Stuffed animals, three stripes and live performances: Highlights and trends from Seoul Fashion Week

The designers at Seoul Fashion Week create very bold designs and
experiment with different silhouettes, asymmetry and patterns.

Although black plays an important role in many of the collections,
colours and bright creations can also be seen. On the other hand, there are
dark looks like Iryuk’s, which are reminiscent of the gothic scene, and
styles with a lot of leather. Then there are very sporty, young styles for
Gen Z as well as designs that, like Lie Sang Bong, revive the cultural
heritage of South Korea with a modern twist, through their use of cuts,
patterns and fabrics.

As diverse as the collections and styles are, the range of younger and
long-established designers and collectives is equally broad. For example,
the ‘Seoul Collection’ format has been around since the turn of the
millennium, where “top Korean designers” show their lines. Together with
the ‘Generation Next’ format, which promotes independent brands under the
age of seven, these two concepts make up today’s Seoul Fashion Week.
FashionUnited has formed an overview of the more than 30 shows for
autumn/winter 23 and summarised the highlights and trends.

Sleeveless blazers

One of the most popular pieces Seoul brands are experimenting with this
season is the blazer. It’s not necessarily about the silhouette and details
like flared shoulders, but rather about less fabric.

So some cropped styles were on show, but blazers with bare arms were
particularly prominent. The label Mmam sent several versions straight down
the catwalk, including sleeveless ones and styles with sleeves hanging down
behind the arms. Lie showed a very wide waistcoat that was more like a
blazer in silhouette and Iryuk exposed only one shoulder in an asymmetrical
blazer.

Collar overthrow

Other brands, meanwhile, went for an extra layer for the shoulders.
Beyond Closet showed several loose collars with hoods worn over t-shirts as
well as jackets. Acceptance Letter Studio created an olive green,
high-necked quilted overthrow and M.Rof sent a lightweight harness with a
hood in a cotton fabric down the runway.

Aprons and dungarees

Acceptance Letter Studio also designed less experimental pieces and
incorporated workwear into the collection. The brand presented a long,
creamy white apron with a black leather insert. Charms also made use of
workwear and created a rather simple pair of dungarees.

M.Rof was more experimental again. The label showed a quilted light blue
apron that went just above the hips and was held in place with only one
diagonal strap.

Stuffed animals

Probably one of the cutest accessories and details seen during Seoul
Fashion Week were teddy bears and other cuddly animals. Whether clutched
tightly as a companion or as a detail on garments such as skirts, jumpers
and jackets, the plush friends made for a heartwarming look. This trend was
seen at Lie, Greedilous and Ajobyajo.

Buttons

Another very popular detail at Seoul Fashion Week was buttons, which
were used for various jackets and blazers at Beyond Closet, Not Enof Words
Dearlife and Holy Number 7. The rule here seems to be: the more the
merrier.

Ivy League

Some brands also seem to have looked across the Pacific for inspiration
from US colleges and high schools. The reason for this could be the rising
nationwide popularity of series like the teenage drama Euphoria, whose
styling and actors have already sparked a trend or two.

Various types of school uniforms with cropped tops and mini skirts were
on display, and, of course, college jackets and looks with large logos
reminiscent of sports teams were also not to be missed.

Scattered jerseys were also on show, as seen at Ajobyajo. The label sent
a baseball jersey onto the catwalk, a sport that is also very popular in
Korea.

Three stripes

Ul:kin and Ordinary People also remained sporty. Both brands have
integrated Adidas trademarks into their collections. Ul:kin, for example,
showed training pants with the ‘Three Stripes’ and an upside-down Adidas
logo. At Ordinary People, the logos of the Germany-based sportswear company
– including the Trefoil of the Adidas Originals lifestyle line – appeared
on several pieces, including a beret, a blazer and a balaclava.

It is not clear whether these are official collaborations with the
German sports brand. Adidas has not yet responded to an enquiry from
FashionUnited. Ordinary People, however, would argue against the fact that
in an associated Instagram post in which one of the pieces can be seen,
Adidas did not receive any credits.

Live performances

Overall, Seoul Fashion Week relies on a rather classic catwalk without a
special venue, as is the case with many major European fashion houses.
However, some brands still do a show – but mostly as a grand finale.

There was everything from dance and singing performances to the drag
show by Not Enof Words Dearlife, where artist Bori pulled his wig off his
head at the end. #whysocerealz! turned the whole presentation into a
performance with dance and drama – including various everyday situations
such as scenes at school, in the gym and with a homeless person.

You can watch the whole spectacle in the following video.

But there was also a grand finale at the end of the fashion week, where
all the collections were shown again in an extra show. The spectacle was
accompanied by a singer.

This article originally appeared on
FashionUnited.DE.
Translation and edit by: Rachel Douglass.