Seoul City, Expansion of 'Off Show' Boosts Fashion Festival Atmosphere

Seoul announced the activation of the 'Off Show' system during 'Seoul Fashion Week' to energize fashion shows by designers of various styles.

The 2024 F/W Seoul Fashion Week was held from February 1 (Thursday) to February 5 (Monday) at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and Seongsu S-Factory, featuring 21 domestic designer brands' fashion shows and the largest fashion order trade show in Korea.

'Off Show' refers to fashion shows conducted by individual designers at external locations, with Seoul supporting through Seoul Fashion Week's promotional channels and domestic and international media publicity. It's a program set up to enjoy various brands' fashion shows during Seoul Fashion Week, apart from 'designers supported by Seoul Fashion Week'. Fashion shows and various fashion-related events are simultaneously held throughout cities other than the main venue during Fashion Week abroad, immersing the entire city in a festive fashion atmosphere.

This year's 'Off Show' featured a total of three brands (Caruso, Slingstone, JOHN&3:21) conducting fashion shows at locations other than DDP and Seongsu S-Factory during the Seoul Fashion Week period. Seoul Fashion Week had solicited participating brands under the name of 'Off Show' from November 20 last year to December 28.

First, the stage for Jang Kwang Hyo, the first men's clothing designer in South Korea and a living legend of men's collections, was held on February 1 (Thursday) at the DDP Fashion Mall. Since establishing the brand 'Caruso' in 1987 and hosting the first men's collection in Korea to commemorate the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he has remained actively engaged and unveiled a collection themed for this season.

Having walked the path of a designer for 40 years, Jang Kwang Hyo expressed, "Every season, I try to convey the joy I feel with each piece of the collection." He added, "This season too, I aimed to fill all 35 outfits with happy energy to reward everyone attending the show." He also mentioned the need for creative efforts in finding various venues to successfully present collections from a mature designer's perspective.

Designer Park Jong Chul's Slingstone presented a collection under this season's concept at 'Vintage House' in Seongsu on February 2 (Friday), reinterpreting the spirit of resistance for freedom and the clothing of that time into a vibrant urban sensibility. Park Jong Chul said, "Using black and white monochrome colors, I aimed to reincarnate the vintage mood of the 1950s to 70s into a modern sensibility," and explained that he intended to create Slingstone's unique atmosphere with dramatic and romantic staging, including artificial snow falling on the runway and utilizing jazz piano melodies.

Lastly, 'JOHN&3:21' led by designer Yoon Jong Gyu showcased their stage at 'H D Complex Cultural Space (Mapo-gu Urimadang-ro 68)' in Hongdae. On February 2 (Friday), the 2024 FW collection of 'JOHN&3:21' was introduced under the theme, starting from concerns about environmental issues. Yoon Jong Gyu continues to ponder the method of making clothes based on the philosophy of living with nature. He aims to create new works using samples consumed in making one piece of clothing, revealing 'JOHN&3:21's thoughts on sustainable design to the public.

Kwon So Hyun, the head of Seoul City's Beauty and Fashion Industry Department, said, "This year's Seoul Fashion Week Off Show saw more designers participating than in previous seasons, allowing for the presentation of higher-quality collections. We hope that in the future, companies and capable designers will join the Off Show program, unfolding fashion shows of various charms in various places throughout Seoul."