lie sang bong ss12

My journalist friend Michael Reyes just forwarded me this video that he worked on for crane.tv about Korean designer Lie Sang Bong's SS12 collection. The collection was inspired by the bright colors and intricate patterns associated with Korean buddhist temples also known as 'jul / 줄'.
"Hailed as the "Korean McQueen," Seoul-based fashion designer Lie Sang Bong has dressed everyone from South Korea's First Ladies to international stars like Beyoncé and Lindsay Lohan. Crane.tv visits him in his studio in Gangnam-Gu where the former costume and set designer tells us about his childhood dreams and wanting to communicate Korean cultural identity to the world."
Here are a few of my favorite looks from his latest collection including those very cool melty face masks.






























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instantology ss12

Korean brand Instantology by designer Il Geun Ji / 지일근 presented a collection of contemporary American style casual shorts and jackets last month at Seoul Fashion Week.  Khaki, white, navy & grey were dominant colours with hits of bright orange and green.  Very basic tailored items that can be mixed and matched easily depending on how bright your mood is.  Take a look at the fun collection video below where Ji sent his boys down the runway holding digital cameras for a models eye view.  





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irony porn(o) ss12 by han dongwoo

Korean designer Han Dongwoo / 한동우 presented his latest Irony Porn(o) collection last week during Seoul Fashion Week, breaking an extended hiatus from the catwalk after his FW10/11 collection in April 2010 when I had a chance to walk in his show. From the images I've seen of this collection, Han has continued presenting a tailored look with a twist once more using a simple palette of black, grey & white. He pushed the boundaries of menswear by extending collared shirts into long dresses and taking a three piece suit and transforming the trousers into baggy harem pants. The pinstripes added a classy feel and styled with wide brimmed hats, this collection looked all sorts of cool.





























Irony Porn(o) designer Han Dongwoo.


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alani ss12

Inspiration for the ALANI SS12 menswear collection by Korean designer Jae Hwan Kim / 김재환 took shape in the form of a chair. Not just any chair mind you, but one known famously as the Zig Zag Chair by German industrial designer Gerrit Thomas Reitveld, one of the principle members of the Dutch artistic movement De Stijl. This zig-zag shape was echoed in color blocked suits and paneled shirts. Coated denim was sharply tailored to appear crisp yet comfortable. Another smart and very wearable collection.  

































For backstage photos from ALANI SS12 click HERE.
For ALANI FW11/12 click HERE.
For ALANI SS11 click HERE.


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groundwave ss12

I was blown away when I saw the stilted sandals Korean designer Sun Ho Kim / 김선호 put down the runway for his Groundwave spring/summer 2012 collection. WANT WANT WANT! Though I'm sure I couldn't walk half a block before I ended up bleeding and broken on the pavement. Again Kim presented a very monotone black, white & Buddhist monk grey collection with more inspiration from traditional Korean costumes (Hanbok / 한복). There was a feminine quality to the skirt like shorts and wide flowing trousers, while the sharp lines of the jackets balanced things out to keep the overall look strictly masculine. A definite continuation from his SS11 and FW11/12 collections. (thanks to INAPAD.com for the photographs).




















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rad by rad hourani ss12 @ seoul fashion week

Rad Hourani presented his spring/summer 2012 collection for RAD by Rad Hourani last week during Seoul Fashion Week as one of the only participating foreign designers taking part in the week long event. Previous non-Korean designers to show at SFW include such talents as Damir Doma, Henrik Vibskov and Phillip Lim and I strongly think more non-native designers should be invited into the mix to create a bigger buzz and add even more energy and excitement to the week. Hourani's collection, which was also shown during New York Fashion Week, was neither strickly menswear or womenswear, but rather a unisex collection that saw both male & female models wearing the same black leather heeled boots down the runway along with a mostly black ensemble of ambiguous designs. Here are some of my favorite looks from the runway, many of which were styled with gorgeous thin black leather clutches, again for both guys and gals. (Thanks to INAPAD.com for the photographs.)


























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