Fashion can be a curious thing. Some designers storm on the scene and burst with talent, make an immediate statement and then fade away season after season except for the super talents like JW Anderson or Jacquemus in the last decade. Then there are the ones who show season after season and simply get better bit by bit under fashion’s radar. The South Korean designer Rok Hwang belongs to this category. He established his label in 2017 and was quickly recognized for his talent as a winner of the LVMH prize for special talent in 2018 for his classic aesthetic. His focus has always been the wardrobe and pieces whose biggest quality are timelessness and proper construction and not fashion fireworks. Working between his studios in London, Paris and Seoul with manufacturing mostly in Portugal, Italy and even South Korea he had an impressive show yesterday which shone with elegance and subtlety where all the pieces seem to be part of a giant closet – adaptable in every way. He is also one of the leading lights of South Korean designers who make a serious name for themselves in Paris along with Juun.J.
The Rokh look
Subliminal elegance
The silhouette?
Rokh stands for a long, often floor sweeping shape, which is multilayered with parts of a pleated skirt over a pair of pants and a dress top anchored by a big coat often worn hanging loosely over the shoulder. There are stiff fabrics like cotton twill and gabardine to further underline the tactileness of the clothes.
Floor sweeping silhouettes
Rokh puts focus on fabric
Layered styling
Off-shoulder hanging coats
The structure?
Hwang has a way of belting his pieces. In fact he uses them as accessories to hold his shapes around the waist often using two.
Double belting
Hwang uses belts to structure looks
The deconstruction?
Backstage he described himself as an art student walking through a city at night to find his ideas. So a trench coat is cut in two pieces and the lower half used as skirting while the top part is used as a dress with a plunging neckline.
Trench deconstruction
Rok Hwang after his S/S 2024 show
