Seoul Fashion Week Celebrates 25 Years, Bringing “Seoul-ness” To The Global Stage

Soria Nichols
Sep 5
2 min read

Picture the vibrant scenes of Seoul - South Korea’s megacity of contrasts. This week saw the trendsetting city transform into a global stage as Seoul Fashion Week marked its 25th anniversary. Throughout this week, the renowned fashion show expanded from Dongdaemun Design Plaza, taking the city’s most iconic cultural landmarks by storm and bringing ‘Seoul-ness’ to centre stage. Deoksugung-gil, Oil Tank Culture Park, and Heungcheonsa provided impressive backdrops for stylish runway performances, presentations, and an AI-generated campaign film exploring fashion through technology.

On the statement-making move, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced: “By presenting collections at venues that embody Seoul’s diverse identity, we aim to channel the city’s youth, energy, and creativity - where technology and art converge into a distinctly Seoul expression of K-fashion.” It’s safe to say, the past week of cultural fusion and innovation did just that.

Commencing the season in a street steeped in spirit was Andersson Bell. Here, witnesses were treated to a rebellious collection, titled Soft Clash, inspired by the bold, yet quiet colour fields of Mark Rothko as well as popular 90s icons like PJ Harvey and Jarvis Cocker - all while keeping with Korean aesthetics. Imagine colour pairings, layered silhouettes, and deconstructed garments that should break the rules of fashion, but somehow work.

Among the 27 Korean brands were iconic labels JULYCOLUMN, whose collection explored sustainable luxury through organic fabrics, and BONBOM, whose Futuristic Vintage collection was inspired by the French film Plein Soleil (1960).

Simultaneous to the new runway setup, the season also celebrated the debut of Berlin Showroom - curated by Berlin Fashion Week and symbolic of international exchange and cross cultural collaboration. For the first time, 12 Berlin-based emerging designers, including the likes of LEUDER, Gerrit Jacob, and William Fan fused fresh ideas with a distinctly contemporary aesthetic.

Beyond the spectacle of runways and catwalks, the week proved successful for businesses worldwide, drawing in 74 brands, while 20 showroom tours opened the doors of Seongsu, Hannam, and Gangnam to international buyers. While long established as a global fashion business hub, Seoul Fashion Week this year deepened its role in shaping the evolving international dialogue, with bold collections and collaborations amplifying the voice of the city’s forward-thinking designers.

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