Cult Korean designer Jung Wook-jun of JUUN.J has presented his collections at Paris Fashion week for over a decade. His signature style is self-described as, “street tailoring” – a mix of elegant and masterful classic tailoring with street-style silhouettes and materials. This in combination with a flair for asiatic avant-garde create a brand which is futuristic, bold, edgy and sultry.
This season, his collection “Skins” is no exception. The first looks are a series of fleshy peach pieces styled in a way which to me evoke the image of Signourney Weaver in her white tank top and matching panties in Alien. And as the collection unfolds, this astronaut/alien allusion does too. Exaggerated shoulder pads surpass the body’s frame and subsequently the body’s gender, giving the models an angular, androgynous, and extraterrestrial grace like Bowie’s Man Who Fell To Earth. Denim and leather pants which are stitched together with knee-pad and shin-brace pieces are styled under cleverly draped matching “jackets.” Made to look like they are lazily tied around the waist, these very intentionally sculpted pieces have an effect similar to that of a Victorian crinoline petticoat, or an astronaut’s suit pulled up to the waist, sleeves dangling at their sides. Leather bags are sculpted in a bulbous helmet like shape that models carry as such.
A repetition of utilitarian details perhaps hints at the influence of Wook-jun’s mandatory military stint in Korea, and although that time is far from his life today, these models could easily be mistaken for a group of neo-glam soldiers. A non-discriminatory and enthusiastic use of sequins, shoulder pads, and skin tight bodysuits paired with moonboots and stilettos mark this collection. It’s space-age sexy, and looks a bit like what I hope fashion will look like when we have to relocate humanity to Mars.
Until we meet again,
Rianna
