Korean designers make a mark in London and Seoul Fashion Week partnership

In a move aimed to revitalise the reputation and vision of Korean fashion, Seoul Fashion Week and British Fashion Council (BFC) came together in a partnership that brought top Korean designers to the London Fashion Week (LFW) stage.

The partnership is part of BFC’s mission to promote programmes dedicated to the nourishing of rising designers. Labels involved in the collaboration additionally received support from Seoul city to enable participation in both the Seoul and London Fashion Week events.

Ready-to-wear label Bmuet(te) and top Seoul design house LIE both presented digital runways for the LFW shows, presenting their own take on reality through the use of fashion.

The design duo Byungmun Seo and Jina Um, behind Bmuet(te), drew influence from both the major cities in their SS22 collection, with looks inspired by the punk revolution with a luxury twist. Androgynous styles, voluminous dresses and structural designs set the tone for the collection, bringing a distinct interpretation of the UK punk scene to the runway.

LIE, led by esteemed creative director Lee Chung-chung, aimed to direct viewers away from the suffering of the pandemic and take them to the ‘Belle Époque’ of Seoul. Feminine tailoring and dynamic cuts aimed to capture the infamous French era, forming what the designer saw as a way to “reflect the confidence of beautiful women”.

“The exchange with this year’s London Fashion Week is an opportunity for our designers who grew up in Seoul to step into the international stage, notify the competitiveness of Seoul’s fashion industry, and to have their potentials evaluated,” said a representative for Seoul city, in a release.

They added: “We are promoting exchanges with not only London Fashion Week, but also Paris and Milan Fashion Week. We will do our best to elevate the reputation of K-fashion, revitalise the domestic fashion industry, and enhance the competitiveness of Seoul as a city through the upcoming SS22 Seoul Fashion Week.”

Seoul Fashion Week SS22 is set to go ahead as a 100 percent digital production on October 7 to 15, with presentations held at major historic tourist attractions and palaces around the city, including Gyeongbokgung. K-pop star Kai has been selected as the event’s ambassador and is featured in a number of related campaigns.

Like LFW, the Korean event will also be making use of the social media platform TikTok in a first-time implementation. The platform will be used for a number of content pieces, including behind the scenes videos. During LFW, TikTok and BFC presented a round-up of emerging designers in a showcase presented alongside digital workshops and panel discussions. The involvement of the platform enables access to the app’s one billion global users, therefore expanding an event’s reach.