Seoul Fashion Week has been revamped for its spring 2025 edition with a larger selection of new domestic brands and off-site programming, giving a better glimpse into South Korea’s emerging fashion scene. It was a much-needed change after experimenting with different formats in the shaky post-COVID-19 era.
All the major shows returned to the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, no longer split between there and the Seongsu-dong fashion district. Media, buyers and fashionistas from far and wide gathered at the Zaha Hadid-designed landmark, with many not shying away from wearing dramatically long tulle dresses in the ongoing monsoon.
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“There is definitely a more diverse range of brands this season than before,” said He Jhih Sheng, purchasing manager for Nihow, a multi-label store in Taipei specializing in men’s wear. He was spotted making personal purchases at Ulkin’s Hannam-dong store, where the unisex streetwear brand opted to hold business meetings instead of the trade show.
“I’m really a fan of Ulkin,” said Nihow CEO Willy Su. Ulkin creative director Lee Seongdong launched a collaborative line with Disney in subtle, neutral tones and artistic details, among other deconstructed streetwear.
“Last year there was a little bit of a transition with the organization, but this year there are so many great brands,” said Sam Desner, CEO of New York concept store 3NY.
“Last year our store had the best year since opening [in 2010]and that despite the bad American economy. It’s because of all the creative labels we bring [South] Korea is like Youser, Seokwoon Yoon, Maison Nica and Greedilous. Everyone wants to live in New York, but Korea lives in the future,” Desner said.
The season kicked off with Youser’s business core-meets-athleisure looks featuring tailored trench coats, oversized bombers and baggy jeans. Leather bags with side-attached jacket sleeves were especially eye-catching.
“This season’s Seoul Fashion Week was particularly important to us as it was our first participation since the [COVID-19] “pandemic,” said designer Lee Moo Yeol of his return to the catwalk and trade show after a five-year hiatus.
More than 80 percent of Youser’s sales are in China, but Lee said his brand has recently seen increased demand, both domestically and in Western markets. Meetings have been held with European department stores such as Printemps and U.S. stores including 3NY.
Seoul’s new talent
Seoul Fashion Week’s runway line-up of 21 local brands included six debuts: Duckdive, L’Eau et, Arts de Base, Kelly Shin, Cokie and Phenomenon Seeper. There were three off-shows by Sling Stone, Caruso and Big Park, which were held at the DDP outdoor area and the Seosomun Shrine History Museum.
Phenomenon Seeper only started exhibiting at trade shows last year, but the unisex label is already in stores in six Asian cities, including Tokyo, Osaka and Jakarta. SFW marked its first runway experience.
“Seoul Fashion Week is a gateway for designer brands, so this is really just the beginning for our brand,” said creative director Jang Se Hoon, who showcased retroreflective fabrics for his pinstripe skirts and metallic and glittery yarns that added sparkle to cropped wool blouses.
Kelly Shin also offered an array of shimmering fabrics for her eponymous womenswear line: mermaid-like dresses in jewel tones that nod to the Korean traditional hanbok and sheer pastel gowns reminiscent of Monet’s water lilies.
Arts de Base, a young brand with only one previous experience on the catwalk, presented an extensive collection of sensual, yet understated, fetishistic creations: from leather corsets to cropped tops and handbags with motifs inspired by garters.
“By combining aesthetic elements such as lace decorations and body painting with clothing, we aim to communicate our thoughts on beauty,” said designer Ko Minwoo, who co-heads the brand with director Choi Hyun Beom. “Seoul Fashion Week is a stage that I believe designers should experience. We hope to present more of our vision in the future,” Ko said.
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Other, slightly more experienced brands offered their respective takes on fetishism. Maison Nica mixed 17th and 18th century European bustiers and corsets with Barbie centerpieces, while Bonbom offered more of its signature pleated couture with deconstructed details using bra straps and piercings..
Bonbom’s designs, inspired by the female personas of Mad Max, were shown not on the runway but in the recently launched Presentation program. The Seoul Metropolitan Government, which funds and organizes Seoul Fashion Week, provided four brands — Bonbom, Eenk, Mmam and Seokwoon Yoon — and local textile giant Hyosung TNC with private exhibition spaces to discuss their new lines with buyers and press in a more intimate setting.
“Having my own location made it much more exciting to present my collection than if I were to rent a stand at a trade fair,” says Jo Bonbom, designer at Bonbom.
Although the Presentation program results were not included in SFW’s performance report announced on Thursday, the three-day trade show featuring 62 domestic brands at DDP this season resulted in a total consultation value of $6 million, up from the $5.63 million recorded in February at Seoul Fashion Week’s fall 2024 edition.
According to organizers, the final estimate of completed contracts, which was $5.24 million in the spring, is expected to be higher.
The number of meetings also increased, from 1,179 last season to 1,354. There were more participants, a total of 117 buyers from 22 countries compared to 101 buyers from 21 countries last season.
“I decided to apply for the Presentation program because of the potential opportunity to participate in a showcase at Milan Fashion Week. Luckily, we were selected,” said Jo.
This was possible for Bonbom and other labels because, according to Huh Sunju, team leader of the Seoul City Department of Beauty and Fashion Industry, the city of Seoul signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Chamber of Italian Fashion in February.
“[The memorandum of understanding] our participation in the Milan Fashion Week partnership program. This recent shift seems to have inspired many new brands to join this year’s event,” Huh said. In conjunction with the agreement, Milan Loves Seoul, an event launched in February to introduce Korean designers to Milan, expanded its program this season to include a showcase of 13 Italian labels and a closing party during Seoul Fashion Week.
“It’s a project that aims to create a bridge between Italy and South Korea, with a focus on fashion, innovation and culture,” said Ylenia Basagni, co-founder of the event. “Korean brands are very innovative, so it makes a lot of sense for us to organize events in both Milan and Seoul.”
Innovations in Seoul
Innovation is key for brands like Hannah Shin, which has collaborated with local science and technology university KAIST to create new materials and present collections in the metaverse. This season, it has teamed up with 3D printing company Stratasys to simplify the process for traditional techniques.
“We aim to reduce the time and costs involved in traditional handcraft, making techniques such as embroidery, weaving and appliqué more accessible to the general public,” says the label’s namesake, the designer.
Shin is also known for dressing K-pop groups such as Aespa and NewJeans.
“As a new brand, there are limitations in our PR. But we see that fans already hear about our products before we announce them and come to our booth. So we make more proactive efforts and put our best efforts when we collaborate with K-pop stars,” Shin said.
K-pop fans were also part of the crowd at Seoul Fashion Week, as NewJeans returned to SFW as global ambassadors, alongside Fly to the Sky’s Brian Joo, Girl’s Day’s Yura, Sleepy and Suran.
Other local stars who made waves on the “blue carpet” were members of the dance crew Holybang, model Song Kyung Ah, model-intrapreneur Irene Kim and comedian Park Na-rae. This season saw more guests from overseas, such as Thai actors Fort Thitipong Sengngay and Peat Chajindar Wasuthorn, Indian actress Jazz, Japanese actor Nagumo Shoma and Taiwanese actor Nat Chen.
But it was Elton Ilirjani who stole the show, both on and off the catwalk. The gender-neutral model who graced major fashion and art events from Paris Fashion Week to Art Basel Miami.
“When I’m in Asia, especially Korea, I feel like I’m in the future,” Ilirjani said. “Korean designers are so unique, and the local shows are also the best in terms of production: lighting, photography, stage design.”
The 44-year-old owns and manages a headhunting agency, but started modeling three years ago to continue his long-standing commitment to human rights, such as promoting gender equality in the workplace.
Ilirjani has recently spoken out about gender issues in fashion. “A lot of LGBTQ representation in fashion is wrong. A lot of big Western brands that do it for fun, decoration or [a superficial take on] political correctness. But the brands that people like me really accepted are mainly Asian — Korean, Japanese, Chinese. There is so much innovation here,” Ilirjani said.
The Dubai Market
But Seoul Fashion Week also appeals to a different group of serious fashion buyers. Evgenia Bayandina, creative director of Dubai multibrand store Essentials 5ive, is returning to Seoul Fashion Week for its seventh year. She said she finds a good range of looks that are conservative enough for Dubai’s culture and religion, but unique in design. Her store often works with brands like Mmam to order longer sleeves and hems in custom sizes.
“Seoul Fashion Week is very creative and the price is also more attractive than Paris and New York,” she said, adding that South Korea is also “number one” for natural fabrics such as Tencel and cotton that are suitable for Dubai’s hot climate.
Invited to exhibit after last season’s SFW opening, JulyColumn showed more of his artfully twisted knits and a mix of other fun textures in natural fabrics, made with great attention to detail: linen and cotton appliqués, delicate fishnet stockings and loose, free-flowing threads.
“The fact that we keep coming back here means we find something special here,” Bayandina said.
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