Seoul Fashion Week is often the central point where innovation, fashion, and sustainability seamlessly coexist. Held at Seoul’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza, or DDP, the Spring/Summer 2025 shows were presented from September 3 to 7. Lauded as a haven for streetwear and eclectic fashion trends, Seoul has quickly become the spot for up-and-coming Korean brands to come into their own. This year’s show was evident of this, as designers took their own creative spin with avant-garde interpretations of the show’s Sustainability theme. From 3D-printed masterpieces to fresh designers incorporating traditional Korean clothing into more modern silhouettes, Seoul Fashion Week was a vibrant display of the country’s most talented designers.
During this season, Ahhorn, Hannah Shin, L'EAU ET, Cokie, Phenomenonseeper, Cahiers and De Marc were standouts in a bustling season. Mixed with more established names to ones just starting out, Seoul Fashion Week made way for every designer to utilize DDP’s halls to creatively present the essence of their brand. Read below to learn more about these shows.
Ahhorn
Ahhorn, founded by designer Hyein Kim, became a brand intent on showcasing the beauty of Korean culture in every fabric woven in their collections.
Throughout their SS25 collection, comfort was at the forefront, with flowing fabrics that still embodied the intricacies of a Korean hanbok. They incorporated clothing reminiscent of a corporate employee with the nostalgic glamor of traditional, braided hairstyles—like the daenggi-meori. It was a brilliant way of incorporating Ahhorn’s tried-and-true silhouettes with an homage to their roots as a Korean designer.
For instance, one of the highlights of the show was incorporating certain elements of the hanbok on more everyday, wearable pieces. Attached to what looks like an everyday, pastel green halter top and matching skirt is a norigae (a traditional tassel fastened to the hanbok). It was a beautiful celebration of the culture while being one of the most thoughtfully curated collections this season. Clearly a brand to watch, Ahhorn isn’t afraid to meld the worlds of modern boldness with traditional aestheticism. They’re all the better for it.
Hannah Shin
Founded by eponymous designer Hannah Shin, the brand was created as a means of expressing sustainable creativity with a sci-fi twist. Shin often merges the realms of fantasy and reality with designs that are truly out of this world. Take her SS25 collection for instance, where shimmery beading played well with glorious ocean-themed eye makeup (complete with pearls and starfish) meticulously placed on every model. Already a force at Seoul Fashion Week with a highly anticipated collection, Shin’s fans also include K-pop idols like Aespa, who often wear her custom designs.
The central point of the collection was the 3D printed chrome dress, which looked like it was encapsulating its model. Delicately crafted to resemble chromic amoeba fashioned into a gown, the dress’s delicate boning reflecting off of stage lighting was enchanting. It’s only a matter of time before Hannah Shin dominates the fashion world with her innovative designs.
L'EAU ET
In one of the most thoughtfully directed openings to a show this Seoul Fashion Week, L'EAU ET began with designers assembling the complex pieces to the first outfit shown on their runway. The model stood perfectly still as each designer attached a new detail to her outfit—from an extensive train to a billowing skirt, each piece was quickly fastened together for a breathtaking sweep down the runway.
This ignited an avant garde display, experimenting with fabric cuts and girlhood sensibilities. L'EAU ET opted to mix their more coquettish, poofy sleeves and floppy hats with their sensual, sparkling black lace. The show’s models, made to look like they had perfect, glass skin, adorned butterflies in their hair to add to the mysticism of this collection. While more dramatic than their current, conventional offers, this collection’s experimental looks underscored their desire to challenge themselves as a brand.
Cokie
Wook-Il Choi conceived the idea for the brand Cokie while serving mandated service in the South Korean military. After finishing his service and about $200 to his name, fashion school seemed out of reach. Instead, Choi cut his tailoring teeth during the military and used his experience there to engender the structured silhouettes Cokie is widely known for.
Cokie’s show was a thundering display that set the runway ablaze with floor-length leather blazers, wide brimmed hats and fur-lined coats. Despite the color black being the main motif of this season’s show, Cokie still maintained a vibrant showing of their designs with the emphasis on strategic tailoring and the clothing’s form. Every single model walking down the runway looked effortlessly put together. More specifically, Cokie’s standout pieces include their billowing trousers, perfectly tailored with the right amount of bagginess so it looked ethereal as the model walked down the runway. A “model off-duty” look could easily be created with Cokie’s practical pieces that didn’t seem out of reach to the everyday consumer.
Phenomenonseeper
Started as a brand with the intention of creating unisex clothes, Phenomenonseeper has always excelled at crafting clever designs that elevate everyday basics. From adorning traditional ties with intricate beading to breaking up the monotony of pinstripe pants with a clever, flowing skirt attached, Se-hoon Jang’s vision for Phenomenonseeper is truly electric.
Naming their show “Flashland,” the show was initiated by an animated carnival projected on the runway’s walls. The carnival then erupted into bright red, sparkling masses which revolved around the walls as the models walked down the runway. One of the most aesthetically interesting shows this Seoul Fashion Week, it makes sense why it was attended by music stars like Wonho. Jang clearly thought through every aspect of the show, from the exhilarating backdrop making the outfits pop even more to the more minute aspects, like the corseting detail added to a basic button up, Phenomenonseeper excelled in wanting to have fun this season.
Cahiers
With the goal of capturing femininity in timeless pieces, Cahiers took a detour from flowier, European-influenced designs to a more glamorous, sequin-infused collection that added an edge to the brand’s softer ethos.
Creator A-Young Kim clearly had fun with this collection, incorporating ballet dancers throughout the first few minutes to truly put on an interesting show. The layers of the dancers' choice to include bags of all sizes (from the hilariously small, to the most capacious of them all) in this presentation hint at the brand’s evolution into new eras. Vivacious purples mixed with neutral ecrus strive to create a revolving door of elegant pieces that weren’t afraid to play with form-fitting contours. The collection’s sophistication was enhanced with the set’s details, like columns models walked through and the enchanting operatic music playing in the background.
In contrast to their past collections, Cahiers wanted to take risks this season and reimagines the brand as a more ambitious version of itself.
De Marc
Creative director Marc Kang created De Marc with an emphasis on challenging authoritarianism and experimenting with conventional standards in the fashion industry. This was clear in his choice to let his models freestyle dance down the runway for the first few moments of the show. Not only did these elements add an interesting element to break up the monotony that could come about during a fashion week, it was clear that dance and music was a large factor in ensuring his designs came to life.
Created as a love letter to streetwear, De Marc’s offering this season included graffitied-inspired jerseys and cargo pants with camouflage patterns sewn in. Kang played with layered, plaid skirts and incorporated accessories like fishnet, massive, goggle-like sunglasses and elaborate hairstyles and wigs for his models—like a spiked up, orange mohawk to add to the fun frenzy.
All in all, De Marc’s dynamic show underscores a perfect example of where designers can allow for fashion and performance to exist simultaneously.
