SeMoCA highlights Korean trailblazers in fashion in latest exhibition

Designer Choi Kyung-ja (1911-2010) was nicknamed the “godmother” of the Korean fashion industry for pioneering fashion education in the country, as well as opening a boutique for women in 1937. During this time, it was rare to find a store that...

Choi Kyung-ja's elegant 1963 red silk evening coat [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

Designer Choi Kyung-ja (1911-2010) was nicknamed the “godmother” of the Korean fashion industry for pioneering fashion education in the country, as well as opening a boutique for women in 1937. During this time, it was rare to find a store that only sold ladies’ apparel. Instead, it was typical for women to shop among small collections that were sold in men’s boutiques.

Nora Noh, 94, hosted Korea’s first-ever fashion show in 1956 and was the first Korean designer to launch a concession in a Macy’s department store in New York in 1974.

André Kim (1935-2010) was the first Korean designer to hold a fashion show in Paris in 1966 and later expanded his shows to many other major cities like New York, Barcelona, Sydney and Beijing.

From a fashion perspective, these designers' legacy of firsts has paved the way for present-day designers, as well as globalized Korean fashion. But when looking at their clothes from an artistic standpoint, it’s their craftsmanship that is worth admiration.

“Second Skin” (2019) by Kim Kye-ok [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

Choi Kyung-ja’s 1963 spaghetti strap crop top and flared skirt, left, and André Kim's 1985 dress ensemble of organza, chiffon and beading. Surrounding the dresses is Kim Kye-ok's "Second Skin" (2019). [SHIN MIN-HEE]

“Crafts in Fashion,” the latest exhibition at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA) in Jongno District, central Seoul, has some 40 pieces from the collections of Choi, Noh and Kim, on display alongside three crafts that were created using similar techniques to those used by the aforementioned designers.

Except for Noh’s pieces, most are owned by SeMoCA.

Rather than emphasizing the accomplishments and major works of the trio, SeMoCA hopes to educate visitors on the craftsmanship of their designs, and “blur the boundaries between fashion and crafts,” the exhibition’s curator Yi Seung-hae said during a press preview on Monday.

Since SeMoCA centers on the art of crafts, the museum chose three contemporary craftspeople to showcase as part of the exhibition. Moon Bo-ri, Cho Ye-ryung and Kim Kye-ok all specialize in fabrics or metal. By allowing visitors to compare and contrast the same techniques that were applied in fashion and crafts, it’s easy to notice how much both genres have in common.

“White toward Metallic Green_Geo” (2022) by Moon Bo-ri [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

Dresses by (from left) André Kim, Nora Noh and Choi Kyung-ja. The middle is Noh’s mint green flared dress from 1959. [SHIN MIN-HEE]

Pleating is one common technique seen in the clothing in the exhibition. Noh’s mint green flared dress from 1959 uses pleats to accentuate volume and prevent the piece from looking flat. The bust area is highlighted by a ribbon.

Moon, one of the craftspeople, used a similar effect with yarn as a metaphor for the complexity of time. She overlapped and weaved pieces together to create a pleated pattern on a canvas. The piece called “White toward Metallic Green_Geo” (2022), also features green and beige gradated effects that was created with acrylic paints. The piece looks different depending on what angle it is viewed from.

Appliqué is another technique seen at the exhibition. Designer Kim, whose famed works were predominantly extravagant evening and wedding gowns, used appliqué techniques, which refer to fastening a cutout decoration to a larger piece of material — another way to give more dimension to an article of clothing.

His black organza evening dress from the 1980s, which is on show, has big, bold white hanja (the Korean name for Chinese characters) letters appliquéd on to it.

“Flowing Moon II” (2018) by Cho Ye-ryung [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

André Kim's black organza evening dress from the 1980s [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

It is displayed side by side with craftsperson Cho’s painted Tyvek installation “Flowing Moon II” (2018). The installation is hung like appliqué for the wall, curator Yi explained.

Tyvek refers to a synthetic high-density polyethylene fiber material that resembles paper.

The final technique introduced by the museum is embroidery, in particular using sequins, buttons and rhinestones. While such embroidery mainly has decorative purposes, it can also function as a way to prevent fabric from fraying.

Designer Choi’s 1963 spaghetti strap crop top and flared skirt both have an extensive number of beads elaborately sewn on to them, and this is likened to craftsperson Kim Kye-ok’s “Second Skin” (2019), which is a giant web-like crochet of thin metallic threads with beads, expressing the “overlapping of old memories.”

The black wool tailcoat paired with a top hat and dress shoes that Korea’s second president Yoon Bo-seon (1897-1990) had worn in the 1960s. [SEOUL MUSEUM OF CRAFT ART]

Some iconic garments to look out for include an elegant 1963 red silk evening coat by Choi, on which she painted nature motifs like the sun, moon and leaves. Another is a black wool jacket and pants from 2000 with pink flower appliqués which were both worn by actor Jang Dong-gun. And at the beginning of the exhibit, there is a black wool tailcoat paired with a top hat and dress shoes that Korea’s second president Yoon Bo-seon (1897-1990) wore in the 1960s.

“Crafts in Fashion” continues until April 2. SeMoCA is open every day except Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibition is free to all.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]