For the fashion-obsessed, New York Fashion Week, when designers send what will soon be the next season’s most coveted looks down the runways at Lincoln Center, is the holy grail week-of-all-weeks. So, when I was given the opportunity to attend Concept Korea’s F/W 2015 show (after many years of obsessively live streaming and stalking NYFW via social media), I jumped at the chance.
Concept Korea isn’t a designer itself, but rather, is a project conceptualized by the Korean government and supported by the New York fashion industry that allows Korea-based rising design stars to present their work at NYFW. Concept Korea’s eleventh season included three up and coming designers: Beyond Closet by Taeyong Ko, Leyii by Seunghee Lee and Resurrection by Juyoung Lee, all of whom proved they are fresh forces to be reckoned with.
From the minute I stepped foot in the tents that morning, I knew my first NYFW was going to be even better than my wildest fashion-girl dreams could have imagined. (I’m fairly certain I’d never seen so many well-dressed people in my entire life than I did during my first five minutes at fashion week!) The buzz and excitement in the tents, even at 9:00 a.m. on a Friday morning, was contagious and I tried my best to keep from fashion fangirling as I made my way to the line to get into the show.
After standing in line for about 15 minutes, we were finally ushered into the show. I was originally supposed to be standing without a seat assignment (ugh!) but luckily for me, I was able to snag one of the empty second row seats (score!). Like fashion week clockwork, the lights lowered and the music started, and that’s where the real fabulousness began.
The first line to show was Taeyong Ko’s Beyond Closet—and it started Concept Korea off with a colorful, punchy bang. Beyond Closet is a menswear line—but not your typical navy and black, shirt and tie menswear. Instead, the look was cool, edgy and colorful, with just the right dose of rebel via rocker-esque leather pants in the opening look, and a leopard T-shirt paired with plaid pants in another look.
While minimalism seems to have had the fashion world in its grip for the past few seasons, it was refreshing to see plenty of colors, prints and an overall vibe that didn’t take itself too seriously.
As a self-described minimalist, I fell in love with the second line, Leyii by Seunghee Lee. With a palette of primarily camel and grey, beautifully cut knits, and on-point tailoring, the vibe was simple and austere, in the chicest way possible. The makeup look was dewy and barefaced, accompanied by a simple low ponytail and deep side part combination, which was perfect for letting the understated clothes do the talking.
The minimalist vibe has been going strong for some time, and Leyii took the look to the next level by adding pops of purple into the mix midway through the show—a simple triangular accent on one skirt in one look, and a violet turtleneck vest in another. Also, can we talk about those amazing oversized clutches? Perfection.
Resurrection, designed by Juyoung Lee, was the last line to show. It was clear that Resurrection, like Beyond Closet, was all about the rebel customer who isn’t afraid to stand out. Instead of loud prints, however, Lee played with interesting textures and fabrics in darker colors, which gave the collection an edge without making it seem too serious. Resurrection’s fur game was strong, and by the end of the show, I was dying to put on one of the oversized jackets as I headed back out into the frigid NYC air.
Especially with menswear, an all black or gray look can risk coming off as boring, but Resurrection’s play with textures and interesting proportions were anything but. (Proof? A classic tailored suit that was made edgy and young by its metallic, kimono-esque fabric.)
The development of fresh and up-and-coming talent has always been central to the fashion industry, and as a collegiette hoping to make it in the industry myself, Concept Korea is an initiative I can totally get behind. These three designers have proved they have what it takes to succeed in a global market, and I’m definitely hoping that they found many more new fans in the rest of the fashion crowd. (The enthusiastic cheers and applause at the finale were definitely indicators that they had!) My only question now is, when can I get these pieces stateside? After all, I’m still lusting over those Leyii oversize clutches.
Check out more about Concept Korea and its F/W 2015 designers here!