Rok Hwang continued his search for perfection in imperfection with a fall 2024 lineup that saw the juxtaposition between a modern deconstructed take on wardrobe staples and historical references from the High Renaissance and Romanticism eras.
“The Renaissance was about pursuing the perfect body shape, which represents perfection for me. While Romanticism is about being imperfect. I think the clashes between the two can bring something sharp. I thought that was the idea of beauty with this collection,” Hwang said backstage.
The designer said it was also about setting himself free from the rules of the past, as he reconfigured a wealth of vintage pieces he collected to find the right combinations fit for today’s fashion conversation.
“I love working on the patterns. For example, I would have a Victorian dress under a slashed-up sartorial jacket,” he said.
One thing notable was a smaller presence of trenchcoats — an archetype of his designer language — repurposed or disguised as something else this time. Hwang adopted his modular fashion concept to a wider range of textiles like denim, velvet and knits to conjure up propositions that makes a fashion feast.
These new iterations felt refreshing compared to his previous, more rigorous approach to products. The ruched velvet dresses, pleated skirt-trouser hybrid, zigzag pattern knits and zipped bombers were standouts and required less of a uniform scenario to wear them, which means a wider reach.
The show saw the debut of a footwear collaboration with Phileo, a brand under the Dover Street Market Paris umbrella. It’s a square-toe loafer inspired by a ballerina shoe. Coming with a puffy tongue and a staple belt detail, the style is available in the colors tofu, shitake and black.
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