‘Inspired by the natural rhythm’: South Korean designer to the stars Son Jung Wan on her new collection shown at New York Fashion Week
- Brooke Shields and Keke Palmer are fans of hers, and at New York Fashion Week, Seoul-based designer Son Jung Wan showed her spring/summer 2024 collection
- Son spoke to the Post about the fabrics and colours she used for it, how she drew inspiration from the natural world and why, for her, ‘fashion is life’
Most people know South Korean fashion designer Son Jung Wan through her celebrity fans – her flattering designs have been seen on Korean actors like Kim Shin-rok, Yoo Sun and Ji Hyun-woo, and have been worn by American celebrities including Brooke Shields, Arden Cho and Keke Palmer.
Son, who founded her label in Seoul in 2010, is known for sophisticated designs that combine Korean motifs with contemporary styles. Over the years, she’s dabbled in evening wear and bridal wear, as well as custom-made pieces for selected VIPs, including celebrity clients.
“This season I was inspired by the beauty of nature, and emotions, like the flow of waves and the beauty of humanity,” Son told the Post backstage before the show.
“I focused on portraying a sense of gentle delicacy with powerful silhouettes, because to me, that’s true fashion.”
A total of 42 looks were shown to guests including reality-TV star Kelly Bensimon and her fiancé Scott Litner, as well as dancer Allison Holker. Persian model Sara Arabzadeh opened the show wearing a flower-printed minidress.
Fashion makes me. It gives me confidence wherever I am
The collection plays on textures and silhouettes, with a focus on the dreamlike and feminine: think long floral gowns, ruffles, light silk, organza, chiffon, and mesh shirting.
“Flow is the keyword for this collection,” Son said, noting that the natural motifs stemmed from her own travels.
“It’s inspired by the natural rhythm of the world, from ocean waves to the rolling hills of the countryside,” the designer added.
Lime green, soft blue and bright red form the palette for the most of the spring/summer collection. Blush pink hues are there too, tying into the Barbiecore trend.
“When I started to design this collection, I started my palette with fondant pink, which evokes a sense of wellness and youthfulness,” Son said.
She then brought in contrasting hues such as a bright red and an almost fluorescent “cyber lime”, the latter symbolising “the connection between nature and technology”, she says. “Cyber lime was incorporated to represent our ever-expanding digital lives.”
Meanwhile, the choice of textiles references the natural sights that formed the collection’s starting point.
According to Son, light silk enhances silhouettes and movement on and off the runway, which nod to the “creatures that roam the earth”; organza and chiffon, on the other hand, represent the flow of natural patterns, and mesh captures the essence of rolling waves.
Womenswear looks included a floral halter dress paired with high-waisted silk pants, as well as a pink cashmere strapless dress with a pink metallic skirt. She also featured a nutshell-hued hand-woven cropped jacket and matching skirt layered with taupe silk organza.
The last women’s look on the runway was a sparkly, translucent wrap paired with silver pants, nodding to the summer’s mermaid-core craze.
Menswear highlights included a floral top with silk trousers, a collared silk lace top with matching cream silk trousers in a pyjama-like ensemble and a taupe jacket with silk and organza shorts.
With 54 stores across Asia, Son is one of Seoul’s bestselling designers; her business not only spans a core ready-to-wear collection, but includes a golf collection and a children’s wear line. Even so, she doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.
“When you think about the essence of fashion, fashion is life for me, fashion makes me,” said Son. “It gives me confidence wherever I am.”
