London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Korean designers at London Fashion Week and Int’l Fashion Showcase

Younchan Chung of the-sirius with his International Fashion Showcase award
Younchan Chung of the-sirius with his International Fashion Showcase award (photo: KCCUK)

Once again there was strong Korean representation at London Fashion Week. As at previous events, Eudon Choi and Jackie JS Lee had catwalk shows, and this time they were joined by Korean-Canadian Edeline Lee. All three were represented in the Designer Showrooms, along with J.Won, Moon Lee Artwear, shoe designer Kim Kwang and the Korean-New Zealander JAEHA.

But it was in the International Fashion Showcase that Korea shone, with The International Fashion Showcase Designer Award going to Younchan Chung of the-sirius for his impressive design showcased in the Korean installation. His collection will now be shown at Milan Fashion Week. The International Fashion Showcase is organised by the British Council and the British Fashion Council, and sponsored by Mercedes-Benz. Youngchan Choi commented: ” I am really happy to win this prize as I only started the-sirius in Seoul Fashion Week last year, but I have dreamed of being a part of the global fashion industry.”

Korea’s entry is described in the materials quoted below. The gallery of installation shots of the Korean International Fashion Showcase is courtesy of the KCCUK’s Flickr account.

International Fashion Showcase: Korea

Bojagi: The Art of Sharing, Transportation and Transformation

From food coverings to pouches for precious objects, embroidered or patchworked, traditional Korean bojagi wrapping cloths have been appropriated and transformed for myriad uses. For a new generation of Korea’s creative talent, the flexibility, recyclability and multi-functionality of the bojagi has the potential to offer an invaluable vocabulary to global fashion. The designers presented here are proudly spreading the word. Infusing bojagi culture with global influences and reinterpreting its tropes for an international audience, their creations emerge as metaphors for the driving forces of the contemporary global landscape: transportation, transformation, sharing and exchange.

Designers include: Chez Heezin, Softcore, The Sirius, Youser
Curator: Julie HJ Lee
Exhibition Design: Cabinat Limited
Text and images: British Council website

International Fashion Showcase Korea
Korean designers at International Fashion Showcase. L to R:
Softcore by Sena Yoon, Photographer: Seoul Fashion Week
Chez Heezin, Photographer: Hyea W Kang
The Sirius, Photographer: Alice Schillac
Youser, Photographer: Jinholee

Softcore

In 2005-2012, Sena Yoon completed a Fashion BA & MA in Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine arts in Belgium, followed by a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Hongik University in 2012-2014. Currently, Yoon holds an Associate Professor position at the Department of Fashion Design, at Sejong ,Sangmyung and Kookmin Universities.

After participating in SEOUL FASHION WEEK-GENERATION NEXT in 2011, the “Soft core” bag & fashion label was launched in 2012, leading to the launch of the Eco fur label ‘Rose core’ in 2014. The Softcore collection was presented at SEOUL FASHION CODE in 2013-2014 and collaborated with Samsung on a NXmini Camera Bag in 2014-2015.

chez HEEZIN

In 2009, Heezin Jung graduated with a BA (Hons) Fashion Design-Fashion Print from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Following Jung worked with various design houses, including John Galliano and Louis Vuitton, before opening the chez HEEZIN studio in 2011. Since then chez HEEZIN collections have been presented at Seoul Fashion Week (2012 & 2014), Paris, Who’s Next-Fame (2014-2015) and in Paris and Shanghai in 2016.

the-sirius

The Sirius is an international based brand started by a graduate of the Samsung Art and Design Institute. The brand was create by Younchan Chung in 2015, who was one of the 24 selected designer of the H&M Design awards 2015, and won first prize on Ceci Joongang-design contest.

The Sirius’s collection pieces are a vision inspired by current contemporary culture. With a high-end fashion focus, attention is given to exquisite detail and high-quality fabric and materials. The collection includes silhouettes and style from menswear, but the brand focus remains on creating a unisex-collection.

Youser

With the idea of addition and subtraction of clothes, products from the Youser brand founded in 2012, have developed with interactive sensibility that are left to be combined by consumers own choice, delivering new looks and feel to the style. Youser offers new apparel combining the brand’s experimental nature and consumers decision.

London Fashion Week was 16-21 February 2017.

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