Following their path of encouraging the younger generation, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana continue to invest and believe in new talent. They supported Sohee Park, founder and creative director of Miss Sohee, in her international debut at Milan Fashion Week. The new Miss Sohee collection is on view at Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda on Corso Venezia 13.
Both Dolce&Gabbana and Sohee find compatibility in their love for handmade crafts. The tailoring, authentic and unconventional approach of Sohee Park, in harmony with the creative vision of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, made this project possible. Dolce&Gabbana supported Sohee Park in creating the collection and organizing the presentation event.
Sohee Park wanted to share the beauty of Korean folk art as she experienced it: the original inspiration for the collection came from Minhwa, or “people painting”, a traditional art form created mainly by anonymous and untrained artists to emulate the artistic aesthetic of their time in decorating everyday objects. Sohee, especially fascinated by the natural elements painted in Minhwa art, reinterpreted them into tabletop paintings. The designer’s own sketches, translated into Minhwa, were embodied through embroidery, with figures of tigers, magpies, flowers, butterflies, sea waves and mountains, enriched with Swarovski crystals on sculptural and shimmering silhouettes.
The choice of fabrics and colors is an integral part of the visual language. The palette draws inspiration from traditional Korean hues; reds, blues, blacks, whites and golds are everywhere, in a variety of different textures.
In continuity with previous collections, eco-friendly materials have been used. Hansan Mosi from the Hansan region of South Korea is one of the oldest textile materials in the country, included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, recognized for its unique weaving of local hemp. In addition, fabrics from the Dolce&Gabbana archive and plant-based fibers such as pineapple skin and abaca fabric, a material derived from a specimen belonging to the banana tree family, were selected.
Thanks to the support of Dolce&Gabbana ateliers, the designer opened a new direction in accessories by designing and creating bags, shoes and jewelry. The metal pieces were inspired by traditional Korean jewelry and hair accessories. Even the decorative embroidery on the bags includes Minhwa-inspired images of animals, sea waves and flowers. Always fascinated by peonies, Sohee returns to pay homage to this flower, as in Korean folklore it symbolizes wealth and prosperity.
