2019 Seoul 365 Fashion Show kicks off

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sun, December 3, 2023 | 19:33

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2019 Seoul 365 Fashion Show kicks off

Posted : 2019-04-17 10:33

Updated : 2019-04-17 18:54

Models donning Bowlloon's spring collection walk down the street next to Deoksu Palace walls as part of Seoul 365 Fashion Show, Monday. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

500 fashion shows planned at Seoul landmarks this year

By Lee Suh-yoon

Seoul 365 Fashion Show is back.

Launched in 2016, the city-run street fashion show aims to unearth promising new designers and provide them a platform to break into new market channels. This year, the city plans to expand the project's scale and run 500 different fashion shows around the city. Last year, a total of 99 fashion shows were held at Seoullo 7017, Gwanghwamun Square and Seoul Museum of Art, attracting about 11,700 viewers.

This year's first show took place at Seoul Plaza, downtown Seoul, Monday.

Bowlloon, a small one-person designer brand that has been around for six months, showcased its spring casual collection at makeshift runways set up near City Hall. Models strutted down Seoul Plaza, Deoksu Palace walkway, the new Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture and finally in front of the D-Tower and Gwanghwamun Square from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., attracting lunchtime crowds.

"It was better than I expected, lots of people stopped to watch," Bowlloon's designer Kim Ha-neul told The Korea Times after the show. "I can't wait for the next show in Sinchon on Thursday, where there will be more young people."

PR and marketing is the weakest point for new one-person brands, Kim says. Based at a workshop in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, Kim has so far relied on her Instagram account to market her brand to the public.

"The Seoul 365 Fashion Show is a big help in terms of advertising for my brand. It doesn't carry the big cost burdens associated with renting out a showroom either," Kim said.

Seoul 365 Fashion Show last year at Gwanghwamun Square / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

"We do the industry research and monitor the activities of new designers. We also take nominations from industry experts and choose participants after discussions with a partner event-organizing firm," Ha Hye-jung, a city official in charge of the project, said.

For a month, the chosen designer will run their collections three times a week at different locations. The street fashion shows start at noon every Monday at Seoul Plaza and every Thursday in front of Sinchon U-plex mall. On Saturdays, the fashion show will be held at 6 p.m. on a makeshift runway covering Cheonggye Stream under Ogan Bridge near Dongdaemun, followed by a 6:30 p.m. show in front of Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

In May, two brands that were included in recent Seoul Fashion Week events after starring in last year's Seoul 365 Fashion Shows ― ManG and DOUCAN ― will be back. ManG incorporates graffiti into its clothing designs, while DOUCAN is known for transferring the designer's own paintings onto its apparel.

Seoul 365 Fashion Show last year at Seoul Museum of Art / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

The main beneficiary of the fashion show, however, is Seoul residents, according to Ha.

"One of the main aims of this project is giving Seoul residents a chance to enjoy fashion shows without visiting runway showrooms," Ha said.

Apart from the regular street fashion shows every week, the city will host big names in the fashion industry at landmark sites once a month. Well-known Korean designer Lie Sang-bong will showcase a collection titled "Soar" outdoors at Sebitseom along the banks of the Han River next Wednesday. Kim Seo-ryong, a regular at Seoul Fashion Week who designed a BTS member's custom suit for the Grammy Awards this year, will feature at the following event in May.

For more information, visit http://seoul365fashion.kr.

sylee@koreatimes.co.kr

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