Seoul Fashion Week
By: Taliyah Norris
Issue 12 Spring 2021
Seoul South Korea's Fashion Week was held virtually this year from March 22nd to March 28th while designers displayed their fall winter collections. They livestreamed the shows like they were done previously for the spring/summer collections. The Dongdaemun venue was sadly not able to show the highly celebrated street fashion that Seoul Fashion Week is known for. At the venue, for the past seven years, people would often see everyday people showing off their outfits to photographers on the iconic wall. It is also popular with university students because they often go to showcase their unique style. people will even see some kids there too. Fashion Week is considered a goldmine for photographers because of all the picture opportunities.
With the pandemic, the fashion shows had to be taken digital in order to ensure everyone's safety. This is a great comeback for Seoul Fashion Week, considering it had to be cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus cases rising. South Korea has been taking COVID-19 seriously with Korean quarantine facilities that feed and house people for the mandatory quarantine period. Designers are taking advantage of the digital setting to make their shows more interesting to watch because they do not have the boundaries of a single runway anymore. Some popular locations were the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary art, Korea. Choi Chul-yong, a professor in the textile department, talks about how “it's a great opportunity for the create fashion market to expand its presence globally taking advantage of going digital at the pandemic times when many global fashion labels are still focusing on the offline space.” This is a win for those who indulge in the Seoul fashion industry that live overseas.
This year there were 43 brands that showcased, and as the previous year, they mixed traditional Korean attire with modern day trends. Another trend people see is designers trying to make fashion more androgynous. There were brands that took the more vintage and classic route for their collections, like Kim Sun-il and Seo Jun-Hyuk. There were designers whose collections took a bold and dramatic approach this year with both silhouettes and color schemes and innovative ideas inspiring them with their collection. people see the popular designer Minju Kim, who was on the Netflix show Next in Fashion, quickly gaining popularity for her quirky designs that just stand out. Officials in Korea hope Seoul can soon become a big fashion capital like New York and Paris in the upcoming years. Jongsoo Kim is the vice president of SUNY Korea housing the Fashion Institute of Technology, and he believes that now they have a top fashion school there: “We can become one of the fashion centers.”
With the pandemic, the fashion shows had to be taken digital in order to ensure everyone's safety. This is a great comeback for Seoul Fashion Week, considering it had to be cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus cases rising. South Korea has been taking COVID-19 seriously with Korean quarantine facilities that feed and house people for the mandatory quarantine period. Designers are taking advantage of the digital setting to make their shows more interesting to watch because they do not have the boundaries of a single runway anymore. Some popular locations were the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary art, Korea. Choi Chul-yong, a professor in the textile department, talks about how “it's a great opportunity for the create fashion market to expand its presence globally taking advantage of going digital at the pandemic times when many global fashion labels are still focusing on the offline space.” This is a win for those who indulge in the Seoul fashion industry that live overseas.
This year there were 43 brands that showcased, and as the previous year, they mixed traditional Korean attire with modern day trends. Another trend people see is designers trying to make fashion more androgynous. There were brands that took the more vintage and classic route for their collections, like Kim Sun-il and Seo Jun-Hyuk. There were designers whose collections took a bold and dramatic approach this year with both silhouettes and color schemes and innovative ideas inspiring them with their collection. people see the popular designer Minju Kim, who was on the Netflix show Next in Fashion, quickly gaining popularity for her quirky designs that just stand out. Officials in Korea hope Seoul can soon become a big fashion capital like New York and Paris in the upcoming years. Jongsoo Kim is the vice president of SUNY Korea housing the Fashion Institute of Technology, and he believes that now they have a top fashion school there: “We can become one of the fashion centers.”
