Fashion house WOOYOUNGMI unveiled its Spring Summer 2024 Collection, on Sunday, June 25th, at the Théâtre National de Chaillot, during the recently finished Paris Fashion Week. Jeju’s female haenyeo divers, renowned for their inherent sense of style, have become a recurrent influence on the international fashion scene. These matriarchal snorkelers, frequently in their eighties, have sustained their families for centuries by diving for seafood along the black volcanic rocks of Jeju Island, South Korea. They ingeniously layer their wetsuits with repurposed items from a wardrobe that is decidedly feminine, securing them with utilitarian diving belts and accessorizing with goggles, masks, diving bags, and nets. Madame Woo, whose design practice has typically investigated foreign domains, is now delving into her own culture and the global fascination it evokes as global attention shifts to South Korea.
SPRING SUMMER 2024 COLLECTIONS
The inspiration for the collection is the island of Jeju. From a South Korean standpoint, the collection presents a premise of contrasts: Jeju as the rugged and rocky coastal environment of the hardworking haenyeo divers as opposed to Jeju as the sun-drenched party island favored by the nation’s youthful holidaymakers. This contrast is expressed by a silhouette that oscillates between encircling and releasing the body. Body-conscious scuba gilets, girdles, trousers, and tops coexist with relaxed lightweight tailoring and loose-fitting waistcoats, conjuring a boyish spirit reminiscent of the summer sensibility of the 1980s and infused with pajama-inspired elements. Asymmetrically knotted second-skin tops pay homage to bojagi, the art of cloth wrapping, with a beach-centric interpretation redolent of swimsuit constructions.
The worldwide fascination with my country is thrilling to me. As a South Korean designer, I was always interested in cultures and history different to my own: Parisian mentality, the Belle Époque, British literature. Now, I want to portray my own culture to the rest of the world, from a South Korean perspective. It’s a way for me to reflect on our traditions through the contemporary reality of the youth and pop cultures so distinct to our mentality. I do it in a way that stays true to my premise: by layering it with historical elements that bind together South Korea and my passion for European studies. This season, that impulse comes to life in the image of Jeju Island, with its 17th Century Dutch seafarers, its fabled female divers, and present-day partygoers. – Madame Woo, Paris, June 2023.
Madame Woo, who observes acutely the connections between her own culture and the European roots of her brand, draws inspiration from the historical encounter between South Korea and the West. In 1628, 39 Dutchmen were shipwrecked on Jeju, making them the second Westerners to set foot on the “Land of the Morning Calm.” Hendrik Hamel, one of the shipwreck survivors, wrote the first account of the kingdom during his time on the island he referred to as Quelpart. This historical meeting infuses the collection with references to the Renaissance era. In homage to the fashions of the era, transparent coats, jackets, and blouses are adorned with ruffles and ruches. The presence of Dutch seamen’s hats and cascading flares on techno trousers further invoke the Dutchmen’s experience on Joseon-era Jeju.
Old-world scientific illustrations of the Nomura’s jellyfish, endemic to the island’s waters, adorn shirts, tops, and even the models’ skin, evoking Jeju’s natural beauty through the eyes of the Renaissance. These motifs are modernized by fluorescent graphics on draped dresses and tops, with some even featuring embroidered tentacles that evoke rave culture’s glow-in-the-dark elements. This aesthetic of a techno island party is also reflected in the oversized tech workwear and acidized denim pieces. Shiny, glass-like, and translucent fabrics are used for outerwear, tops, pants, and skirts, while jewelry featuring resin abstractions of jellyfish, such as necklaces, earrings, and ear collars, and sea glass pendants, enhance the aquatic atmosphere. The color scheme is inspired by the black, brown, navy, slate, light blue, and sunset reds and pinks of the Jeju landscape, and is energized by fluorescent color accents.
In collaboration with the Italian shoemaker RAL7000STUDIO, the collection also features a technological trainer. These trainers are constructed using 3D modeling software and AI generation, and are available in black, navy blue, and beige. They combine the aesthetics of aqua shoes and technological elements. They are accompanied by sneaker hybrids consisting of diving boots and sandals with discreet references to Renaissance clogs. Leather and nylon bags, inspired by the bags carried by haenyeo divers, assume the form of their signature floating devices or half-moon nets, with some tulle overlays for an aquatic effect. Pochettes, bum-bags, small leather goods, and belts are inspired by the utilitarian accessories that were traditionally affixed to the haenyeo’s waistbands.
Discover every look from the Wooyoungmi Spring Summer 2024 Collection in the gallery below:
