FT NEWS

Seoul Fashion Week fall 2022 was held from March 18 to 23 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). Organized by the Seoul city government, this year’s six day event took place both offline and online after three years of virtual presentations. Last year’s success recorded a total of 74.43 million views globally according to Korea Now. 35 brands, 23 from the Seoul Collection and 12 emerging designers from the Generation Next shows participated in this season’s Seoul Fashion Week. Celebrity starpower that graced the capital’s glimmering fashion event included actor Lee Jung-jae from the breakout hit Squid Games, and supermodel Choi So-ra. K-pop stars Pentagon and Weki Meki walked the runways symbolizing the undeniable global cultural impact of the country’s soft power influence.

Dew E Dew E

This design duo creates moments when women look the most attractive based on the 'romantic chic' sensibility and a comfortable feminine look. Having participated in the International Fashion Art Biennale in Seoul in 2016 and the International Fashion Art Exhibition China in 2015, Dew E Dew E’s unique design concept wins public acclaim by selecting a relatable topic that anyone can understand every season and expressing it in a story. The latest collection presented a palette of pastels in chiffon and tulle, along with combining unexpected elements of leather with denim.

BonBom

“First of all, I think Korea has a lot of cultural assets and so many inspirational elements. Now that I debuted at Seoul Fashion Week, next it could be France, Paris Fashion Week, I want to go global,” designer Bonbom Jo said in an interview with Korea Now. A favorite of K-pop stars such as Taeyeon from Girls Generation and rising rookies NMIXX, BonBom’s FW2022 collection is titled “I know your sacrifice”. On the runway, the rebellious female warrior theme was celebrated with barely there mini skirts, ready to wear catsuits and reinterpreted biker trends in the sense of corsets and crop tops.

Painters

Emerging designer Won Jeon has become a notable talent and he aims to develop diverse cultures and styles through experimental avant garde designs that have streetwear potential. His brand, Painters, was developed for the purpose of creating a subculture artist group. Under the slogan of 'Different Accepted Society', it mainly targets women in their early to mid-20s who are interested in art-related industries such as painting, music, video, graphics, and editing. Painters’ Fall 2022 collection, named “Accepted” consisted of trippy visuals inspired by commercial art, venturing into hand-mixed fabrics and bigger than life proportions. “Subversive basics”, a term trending on the Internet, was also spotlighted by the Seoul-based designer in an array of pieces such as shredded skirts and ruffled dresses.

Business Trip

By the end of New York fashion week it became clear that tailoring was going to play an important role in the FW22 collections, hopefully heralding a return to a new normalcy in society and the need for more serious clothing. In New York, Michael Kors, Peter Do and Proenza Schouler all showed pant suits with a full legged trouser and broad shouldered jacket. The theme continued in both Milan at Calcaterra and Paris at Louis Vuitton amongst others.

Knitting Patterns

Even post-lockdown, there is a desire for cosy, hyygge style dressing, and consequently sweater knits made a strong statement in all four cities. They were shown in a plethora of styles, many in a head-to-toe look. This included Altuzzara's cable knit cardigan over a space-dyed dress and ribbed hood and gloves. At Chloé, Gabriela Hearst showed more space-dyed dresses in colorful combinations. Christian Wijnants, Coperni, Gucci and Alexander McQueen all showed versions.

Neo Punk Attitude

Looks rendered in plaid and tartan fabrics to create an anti-establishment vibe can be traced back to Vivienne Westwood's designs in the late 1970s. It's a theme that has been taken up this past year, starting with some of the pre-fall 22 collections including Dior. It gained traction throughout the season and culminated with a sort of punk/schoolgirl mash up, seen at Preen, Marine Serre, Rokh, Miu Miu, Kenzo, Burberry and Coach.

The Balenciaga Effect

Cristóbal Balenciaga is known as 'The Master' of haute couture. Along with Christian Dior he is credited with re-inventing the silhouette of women's fashion in the mid-twentieth century. The FW22 season was filled with Balenciaga references with cocoon-like, full shapes and sloping shoulders. Dries Van Noten, Courrèges, Tory Burch and Dolce & Gabbana all showed versions.