CONCEPT KOREA ss18 NYFW
Korean lifestyle along with its many interesting ways of life portrayed through beauty, fashion, and music are at the height of international interest. Making its seventh round to NYFW since its debut in 2010, CONCEPT KOREA spring 2018 brings LIE by Lee Chung Chung and Greedilous by Younhee Park to the New York runway for spring 2018 collections.
Lee Chung Chung (LIE) is no stranger to the fashion runway world as the son of designer parents who founded the legendary and FashionDailyMag fave, Korean fashion house LIE SANGBONG. Greedilous by Younhee Park, who made a strong impression on the CK runway previously, adds a flare of sci-fi fused with nature in her “futuristic modernity”. Both designers highlight cuts, colors, flow, and layers on the runway reminiscent of the Korean Traditional dress the hanbok.
Korean culture thrives in bringing out deep soulful expressions of creativity and it is felt strongly, since innovation and creativity in fashion shouldn’t just be a wave, and it becomes precedent for future artists, Concept Korea aims to give an opportunity to raising designers aiming to leave a mark. Although the lines had their set differences both sharing one common ground: presenting Korean influence with its flow, colors, cuts, and layers on the runway.
The LIE Lee Chung Chung “PERFECT IMPERFECTION : PERFECTLY I’MPERFECT” is a line that not only poses a strong message with its title, but the crisp white pieces can be interpreted to represent a blank canvas to the user. It’s okay to be perfectly imperfect, you do you on your blank canvas, write your own story in minimal detail and with maximum hints of expression. Lee’s background in Menswear veils over the collection in a subtle whisper that says, any woman can be as strong as steel yet delicate like a flower in bloom.
Age is never a factor to represent true fashion and MODEL Maye Musk, mother of Elon Musk is the perfect example that being perfectly imperfect has nothing to do with age and everything to do with attitude as she gracefully made strides on the runway for both shows during opening and closing of the 52 looks combined for Lee Chung Chung’s LIE and Younhee Park’s Greedilous. Both classic and youthful!
Younhee Park’s GREEDILOUS ss18 collection “BOTANIC EXOTICA” is an extension of the designer’s signature use of prints mashing science fiction and nature into a youthful blend of alluring looks that scream, “look at me” in a subtle yet demanding manner. A touch of masculinity yet enough layers, ruffles, movement in print, and color to see femininity flow in the lines and curves of the models wearing the looks in a classic and directional genius.
So be it a science fiction movie like James Cameroon’s AVATAR, a fantasy jungle and/or an artist’s colorful collage that serves as inspiration for Younhee’s “BOTANIC EXOTICA”, the designer stays true their core design principles of sustainable but creative simple silhouettes. GREEDILOUS, loved by celebrities and influencers worldwide has participated in Paris’s Who’s Next, Seoul’s Generation Next and NYC’s Capsule and Coterie tradeshows. Most notably, the designer was nominated for the 2014/2015 International Woolmark Prize.
It is very difficult to talk about K-fashion without talking about the other two K’s (K-pop and K-beauty). Fashion, music, and beauty will be forever intertwined, it is unimaginable to unlink Korean fashion from the music and beauty industries that are thriving and growing globally. Boy bands like Big Bang, EXO, BTS, and Winner, to mention a few, are Korean household names in the music industry making rounds in the fashion sector around the world. To anyone keeping up to date with the Korean wave, it is no surprise and it’s safe to say that Korean influence coming to the international stage straight from Seoul is here to stay.
Korean culture thrives in bringing out deep soulful expressions of creativity is felt strongly, since innovation and creativity in fashion shouldn’t just be a wave, and it becomes precedent for future artists, Concept Korea aims to give an opportunity to raising designers aiming to leave a mark. Although the lines presented by Concept Korea had their set differences, both shared one common ground: presenting Korean influence with its flow, colors, cuts, and layers on the runway.
Concept Korea as a collaborative project to promote Korean fashion designers and assist them in their attempt to break into the U.S. fashion market is a huge undertaking that is doing very well. Having started in 2010 and still not only be functioning but actually returning each consecutive year speaks volumes of the work being done behind the scenes, not only at show time but way before then. May they keep up the great work and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for future shows.
CONCEPT KOREA ss18 NYFW written by Zulma Berenice.
Fave looks by Brigitte Segura.
photo credit: Dan Lecca.
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