style of the city. She optimistically said, “I [think] New Yorkers these days are really interested in [Asian design], so that actually goes back to my avant garde and Korean themes. I think most of my collection will do very, very well.”