A very interesting article in the New York Times today on Seoul Fashion Week and the trends and big ideas in Korean fashion in general. The general theme of the article is on how style in Korea is so different between men and women — men being elegant, women being very girlie. I am not sure if I agree, but it is definitely a good read.
Some choice bits:
Once you get past the bright-colored girlie girls, what really stands out in Seoul is the chic, bordering on the obsessively refined, look of the Korean young men, from college kids and young professionals in their early 20s to men in their 40s.
I really like this quote from fashion blogger Hong Sukwoo:
“Young Koreans haven’t found their own style yet, so they’re copying images they find on the Internet,” he says. “It’s a form of stylish cosplay.”
Hong Sukwoo on Korea's style divide
And then there was this comment from fashion designer Juun J.:
“There needs to be a revolutionary generation of women’s designers to come out and lead women into something new,” he said. “Designers in their early 20s are still learning, and they’re the ones who will do it.”
Johnny Hates Jazz - from Seoul Fashion Week
As someone who remembers Korea in the mid-1990s, honestly I do not find Korea’s rise in the fashion world that surprising. Even if the clothes and general style were not so hip back in the day, even then Koreans put a lot of energy and thought into their appearance. And from time to time, when I met students who were studying fashion (usually in Daegu), they were invariably much more interesting than the average Yonsei or Seoul National University egghead.
How much did the rise of Korean pop culture lead the fashion industry and how much did it follow? Or was it even caused by the fashion industry? I will let braver (and more fashionable) people than myself offer their theories. I suspect the two are intertwined.
But the biggest plus of these changes, in my humble opinion, is how the rise of fashion has led to diversity. Sure, Korea remains one of the most incredibly trendy places for fashion I have ever seen (from Burberry coats of the late 1990s to the mushroom hairdos of a year or two ago). But you do see a lot more variety than you used to. Beauty may be only skin deep, but individuality goes to the core.
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As long as I am on the subject of style in Korea, I really should point out the great magazine GRAPHIC. It has been around since 2006, but last year it went bilingual. Sadly, you cannot download the magazine online, but you can buy it online and have it shipped to you.
If you are looking for a sign of how far Korean design has come, GRAPHIC magazine is really revealing. Tellingly, it is an independent magazine, without government money or major sponsors (which are usually behind the curve on art and culture, and rarely really “get it”). Plus it is just a great magazine for anyone interested in typography and graphic design.
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