Backstage at Fashion Scout: Day One

Exploring the upcoming hair and makeup trends for SS16, Fashion Scout headed backstage to the first shows of the day, Jamie Wei Huang, Angel Chen and Gyo Yuni Kimchoe. With a plethora of emerging beauty trends, beauty sponsors The Body Shop and Toni&Guy created innovative looks to compliment each of the designers' collections.

Jamie Wei Huang and Angel Chen showcased the standout hair trend for SS16, braids. Angel Chen's look kept hair back of the face and textured using label.m Sea Salt Spray, with models wearing intricate braids individually styled to flatter their faces natural contour. Strands of hair were undone to reflect the rebelliousness of the younger generation in the late 1960's USA. Continuing the braided trend, Jamie Wei Huang used two intertwined fishtail plaits created with messy textures for a natural look.

Gyo Yuni Kimchoe created a similarly natural tousled look with a rockabilly inspired twist using label.m Volume Mouse to construct a square quiff. The volumised front of the style lead into a sleek ponytail, emphasisng that updos are in for SS16.

Makeup looks appeared to showcase all or nothing, with Gyo Yuni Kimchoe and Angel Chen displaying bold, rebellious models opposing Jamie Wei Huang's raw, natural look.

Gyo Yuni Kimchoe used The Body Shop Honey Bronze to create a sunkissed base with the Shimmer Block in bronze highlighting the models' features. Eyebrows were filled in with dark mascara with contrasting red and green eyeshadow above the brow line to hint to Native American connotations. Angel Chen also displayed strong brows using transferrable barbed wire tattoos to create a defiant look. Over a matte bronze base, models were adorned with personal transferable tattoos and faux facial piercings, rejecting conformity.

Exhibiting a raw, youthful look, Jamie Wei Huang showcased the SS16 bare faced trend, with sunkissed models adorned with a base of The Body Shop Moisture it and Colour Crush eyeshadow in coconut. The model's flushed appearance was accentuated with a touch of blush to their cheeks.

With contrasting makeup trends and an exciting insight into SS16's updos, Fashion Scout can't wait to see what the talented teams at The Body Shop and label.m Toni&Guy create over the coming days.

Words: Elizabeth Renfrey (@erenfrey)
Images: Maja Jankowska (@babypolsky)
Editor: Fiona Nicholls (@fifinicholls)

COLLECTION | Gyo Yuni Kimchoe

We were blown away this afternoon by the energetic and pumped up show from Gyo Yuni Kimchoe. This emerging label is formed of Gyo Kim from Central St.Martins and Yuni Choe from Ravensbourne. The twosome put on a spectacular show with an incredible ethical and sustainable collection to go with it.

Gyo Yuni Kimchoe were inspired by ‘the concept of travel into space and virtual worlds, combined with the Mongolian Shamans’, coming up with the show title ‘The Thanatos Expedition’. After witnessing the first look strut down the runway it was obvious space and astronauts were coming to mind during the design process, this is also probably because the model was wearing a space helmet. I also think the designers were influenced by Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel due to the tweed looks and long coat and trouser combinations.

As the show went on the looks got more and more exciting by adding fringes, fur and braids to the tweed pieces. This was the tribal theme slowly making appearances throughout the show; this made smart pieces from the collection look more rough, edgy and different. However we did get to see some outfits including faux leather panels that were a lot more sophisticated making the collection appeal to all kinds of audience members. The colour palette was mainly silver and black sparkly tweed but with pops of colour from the thick fringing used and the models bright smoky eyes.

The finale of the show consisted of ‘Black Skinhead’ by Kanye West blasting in the background along with all of the models in the amazing pieces sporting Gyo Yuni Kimchoe branded space beanies. I think it is safe to say the whole audience now want to take a trip to Space!

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BACKSTAGE | Gyo Yuni Kimchoe

Fantastic backstage fun at Gyo Yuni Kimchoe! #FashionScoutAW15 

Gyo Yuno Kimchoe for FashionScoutAW15!

Fashion Scout AW15 are thrilled to welcome Gyo Yuno Kimchoe, the eponymous label of designer duo Gyo Kim and Yuni Choe, originating in South Korea.

Having graduated from Central St Martins' & Ravensbourne, the pair went on to show their first collection during Fashion Scout SS15, winning the prestigious Merit Award.

We can't wait to see what AW15 has in store for the duo! This February 20^th - 24^th at The Freemasons Hall, Covent Garden!

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Paris Showroom | Spotlight on Texture

In the Fashion Scout showroom, designers are playing with textures to inject spice to classic shapes - the more playful the better. 

LULU LIU

Chinese born, London based Lulu Liu is now in her fifth season. SS15's collection features weaving, slicing and tearing of fabrics to create layers and textures. 

What is this collection about?

This collection is inspired by English vintage toys and cars. A child’s toys are a very personal thing and bring back a lot of childhood memories. The colours of vintage toys are very English and transmit the culture. I also am obsessed with graphics so my prints are inspired by original and traditional writing –the woodblock type font- as opposed to computer-processed graphics. This season I have also used a lot of lines – not necessarily straight, they can be curved and so on – to shape the silhouettes. I love how the lines can be used to create a body shape and how this changes when reacting with the environment (the wind, the street).

Where do you get your fabrics and where do you produce your collections?

I get my fabrics from Korea and the UK and I produce my clothes in China and the UK. When I use silk it is 100% silk. I want to use very good quality fabrics that are soft and flexible. I want them to be very comfortable to wear.

Do you focus more on the texture of your collection or the prints.

Both. We develop the print and the shape of the collections at the same time. I give everything equal importance; shape, cut, texture, print and so on.

GYO YUNI KIMCHOE

The amazingly talented Gyo Kim and Yuni Cho are the duo that form Gyo Yuni Kimchoe, SS15 prestigious Merit Award winners. Their debut collection is an outstanding show of cut, colour selection and playful textures. 

What is the story of this collection?

The statement of this collection is anti-war. Right now there are too many conflicts and wars in the world. We use a gardener as a metaphor of army soldiers. So the gardener will kill and remove the weeds like the soldiers will kill their enemies. However, our gardener will plant, grow and protect the weeds and our soldier will protect their enemy. This is why the collection is called “Weed, Gardener, Corps”. We have given military gears a twist with gardener looks.

Is the texture of your garments an important factor for your collections?

Yes, we give more emphasis on texture, silhouette and cut rather than prints.

Who do you design for?

Someone who has a very unique personality and who cares about the world.

If you could describe your brand in 3 words which ones would you use?

Sustainability (an eco-friendly new fashion but from a different perspective; care about the world’s social issues), Quirky and Fun 

The designers collections will be on display today and tomorrow in the Fashion Scout Paris Showroom, 23 Rue Du Roi De Sicile, 75004. Opening Hours: Monday 10.00 - 19.00, Tuesday 10.00 - 17.00. 

INTERVIEW| Merit Award Winner Gyo Yuni Kimchoe SS15

Gyo Kim and Yuni Choe are the Korean-born designers behind Gyo Yuni KimChoe, an environmentally inspired label with a philosophy of ‘respect life and nature’. Catching them backstage after their SS15 Merit Award Winner show, Fashion Scout hear about their new vision for sustainable fashion, without organic cotton. 

Are you happy with your collection and the way it was received?

Yes, so much! It’s so emotional, we cannot believe it’s on the catwalk. It’s a really amazing experience. We wanted to talk about good things, social issues and environmental issues, to reflect that. It was such an amazing chance and opportunity to show what we wanted to talk about.

What was your inspiration behind this collection?

We wanted to talk about war and conflict going on right now in the world. We used the gardener as a metaphor - a gardener usually kills weeds, just like the army soldier kills their enemies. Instead, we imagined a gardener who goes and plants weeds, like an army soldier who goes and looks after his enemies.

Are you aiming to design for a new kind of sustainable woman?

Yes, we always wanted to find a new sort of woman who was very strong and unique woman who cares about the world, nature and life.

Do you think your take on environmental fashion is different from other designers?

Yes, it’s totally different. We don’t necessarily always use natural cotton. We don’t use leather and fur, but the most important issue is that even though you can use natural cotton. It still has a bad impact on nature. We thought differently and wanted to narrow our focus, and hope that showing something good for the environment can change people’s minds.

Have you always designed together?

Yes. We’ve been together for almost seven years now, after meeting in New York City. We moved to London together, and then we started designing together.

Does London give you a chance to express your creativity more than New York?

Yes, I think so. It’s a difficult question, but I think New York is more commercial maybe, with a bigger market. But London offers great opportunities for younger designers to show their creativity and vision.

How do you feel about Fashion Scout as a platform?

It’s such an amazing platform for designers like us, young designers. We don’t really have a chance otherwise. So many designers want to say something and they want to show their vision. There are so many creative designers out there. It’s such an amazing experience for us to show as Merit Award winners.

By Isabella Silvers, Contributor, (@izzymks).
Photo by Elizabeth Hodston

COLLECTION| Merit Award Winner Gyo Yuni KimChoe SS15

A classic white catwalk provided a blank canvas for Gyo Yuni KimChoe’s SS15 show - a tough utilitarian collection with blooms of khaki and iris-indigo florals. With a front row of press and buyers, not to mention bespoke Colin Leslie sunglasses in the goodie bags, this season’s Merit Award winner, Gyo Yuni KimChoe, opted for a gardening-inspired urban uniform, including epaulette, button and fabric strip detailing.

Born in Korea, meeting in New York and eventually moving to London, the design duo, who are also in a relationship, showed a series of terracotta, khaki, coal and sky blue military inspired culottes, wide leg trousers and hooded parkas, complete with multiple pockets, cross-over back straps and apron ties. Buttoned neck collars were paired with simple white shirts, re-imagined macs and shirt dresses. Ruffled sprigs of khaki material, when seen a little closer, are actually floral, and add shape to shoulders and hips. These puckered floral strips provide an explosion of delicacy to an otherwise sturdy collection.

Towards the end of the show, models emerged enveloped in hooded parka-esque cocoon coats, loaded with drawstring toggles and trailing floral fabric strips. A touch of army camouflage, Gyo Yuni KimChoe built on their philosophy of ‘respect life and nature’, drawing inspiration from both military armies and the metaphorical war a gardener wages on backyard weeds. Models carried guns entwined with greenery, while foliage sprung from practical wellington boots and Crocs. The KimChoe woman is clearly strong, and doesn’t stop her ethical conscience shining through the functional, fashion forward pieces.

The Merit Award, judged by the prestigious panel of Hilary Alexander, Rebekah Roy and Phoebe English, a previous Merit Award winner herself, attracts scores of fashion buyers and press. With this collection, Gyo Yuni KimChoe have more than proved themselves deserving of this influential title.

By Isabella Silvers, Contributor, (@izzymks).

Photos by Florian Schadauer.