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Inspired by the Korean influences on mainstream western culture despite its historical inaccessibility, Wooyoungmi constructs a feeling and energy of a place we all know well, yet have never been to- this feels like the best definition of a dream. The collection encapsulates this airy feeling entirely. The pieces are basic and practical yet whimsical and poetic. For a romantic and (sometimes, or- trying to be) realist, this is everything I ever want out of my clothes.
The visual elements of South Korea’s metropolitan capital are taken apart and reinterpreted in a somber color palette that reconstruct the essence of the city, creating an intangible familiarity and nostalgia which is set to a jazzy, Miyazaki-esque track. Think- Café Society, Seoul.
It makes for a collection of ensembles that parallel the same ambient slice-of-life coolness captured in many Korean films- a sort of reassuring ode to banality, if you will. Everyday materials like denim, tweed, suede are elevated to new heights. There’s nothing quite as à la mode and timeless as Korean sensibility. Perhaps it is the allure of the inaccessible, a scarcity demand, a call of the unknown. Perhaps the sheltered growth of Korean culture allows for a refreshing isolation of style elements which are often lost in translation. In any case, Madam Woo has tapped into a visual language that is singularly charming, and expresses a particular feeling of something profound that has been left unsaid.
