Concept Korea Brings Emerging Fashion Talents To NYFW

by Eddie Roche February 15, 2023

written by Eddie Roche February 15, 2023

K-fashion is here! Yesterday at The Gallery at Spring Studios, Concept Korea brought three outstanding designers from South Korea to NYC for an edgy runway show. The outing showcased designs by CAHIERS, BESFXXK, and ul:kin. Concept Korea, a global fashion program hosted by the country’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency, launched in 2010 and has given the designers the opportunity to show on a global stage outside of Korea. Let’s meet them!

The show kicked off with longboard performance artist, Ko Hyojoo, skating down the runway in front of notables Hyoyeon, Trinidad James, Mariama Diallo, Aisatta Diallo, Aliyah Bah, and Katya Tolslova. Hyojoo is considered a Korean sensation and boasts over 300,000 followers on her popular YouTube channel.

The show started with CAHIERS, which translates to “memo pad” or “work note” in French, which also means “idea book.” According to show notes these translations signify designer A-Young Kim’s passions. The looks were inspired by Korean student uniforms as symbols of youth. Think: preppy staples like plaid skirts, duffel coats, ties, and tailored jackets. The looks were then reinterpreted with the brand’s signature feminine touch.

Next up was a collection by ul:kin, with designer Seong Dong Lee showing an edgy unisex collection. The designer has made sustainability a focus in his collection’s through upcycling. This season’s concept, The Blind Spot of Safe Space, sought to reinvent the classics with a modern spin.

Royal College of Arts in London and London College of Fashion alumni Jae Hyuk Lim and Bona Kim of BESFXXK showed the most avante-garde looks of the trio showing. The brand launched in 2017 and takes a surgical approach to design and product development, with techniques involving physically combining separate pieces with different backgrounds and histories. See it in action, below: