Korean designers for BMUET(TE) and LIE showed their designs at London Fashion Week and will participate in the Spring Summer 2022 Seoul Fashion Week.
LIE SFW 22 from their film fashion
Seoul Fashion Week will take place from October 7, 2021, until October 16, 2021. This year’s theme will be past-present-future. Each designer will need to incorporate historical aspects that correlate with Korean fashion films shot at famous historical Korean palaces. Each design will creatively highlight Seoul’s history and culture providing a visual experience to viewers and fans.
BMUET(TE) was created by designers Byungmun Seo and Jina Um. Their designs take an unusual approach combining feminine and sophisticated aesthetics with rebellious, deconstruction touches. The incorporation of soft fabrics, silhouettes, and textured details differentiate their designs from other fashion creators. Their pieces have gained much recognition from well-known celebrities such as Justin Bieber, TABOO of Black Eyed Peas, Usher, etc. Recently, K-Pop star KAI (EXO) was announced as the Seoul Fashion Week Global Ambassador and wore BMUET(TE) on the official poster for Seoul Fashion Week.
Byungmun Seo and Jina Um the creators of BMUET (TE)
Chung Chung Lee is the creator of the brand LIE. His parents owned a well-known Korean fashion house called LIE SANGBONG. Growing up, he was surrounded by fashion, watching runway shows, live performances, and artistic stages. Those experiences serve as an inspiration that he will forever remember and cherish. His designs are a modern take on women’s fashion that blends masculine and feminine duality. By combining elements of menswear and womenswear he has created a neutralized fashion line that highlights inclusivity and breaks normalized fashion ideals.
Chung Chung Lee creator of LIE
Both BMUET(TE) and LIE spoke with our correspondent Rebecca Eugene about their designs and how each will incorporate the concepts of time and culture representative of the theme for Spring Summer 2022 Seoul Fashion Week.
BMUET (TE)
The Knockturnal: The 22 Spring/Summer Seoul Fashion Week will include designs that represent Seoul’s past, present, and future. As well as introducing Korean fashion films shot at famous historical Korean palaces. In what ways will your designs represent these 3 concepts of time and culture?
BMUET (TE): We have been based in Seoul since we launched BMUET(TE) and got inspired by many changes and new flows of Seoul from the past to present and also developed the inspiration for Seoul’s future. It has been influential elements for our collection.
The Knockturnal: When including elements such as history and culture, creatively into your designs, what is your creative thought process like?
BMUET (TE): History and culture has always effected many changes in people. We are focusing on the story from the changes every person have different stories and thoughts on history and culture. We like to hear various stories that should be very personal or subjective And then derive the stories into our imagination to develop for our collection.
The Knockturnal: BMUET(TE) is described as a label that is ready-to-wear, rebellious and has a sophisticated aesthetic. How is this represented through your designs? When someone wears your brand what feeling and narrative do you hope to create?
BMUET (TE): Through the collection, We present dramatic silhouette in volume and use soft fabric to develop the shape, and embody feminine details like shirring pleats and also include unusual elements with deconstruction touch in contrast with feminine, softness. We like the contrast as new beauty from unexpected meeting with different elements. People who like our collection should feel about the idea and they want to enjoy the contrasts that show feminine or sophisticated aesthetic in unusual way like rebellious, deconstruction touch.
The Knockturnal: Can you describe the feeling you felt when you saw your designs on the runway at London Fashion Week?
BMUET (TE): Whenever we watch the runway show, we feel some kind of disappointment and satisfaction together as we can see something that need to develop more and also other things that came in better result than we expect. Think it is good way to learn what we need and what we need to develop for next collection
The Knockturnal: After years of developing your Brand, taking part in different Fashion weeks, well-known celebrities wearing your designs and K-Pop super star Kai (EXO) the Seoul Fashion Week Global Ambassador was wearing BMUET(TE) for the official Seoul Fashion Week poster. What sets your designs apart from others within the fashion industry?
BMUET (TE): We think beyond some stereotypical styles and break the rules and then reconstruct elements from the rules or specific styles. It creates new beauty from the unexpected meeting with different elements. We like the process and bring the concept into the collection so that we can focus on our own story. Think It makes our collection different apart from others
The Knockturnal: In 2013 you launched your menswear label called Byungmun Seo. After about 3 years, you created a new label called BMUET(TE) in 2016 and then debuted a women’s wear line in 2017. Are there any other future plans to expand your brand? If so, what can fans and viewers expect to see?
BMUET (TE): We recently launched our second line, named SOUNDS BMUET(TE) it is more contemporary, street-inspired style and younger in lower price category. we hope more young people feel our DNA with the second line, SOUNDS BMUET(TE)
LIE
The Knockturnal: The 22 Spring/Summer Seoul Fashion Week will include designs that represent Seoul’s past, present, and future. As well as introducing Korean fashion films shot at famous historical Korean palaces. In what ways will your designs represent these 3 concepts of time and culture?
LIE: LIE’s Spring Summer 2022 collection begins with the hope and belief that the Covid-19 pandemic will be over and we will go back to our normal life- beautiful times in the past: “belle époque‟- beautiful times in French. I think past, brings the present and the future will be what present made of I believe together can make a brighter future. Dongdaemun is where past meets future which combines historical palaces and one of the most futuristic venues- DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) in Seoul. It was a perfect place to relate my designs which were also inspired by the Belle É poque era which was from the late 19th to the early 20th century, translating the modern beauty and elegance into my imagination about the future of Seoul.
The Knockturnal: When including elements such as history and culture, creatively into your designs, what is your creative thought process like?
LIE: I am a big fan of the history and cultures around it. I usually research certain history timelines (depending on what I am into that time) and go deeper with the art, culture, and movement of that time. It’s a mixed process of taking the elements from the past and transforming them into what’s relevant to me now. In the end, the goal is to create new visual images of the message I want to convey through LIE.
The Knockturnal: The LIE Spring Summer 2022 collection is meant to represent “hope and belief” as we continue our efforts to get past the Covid-19 pandemic. The collection will serve as an attempt to provide a vision of normalcy into individual’s lives. How will this be represented through your designs?
LIE: A vision of normalcy can be varied by people as we are already calling it a “new normal‟ for certain new things but one thing we want to remember is that there’s always tomorrow that can be brighter than today. It was so painful to see people losing their loved ones and of course, business was bad, but I learned how important it is to stay positive and appreciate what I had. If there’s hope, there will be a better tomorrow. Through the collection, I want to tell the same story that there‟s a beautiful future with hope and belief. The ideas are presented with various elements. Voluminous sleeves and soft drapes combined with dynamic cuttings can feel like you are daydreaming. And asymmetrical lines create unique patterns and playful mix-match highlighting LIE‟s sophisticated tailoring. Also, different shades of blue colors were introduced throughout the collection adding energetic movement.
The Knockturnal: Can you describe the feeling you felt when you saw your designs on the runway at London Fashion Week?
LIE: It felt great and brought me a lot of memories. I had a debut fashion show in London for a menswear brand that I started through One’s to Watch at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. I was sad I couldn’t be there for an in-person runway, but it means a lot to me to be returned to London Fashion Week. I truly appreciate this opportunity.
The Knockturnal: Both of your parents founded the legendary Korean fashion house LIE SANGBONG and In 2011 you launched the label LIE. Growing up surrounded by fashion and creativity How much of an impact have your parents played in the creation of your designs and brand?
LIE: I guess I was very lucky to grow up in such a unique environment. I watched my father’s fashion shows since I was 11 years old, and I was fascinated with the runway, live performances (which my father was well known for), and artistic stages as a whole experience of fashion. It was fantastic! They were very busy and worked even on weekends, so their studio was my playground. All the experiences from my special childhood gave me lots of inspiration until now.
The Knockturnal: LIE is described as a modern women‟s lifestyle brand that represents masculine-feminine duality. How do you incorporate the masculine-feminine duality concept into your designs? What sets your designs apart from others within the fashion industry?
LIE: I studied menswear at Central Saint Martins and had debuted as a menswear designer. It’s a kind of natural thing to me. I like to put together different elements from menswear and womenswear to create new a mixture of those. There’s genderless movement and other issues that help us to get out of stereotypes. Everything gets mixed in which reflects the modern lifestyle. I think about individuality a lot lately and how to present “Perfectly Imperfect‟ – the signature statement of LIE. The beauty of not being perfect and the perfection of imperfection. I want to say “it’s okay to be different and confidence is what makes you beautiful‟.
