"In anticipation of the new collections for the FW21 season, we are opening a new season of our blog! In it, you will find stories about new Ukrainian and foreign brands that we will present soon, new interviews with the people of Ohoinka and the heroes of our brands, personal stories from the team, guides, and much more. We will start with one of our favorite topics — Korea. What is the Korean wave, how did Korean brands manage to burst onto the global fashion market without betraying their culture, and what we personally admire about them — all this in the material below."

Korean wave, or hallyu — a concept that characterizes the penetration of South Korean culture far beyond its borders. It is rapidly taking the world by storm on all fronts: the main Oscar award is won by "Parasite," Korean pop groups dominate the charts, and Korean-style clothing is successfully taking root in the conservative microcosm of European fashion. Korean fashion has transformed from a subculture into a full-fledged player in the fashion world, and Seoul has confidently become the unofficial fifth fashion capital. Sometimes even more influential than the other four: Paris, Milan, London, and New York.

Interestingly, despite the tremendous success of Koreans in the world, there isn't much information about them. This is the phenomenon of Korean fashion: everyone knows what it is, yet few truly understand where it came from and what lies behind it. The secrecy of the Korean people and their careful attitude towards their culture have allowed Korean brands to remain under the radar, quite moderately exporting their collections to Europe and the USA. That is why, for example, you are unlikely to find a user-friendly website of a Korean brand in English. The doors to this world barely open for you — and this makes you want to peek inside even more.

Seoul is a multimillion metropolis that not only doesn’t sleep — it doesn’t even blink. People rush to work, the atmosphere of a cyberpunk movie, robots instead of sales consultants, and high-speed train fighters — in this chaos, fashion has found its calm. To balance all the madness around, Korean style retains the most important elements — muted colors and flowing silhouettes, inspired either by national costumes or by a practical desire for freedom of movement. The most complex images sometimes hide in the simplest forms, while excessive detail often only emphasizes the emptiness of the concept.

Refined simplicity is something that many European designers fail to create, but it is in the blood of Koreans.

From the vast variety of Korean brands, we have fallen in love with and brought two: both have been in the wardrobe of every Seoul fashionista for over ten years, but the European public got to know them only a few years ago. The first of them is the Seoul brand Low Classic. In its name, it plays on the contrast of "high" and "low" fashion, defining its main goal — to become a classic of prêt-à-porter fashion. Using minimalism as its ideological foundation, the brand, under the leadership of Myungshin Lee, explores it from a new angle, experimenting with shapes, fabrics, and colors, while never straying beyond the boundaries of classic style. More about the history of the brand's creation can be found in our blog this spring.

New collection Low Classic FW21 is called "Flow" — the designer was inspired by the water surface in its smooth chaos and purity. This collection, like each previous one, focuses on making the pieces a part of your wardrobe for years to come. Durability is of special importance to the Korean brand, as the team adheres to the principles of sustainability — using modern technological fabrics and minimizing waste during production, without compromising on quality.

The second Korean brand that we had chemistry with is — System Studios. We found him in Paris. accidentally, but very soon they were convinced that nothing happens by chance in the world. A year ago, the ‘New Order’ collection was memorable for the guests of Ogońek and the world press. with their punk spirit. In the new FW21 season, the Korean brand returns with the collection 'Odd/Even', which examines two qualities inherent to the brand: originality and departure from the canon (odd) and integrity in the forms of refined style (even).

The collision of two worlds forms the true face of the brand: the frantic rhythm of Korean life, united by deep philosophy and inner order. A contrast that is skillfully emphasized by a bold rethinking of basic things.

System Studios successfully breaks another stereotype that is gradually fading from modern fashion: the clear division between women's and men's clothing. Most of the brand's models look great on both guys and girls: loose silhouettes and a restrained color palette allow for choosing items without checking their gender affiliation. After all, a wardrobe is primarily divided by seasons and events, and only after that into men's and women's. That is why do not be afraid to experiment and combine masculine and feminine pieces.

Fashion should not be complicated — it should be interesting. And the path that brands choose to be interesting to the public is a question of the language of fashion and culture, that is, the "linguistics of style," which we examined with you using the example of Korea.

Hallyu is a symbol that even at a distance, locked inside the country, we can learn about new cultures and try to fit ourselves into our native urban landscape, using the tenets of Korean minimalism. You should try it too — along with Low Classic and System Studios.