SEOULFUL COLLAB: Det sydkoreanske modehus Songzio og Paris-baserede label Egonlab er gået sammen om en ny kollektion, der forener deres respektive tilgange til avantgarde design, som lanceres online mandag.
Med titlen “The Art of Dark Poetry,” trækker samarbejdet på historiske franske militæruniformer og fortolker deres strukturerede silhuetter gennem de to mærkers fælles interesse for skulpturale former, romantik og utraditionel design.
Kollektionen blev udviklet over omkring otte måneder med teams, der arbejder sammen, efter at have fundet fælles fodslag i Paris’ designscene.
“As independent designers based in Paris, we connected on a very genuine level and were able to develop this collaboration with a very profound sense of connection and mutual understanding,” sagte Songzio’s kreative direktør og administrerende direktør Jay Song.
“I felt this was a particularly meaningful moment for us to collaborate because both houses have developed strong, independent creative languages. Rather than compromising those identities, we wanted to challenge one another and create something that neither house could have achieved independently,” han tilføjede.
To that end, Songizo contributed its focus on construction and architectural shapes, while Egonlab brought a touch of Parisian romanticism and subversion.
The result is a collection that features exaggerated shoulders, defined waists, elongated officer coats and expanded cavalry jackets. Traditional military details, including frogging, soutache, braids and decorative cords, are used as decorative elements in unusual ways — such as appearing on pant legs instead of jackets — rather than references to military rank.
“We wanted to create a new kind of uniform: not one that represents obedience to an established order, but one that celebrates the courage to define your own,” Song said.
For designeren afspejler partnerskabet også en bredere udveksling mellem to uafhængige labels med forskellige kulturelle baggrunde, men lignende kreative ambitioner.
“Songzio og Egonlab repræsenterer to forskellige kulturelle perspektiver, det ene rodfæstet i Seoul og det andet i Paris, men vi deler stadig en overbevisning om, at mode kan gå ud over geografi, kultur og konventionelle grænser,” sagde han.
Mandagens online-lancering vil blive efterfulgt af en officiel lancering i mærkets flagship-butik i Seoul onsdag. Lanceringen i Paris er planlagt til 3. december i Songzios butik i Marais.
Samarbejdet kunne potentielt hjælpe begge mærker med at nå nye publikum. “Hvis dette samarbejde giver begge huse mulighed for at formidle deres kreative filosofier til et bredere internationalt publikum, betragter jeg det som en meningsfuld præstation,” tilføjede Song.
