Carrying with her 16 looks crafted in her London atelier this February, Sohee Park made her fashion week debut in Milan. Not just on any stage, but under the magnificent chandeliers at Corso Venezia 13 — Dolce and Gabbana’s Saloni Alta Sartoria, the Italian fashion giant’s lavish haute couture salon.
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Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s Alta Moda premises became Park’s canvas, on which she painted an exquisite ode to tradition and haute craftsmanship. Voluminous gowns and sweeping capes came in striking hues of red, blue and purple; whilst sculptural headpieces dazzled alongside a fantastical kaleidoscope of florals, magpies, waves and mountains, all intricately embroidered and hand-embellished with Swarovski crystals.
This week, the designer’s floral adorned dress train swept across New York’s most iconic stairs: the Met steps. American model Taylor Hill and American actress Chloe Fineman wore Park’s designs at the 2022 Met Gala, marking another glamorous debut for the designer on the global stage.
Taylor Hill attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" wearing Miss Sohee
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images
Chloe Fineman attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" wearing Miss Sohee
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Raised in Seoul, Park grew up surrounded by vibrant imagery of animals and nature conjured by the hands of her mother, a children’s book illustrator, whose influence the designer cites in her discovery of fashion’s imaginative possibilities. Soon, Park plucked up the courage to move to London, where she pursued her studies at the prestigious Central Saint Martins and eventually launched her eponymous label Miss Sohee.
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Despite being halfway across the world from home, Park found herself exploring her roots through her work. Her childhood days spent by her late grandmother’s seaside abode in Jeju province were brought back to life through the shimmering shell capelets and luxe velvet ensembles of her AW21 collection “Haenyeo”, an homage to memories of a female diving tradition Park holds dear.
“Having been raised in cities my whole life, every visit to my grandmother’s was an adventure, complete escapism,” Park recalls fondly.
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“I visited Jeju island often and was very intrigued by the old female divers in the island that harvest shellfish from the sea. They are called “haenyeo” also known as the ‘sea women’. The first time I encountered a haenyeo, she was coming back to shore in a black scuba diving suit, holding her net full of treasures from the ocean. I was very inspired by their way of living in harmony with the sea by taking only what’s necessary from it.”
Tradition is important to Park, evident from her latest presentation with Dolce and Gabbana comprising colourful pieces inspired by Korean folk art, “Minhwa”.
“I think it is important for young designers to appreciate and value tradition. My heritage will always remain a part of my DNA and identity as a designer, no matter where I take my future inspirations from.”
After her jaw-dropping Milan Fashion Week debut, Vogue Hong Kong caught up with Park on her collaboration with Dolce and Gabbana, the beauty of Minhwa and how she finds new ways to work with sustainable materials.
Congratulations on your collection with Dolce & Gabbana! How do you feel?
I have always been enthralled by Dolce and Gabbana haute couture, so I was really excited when they reached out for a collaboration. I was aware of their previous collaborations with young designers and I felt extremely lucky and grateful to be given the support and opportunity.
Where did you take your inspiration from for this collaborative collection?
I was inspired by the details and bold colours of traditional Korean folk art “Minhwa”, which translates to “painting of the people”. I really wanted to explore and show the beauty of Minhwa as I experienced it. They were painted by unknown and anonymous artists, mostly untrained locals, who told their life stories through these paintings. Elements and motifs such as tigers, magpies, butterflies, sea waves, the sun, the moon, mountains and flowers are often seen throughout Minhwa, which I translated into embroidery on big sculptural silhouettes.
How would you say your technique differentiates from other couturiers?
I think the fact that I was never officially trained as a couturier led me to be innovative with my techniques and find my own unique ways to create. At Central St Martins, I was given the guidance to explore the most extreme version of myself. I was always hungry to learn new things and spent a lot of time watching Youtube tutorials of old ladies sewing and embroidering.
You’ve crafted your past designs from sustainable materials such as recycled crystals and deadstock fabrics — are there any sustainable elements you are incorporating into your collaborative collection with D&G?
With each collection, I try to push myself to find new ways to work with sustainable materials. This season, we used Abaca fabric sourced from the same banana tree family we utilised last season and teamed up with the Alta Moda team at Dolce and Gabbana to create beautiful shoes from pineapple leather. We also used Hansan Mosi from the Hansan region of South Korea. Recognised for its unique weaving, it is one of the country’s oldest textiles and it is inscribed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. It is made from locally sourced Ramie. In addition, the collection was made from mostly upcycled fabrics used from the Dolce & Gabbana archive.
Were there any challenges you faced while collaborating with D&G under the pandemic?
I believe one of the biggest lessons we have all taken away from this pandemic is that we can create amazing things and collaborate with others even if it isn’t IRL. Domenico and Stefano gave me complete freedom to create my collection and realise my vision. We were very fortunate to be able to have several meetings face to face as well as working remotely, and the pieces were designed and created in our London atelier.
What’s next? Are you working on any personal projects at the moment?
I’m working on a collaborative project now that I’m really excited to be a part of. It is in a male dominated space so I’m very excited that they have asked me to come on board. Unfortunately, it won’t be announced until early next year, but I can’t wait to share it.
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Your designs have already been worn by the likes of Blackpink’s Lisa, Gemma Chan, Cardi B and Miley Cyrus — who would you like to dress next?
Women from all over the world! I’ve been lucky enough to dress some strong, inspiring women at the forefront of their respective fields who use their influence to create positive change — I hope to continue to work with women like them.
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What is one advice you would give to aspiring fashion designers?
I feel incredibly humbled that any aspiring designer would ask me for advice as I still feel like an aspiring designer myself! I think the biggest lesson I’ve learnt throughout my whole career so far is that hard work and dedication really pay off…if you work hard and give it your everything, your hard work will always, always pay off.
Editor
Kaitlyn LaiCredit
Lead Image: Courtesy of Sohee Park and Dolce & Gabbana
