July 31, 2023 |
Gourde gowns in silver and gold, lace drapery and sculptural wiring; Jisoo Baik’s debut couture collection was a diaphanous, postmodern fantasy. Shown in Paris, where the designer is based, every thread and wire fitted explored the changing nature of beauty, gestures and silhouettes, throughout the ages.
Inspired by her mother, an artist, who would spend hours and hours drawing while Baik was growing up, the designer was always immersed in art and creation, and in school, she would try to style her friends: “Then I saw one video from an Alexander McQueen show in 1990, I was really shocked. It was special, but also really cultural and it really inspired me. That’s when I decided I wanted to do fashion.” Now, Baik is a South Korean couturier forging her own path forward in the industry sector typically regarded as exceptionally exclusive.
Having graduated from Central Saint Martins, with a masters degree from the Institut Français de la Mode to top it off, Baik and her plans for the future, are rather audacious. Her time at CSM cultivated her creativity and willingness to experiment, whereas IFM was an education in industry expertise and the ins and outs of the business. Not to mention, Baik has cut her teeth at industry-leading labels like Balenciaga, Mugler and Saint Laurent. At each, she perfected her skills, especially a haute couture caliber of drapery. It was always her dream to launch her own label, and with her own name, but Baik knew that she needed to “work at a big house” and get a feel for “how everything works” first. It was those experiences that provided her with the gusto to go it alone.
Prior even to her debut show, Baik had garnered praise from a host of super-starlets like Ariana Grande and Björk. The latter wore one of her opulent designs on the cover of her Fossora album last year.
Baik describes her designs as “modern twisted” and “new couture” that breaks away from the rigid rules of traditional couture. “My style is more architectural; rounding the body and shaping things in a classical way that is also quite experimental,” she explains. Her elaborate designs are certainly more avant-garde than something you can wear to the supermarket, but that sentiment comes to life through wire sculpting, Baik’s uniquely developed, signature technique.
Looking at old couture collections from the 1940s and ‘60s specifically, Baik’s own interpretation of shape, silhouette and technique began to form. Other points of references for the designer were daily objects like ashtrays and candle holders, or the pretty lace protective food coverings used throughout her childhood.
Her debut couture collection included a short, golden gown with a beefy three dimensional bust and a slinky silver sweetheart dress with piles of fabric pooling around the waist. The golden ensemble was a challenge to construct, technically speaking, with Baik trying to determine the best way to keep it protruding out from the body and framing it without a crinoline or complex wiring system to maintain its volume. As for the fabrics? It was all about texture. “I use lace and silk, and when I choose the fabric it really depends on how it feels,” she explains. Slinky materials were juxtaposed by sturdy ones and experimental silhouettes flaunted a seamless approach to lacy fabrications. Splendid.
Photography courtesy of Jisoo Baik.
