The Korea Herald

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Kwak Hyun-joo puts kaleidoscope of colors on runway

By Choi Si-young

Published : Feb. 5, 2024 - 15:43

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Models wear creations for KwakHyunJoo Collection as part of the Fall-Winter 2024 Seoul Fashion Week at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Sunday. (Seoul City) Models wear creations for KwakHyunJoo Collection as part of the Fall-Winter 2024 Seoul Fashion Week at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Sunday. (Seoul City)

KwakHyunJoo Collection’s fall-winter 2024 runway show at Seoul Fashion Week on Sunday was a unisex show of colors -- from clotted cream and pink to bright lime green and light blue -- in a wide array of outwear.

At Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, the mix of colors and fabrics on the runway embodied what designer Kwak wants her brand to become: attractive and sexy.

Boxy blazers and coats, slouchy crop tops, draped trousers and chiffon skirts set Kwak’s collection apart from others. Distressed denim and sporty toggles added a punk exuberance, making for a lush show.

Celebrity guests, including K-pop bands like Fromis_9 and TV personalities, livened up the mood at the show.

Known to seek to bridge the young and the old, Kwak said discovering the path forward is what most people want to do and that fashion is one way to reveal what to expect.

“The journey towards the future, much like ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ is filled with the question: ‘Which way ought I to go?’” she said. “Now, as an adult in the middle of life, asking such a question again, I find myself becoming Alice.”

The latest collection is expressed in a “futuristic yet enchanting girlish romantic look,” Kwak added, noting origami was one of the inspirations for the runway.

The five-day Seoul Fashion Week, which started Thursday, ended Monday at DDP and SFactory. Over 100 foreign buyers from 23 countries took part in the biannual event.