The 2019 Fall/Winter Seoul Fashion Week was held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) from the 19th through the 24th of March. More than 50 competitive Korean brands, like Beyond Closet, participated in the show. Seoul Fashion Week, hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, was first launched in October 2000. The event consisted of two shows: the Seoul Collection, where exclusive top Korean designers participate, and Generation Next, where new designers, who have less than five years of experience in the field, show their designs. It follows four other influential fashion weeks – New York, London, Paris, and Milan – and works as a benchmark representation of the fashion trends in Korea to the world.
The trends at Seoul Fashion Week can fall into two categories – color and pattern. The colors that were dominantly shown during the show were metallic and primary colors. As living in a world where every part of our life is automatized, the fashion field also reflects this social trend. Bold primary colors and, exaggerated geometric designs with solid futuristic accents highlighted many of the Seoul Collection and Generation Next shows.
Ironically, as the era of high technology progresses, there is an increase in a longing for the older days when development was slower. The ‘slow fashion’ movement is starting to dominate the fashion field, assuring the purchase of fair quality and long-lasting clothing and producing zero carbon. At the fashion week, sustainable fabrics like wool and folk patterns embroidered clothing lines. Floral and plaid were especially favored in many of the shows. For example, the rose of Sharon, which is the national flower of Korea, was the brand SetSetSet’s theme to celebrate the centenary of the March First Independence Movement. The floral pattern formed a soft silhouette by adding vintage nuance to the clothing line and showed the nostalgic beauty of Korea.
Many Mason Korea students attended this year’s Seoul Fashion Week. According to Graciela Lara Sorto (’21 Global Affairs), the Seoul Fashion Week was like a “color wheel.” Although there was an official fashion runway inside the DDP, the streets were another informal runway where individuals presented their creativity and uniqueness. With countless people designating their own trend, the Seoul Fashion Week is a true representation of the vibe of Korea.
Written by Jieon Kum | Staff Writer
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