NYFW – Concept Korea A/W 2014 collection

Concept Korea – a collaboration organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea in order to promote Korean fashion designers and assist them in their attempts to break into the US fashion market, presented the highlights in contemporary South Korean fashion for the ninth time in a row at New York Fashion Week. Four designers were present at the show at Lincoln Center.

 The first collection presented  was KAAL E. Suktae. The designer was inspired by 90s fashion, translating “grunge” into modern silhouettes. The huge draw here was the amazing wide-brimmed hats that are reminiscent of traditional Korean hats for men, actually called a gat. “Concept Korea is a big event that symbolises Korea and it’s a chance for us to showcase our work. American people like Korean culture and I would really like to do more business here,” the designer Lee Suk Tae said to The Upcoming. “Street fashion and casual wear are really big in Korea now.”

Choi Boko’s collection featured second was inspired by a memory of the designer, of a woman in a white coat during the winter. It is recollected differently every time the designer thinks about it, so it was translated into a collection. Extremely well done.

Beyond Closet gathered inspiration by the designer’s time spent in the army. The men’s designs are interpreted as “a soldier on leave” and traditional uniforms are translated into modern silhouettes.

The show closed with Big Park. The designer says this is a classic collection inspired by two people having a “romantic dinner”, This was a really aggressive and modern show, set to super aggressive hip-hop music. Some of the cream coats were “romantic”, but mostly super modern and edgy.

“I think Korean clothing has better quality than American one, especially if we talk about brands in the segment of Zara or Forever21,” Kyung Won Kim, Korean student in Fashion Institute of Technology commented after the show, which was followed by a swanky party at the rooftop bar of downtown Manhattan’s James Hotel.

Michelle Christina Larsen
Photos: Ken Arcara, Martina Dechevska