Fashion with Seoul

They’ve dressed Lady Gaga and their quirky designs have featured in Vogue, Elle and Dazed and Confused.

Now Korea’s talented young designers have ensured that the Korean Wave has hit British shores after clinching the Emerging Talent Award at London Fashion Week.

Presented by the British Fashion Council and the British Council, the award attracted 80 designers from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific who had their work displayed at 19 embassies and cultural institutes as part in the inaugural International Fashion Showcase.

Korea’s installation, A New Space Around The Body, was universally popular with the panel of judges. Its witty, playful and colour-charged pieces combined modern and traditional with unexpected textures. In a nod to the 2012 Olympics, one design used the number 88 with graffiti-type patterns linking the Seoul and London Olympics.

Delighted by the accolade, Yonggi Won, Director of the KCCUK said: “Korean Fashion is an important part of the Korean Wave that is spreading across the globe. We are fortunate to have such a strong pool of talent.”

The British fashion schools could take pride in the fact many of the entrants were trained in Britain at Central Saint Martins and the London College of Fashion.

Throughout London Fashion Week, London’s cultural institutes opened their doors to visitors who were given a ‘fashion passport’ and received stamps from each centre. A prize was awarded to the most “intrepid explorer” who gathered the most stamps.

Other missions participating included Australia, Belgium, Botswana, the Caribbean, China, Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Nigeria, The Philippines, Poland, Romania, Sierra Leone, the United States and Uzbekistan.

For information visit www.britishfashion council.com/ internationalfashionshowcase