Tuesday, March 25, 2008

fashion week

Masculinity Versus Androgyny in Men's Wear



By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Seoul Fashion Week kicked off with 14 men's wear designers showcasing their collection for fall and winter 2008, last week.

A diverse range of men's wear was spotted on the runway. Rock-and-roll ruled once more, with outlandish metallic-colored jackets and metal-studded leather pants. Androgynous male models wore long and oversized knit sweaters and cardigans that slightly veered towards femininity.

There were also masculine looks, such as slim-fitting military-inspired jackets and classic suits. Shades of black, gray and brown dominated the runways, accented with dark yellow, beige, metallic gold and silver colors.

Chang Kwang-hyo opened Seoul Fashion Week Monday with his Caruso men's wear line inspired by the ancient tea route from China to Tibet to India. With fake snow falling on the white runway, models wore retro-inspired and minimalist jackets and trousers. There was something quirky about the vests twisted around the model's shoulders.

Black was the main theme for Son Sung-keun's Mw collection. He played around with the classic black suit, sending white-faced models wearing a comically oversized jacket, a ruffled cape and a white long-sleeved top with exaggerated ruffles down the runway.

The glam rock and punk scene from the 70's and 80's inspired several designers to recreate these exciting looks. Han Seung-soo took inspiration from rock icons David Bowie and Rod Stewart and combined it with the futurism trend. Models with gray mullet hair walked down the runway in wildly printed tops, studded leather pants and metallic-colored motorcycle jackets.

Song Hye-myung's designs for Dominic's Way gave a new twist to the punk look, inspired by Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious.

Jang Hyun-tae created a retro-inspired collection for Mvio, taking key elements from the 60's and 70's. Her main color is gray, accented with dark yellow, green, purple and blue. There were unexpected twists in her collection, using different textures from wool, cotton and silk.

With the theme ``Restoration,'' Park Jong-chul's included the Taeguk pattern in his collection for Slingstone. He said this was in honor of the historical landmark Namdaemun, which burned down last month.

For a more masculine look, Lee Young-jun combined outdoor and military looks to create classic pieces for 206 Homme. He created fur-trimmed leather jackets and stylish parkas.

Song Zio's collection features contrasting slim and cocoon, mix and match in wool, jersey and leather. Song used delicate details and unstructured silhouette to create a look for an eternally youthful soldier, inspired by Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray. Black, gray and khaki are the main colors, with intense orange and green as accent colors.

Xess designer Park Sung-chul used a lot of black, charcoal gray and chocolate brown for his designs, as well as fur and leather jackets.

Choi Bum-suk opted for shades of beige and brown for his brand generalidea by Bumsuk. Inspired by a shepherd boy, models wore boxy and baggy tops in soft knits and wool that evoked a very natural feeling.

Some designers opted for the androgynous look, with pretty male models in oversized sweaters and cardigans that looked a lot like the trendy pieces favored by women last season.

Kim Seo-ryong's models wore knee-length knit sweaters with slim fitting trousers. Kim said he wanted to ``express an asexual feeling from Adonis.'' His collection featured a lot of wool, silk, leather and knits in black, gray and dark brown.

For G.I.L. Homme, Seo Eun-gil combined the hard-edged military look with feminine sexuality resulting in an androgynous, sometimes almost feminine look. There were knee-length gray wool coats, capes with fringed edges and a deep green fur vest.

Ko Tae-young reinterpreted the classic British look for his brand Beyond Closet. Inspired by an old-fashioned herringbone coat and checkered shirt from his father's closet, Ko transformed these classic patterns into a modern look.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

Experts Believe Seoul Fashion Moving on Right Course



By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Seoul Fashion Week may not yet be on the level of Paris, Milan, New York or London, but international fashion experts believe it is headed in the right direction.

Jean-Pierre Mocho, president of the French Ready-to-Wear Federation, and Anna Orsini, head of the British Fashion Council International, had high praise for the collections presented by Korean designers during Seoul Fashion Week, which ended Monday.

``With this kind of collection you are building, you are coming close to the right direction. Not today, but I think in two year's time,'' Mocho said.

Orsini was also impressed with Korea's fashion and retail market. ``Korea is a very important market for fashion… We have seen Korean multi-brand stores with 11 or 12 floors of international brands. We would like the buyers to be interested in Korean fashion and help Korean fashion reach international level,'' she said.

Mocho and Orsini met with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who attended designer Moon Young-hee's fashion show Sunday.

Seoul is hoping to establish its Fashion Week as the 5th major international fashion collection, after Paris, Milan, New York and London. Seoul Fashion Week, which started in 2000, still faces stiff competition from other Asian fashion capitals like Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Mocho gave his insights on Seoul Fashion Week, and gave suggestions on how to strengthen the link between Seoul and Paris' fashion industries. He suggested establishing a Korean fashion information center in Paris, as well as holding a fashion competition for young Korean designers.

``I think the collection at Seoul Fashion Week is very high level. You have different ways, both high and medium. But the way you are creating this collection is in the right direction. It doesn't matter if the schedule (of Seoul Fashion Week) is good or not. The most important thing is if the collection is good,'' Mocho said.

It is also important for Korean designers to incorporate traditional elements in their designs. ``One reason why we travel the world to see fashion is because we want to see the individuality of the country. It is important for designers to use elements of traditional fashion, use traditional fabric and make it as wearable as possible,'' Orsini said.

Top fashion designers Lee Young-hee and Lie Sang-bong have taken elements of Korean culture such as hanbok and Hangeul (Korean alphabet) and incorporated it in their designs, which have been recognized abroad.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has identified the high-value fashion industry, as one of the new growth drivers for the economy. Korea is one of the world's top 10 fashion industries, in terms of creativity, design and quality.

When asked to describe Seoul's fashion industry, Oh cited the ``strong passion for fashion, and the rich history and culture of Korea as its main characteristics.

``I believe if the city government gives the fashion industry enough support, our fashion industry can be a world-class industry. When the local government aids the industry, it should be indirect, and focused on creating a proper environment for our design industry,'' Oh said.

He also expressed support for initiatives to increase exchanges in fashion and culture between Seoul and Paris. ``Paris is no doubt the center of the world's fashion industry. I am proud to say Seoul is the fashion center of Northeast Asia. In this regard, I think it is really important for cities to have this kind of cooperation and exchanges,'' he said.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

 

 

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