From headbangers to delicate elves: Highlights of Seoul Fashion Week
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Delicate fairies fluttering around butterflies, dark magic and grunge rockers: a clash that is strongly reminiscent of a medieval market, and yet also describes some of the looks at Seoul Fashion Week. For the SS25 collections, some designers seem to have been inspired by fairy tales other adventures. But there are still a few highlights hidden in the magic pot of the fashion week in the South Korean capital...
Buckle up for the latest trends from Seoul.
Buckled up!?
Designers are, quite literally, focusing on buckles. They agree that the belt doesn't always have to be a conventional item that holds up a pair of trousers. Brands such as Doucan and Youser, for example, kept the belt loose, and pushed it up the figure to use it as a casual accessory for crop tops, shirts and even sweaters, most of which had loops to attach the belt akin to a pair of trousers. Ul:Kin designer Lee Seongdong, meanwhile, took a more rock'n'roll approach for a denim skirt with a double grommet belt. Even though some of the pieces by the designers in Seoul were rather wide set, they could largely be styled differently with the respective belts, thus distorting the silhouette.
No purpose!
Brands like Youser proved with their belted pieces that fashion doesn't always have to be practical. Mooyeol Lee, the designer behind the brand, presented other ways for a styling-focused approach. And he was not alone. Lee joined other designers who repurposed individual pieces and entire garments, rendering their original use obsolete. At Kumann Yoo Hye Jin and Ajobyajo, additional sleeves appeared, while Youser rolled up the jeans legs to create a skirt and Arts De Base turned a top into a kind of collar.
Fast dresses
Another use can also lead to a new benefit, as the sporty SS25 dresses from Seoul showed. Various materials from sportswear and outerwear were used for sleek yet casual dresses. Details such as the cords of a raincoat and patterns from a sports jersey were thus skilfully showcased in a completely new form.
Modern Middle Ages
Two completely different worlds met in designs that brought a long-gone era into the present. The mystical touch of the Middle Ages made its way onto the catwalk in characters such as monks, witches and other beings. As in a classic fantasy novel, there seemed to be the advocates of dark magic on the one hand, with their concealing robes and pompous silhouettes - mostly in black, of course.
They were contrasted by colourful, fairy-like beings who were connected to nature and surrounded by butterflies. Modern sporty alongside more elegant cuts and a mix of streetwear and sportswear ensured the right balance that didn't turn the wearers into court jesters.
Rock on!
Instead of going back to the Middle Ages, other brands looked back at the history of rock music over the past 50 years. From a modern interpretation of the style of Australian rockers AC/DC to an alternative grunge look with a lumberjack shirt to skate punk and emocore, hard guitar riffs, mosh pits and rocking styles seemed to dominate Seoul this season.