Who?
Blindness, one of the most exciting brands to emerge from South Korea in recent years, are currently riding a wave of international acclaim. Formed by 30-year-olds Shin Kyu Yong and Ji Sun, the brand reached wider attention when they were nominated for last year’s LVMH Prize. Now, they’ve transplanted to London for a season at the invitation of the BFC — one of the few brands joining London’s shrinking menswear scene. But their aesthetic — gender-fluid, avant-garde, sweepingly romantic — fits in perfectly with London’s progressive fashion ethos.
What?
For their debut show outside Korea, Blindness rooted their collection in the power of love, and the vulnerability and emotional chaos that comes with falling head over heels. There were grandiose tulle embellishments and delicate pearl accessories, as well as plays on traditionally feminine silhouettes and Baroque romance and Victorian majesty. The colour palette was dark and muted, with greys, blacks, whites and beiges, except for a floating bright flash of blood red tulle at the end, and some poetic yellow embroidery.
Wow!
What stood out was how incredibly well put-together the collection was. It did exactly what it meant to do, without going too far. There was no extraneous fluff, or half-baked ideas, or looseness of thought. It honed in on an idea, and made the looks work incredibly hard in service of it.
