Fashion Dreams of Tomorrow as Art, Crypto, and Style Collide in Seoul

Unhealthy World is an occasional column by Toni Thai Sterrett, a filmmaker, futurist, and founder targeted on the intersection of style and expertise.

Seoul, South Korea is not only a vibe—it is a lesson.

In an period wherein inflation is skyrocketing and international unrest is palpable, there is a sense of ease in embracing minimalism, a lesson we’d need to borrow from Seoul’s style scene.

In September, I traveled to South Korea to have interaction in a hearth chat about the way forward for style on the Avalanche Home alongside Professional CEO Calvin Chan, moderated by Tiffany Lai of Ava Labs. The occasion occurred throughout some of the thrilling weeks in Seoul with native tradition occasions colliding, together with Seoul Style Week, Seoul Artwork Week, and Korea Blockchain Week. The town was pulsing with a vibrant mixture of style, artwork, and tech.

One revelation? Seoul’s style is not about extravagance—it is about essence. Amidst the chaos of rising costs and uncertainty in a lot of the world, Seoul’s elegant restraint in style affords an antidote. It suggests a way of life not dictated by extra, however by significant selection.

Sidenote: One among my largest takeaways was that Seoul doesn’t have a “dangerous bitch tradition” aka Instagram mannequin type (lashes and body-conscious clothes). Positive, up to now, ladies in excessive footwear was the norm, however to see an embrace of comfy footwear—largely sneakers on the overwhelming majority of girls, no matter age—was thrilling and reaffirming. My very own toes, post-Covid, aren’t that enthusiastic about stilettos.

Having at all times appreciated daring and edgy types, it was eye-opening to see Korean ladies embracing loose-fitting clothes not simply as a style assertion, however as an embodiment of consolation, operate, and elegance.

In every single place I appeared, from the airplane to the streets, there was one thing particular about diving right into a tradition that embraces modesty and luxurious style on the similar time, and the place modesty doesn’t really feel stuffy or intentional. It felt… cool. And it radiated a confidence that was fairly horny—as a result of confidence and being comfy in your personal pores and skin may be very, naturally horny. It’s a stunning distinction to Ok-Pop type/style that’s exploded within the West, unassumingly placing a capital Q in “Quiet Luxurious.”

What actually resonated with me was the dominance of monochrome outfits. With a palette primarily revolving round black, white, grey, and cream, Seoul’s style scene exudes a way of calm and stability—one thing we desperately want in these turbulent instances.

Whereas I’ll let the specialists delve deep into Seoul Style Week’s nuances, what was noticeable to me was how the Seoul Artwork Week—which included Frieze Seoul—appeared to embrace the intersection of style, expertise, and artwork extra robustly than the Style Week organizers.

That’s in all probability why opinions like Vogue Enterprise’ “How Frieze Seoul left town’s style week within the mud” have been shaped. That’s very true given South Korea’s embrace of rising applied sciences like AI and blockchain. Frieze Seoul is actually the place all of these worlds collided. This synthesis of disciplines at occasions like Frieze Seoul signifies a pivot in direction of innovation in a continuously evolving world.

Contemplate the sponsorships at Frieze—from Chanel’s art-fusion movies to W Idea’s modern lounges, and BMW’s breathtaking AI Canvas vehicles. These collaborations aren’t mere advertising and marketing methods; they’re testaments to the limitless prospects when style, artwork, and expertise converge.

And that is the place the world, grappling with financial and societal challenges, can take a cue. It’s not about amount anymore—it’s about high quality. It’s about leveraging expertise, like 3D printers, AR, and AI, to interrupt free from the normal confines of consumerism. And it is about reimagining consumption, not as an act of buying however as an artwork of discerning.

So, whereas I’m not saying we should always all undertake the South Korean wardrobe—although, belief me, it is tempting—there’s an simple knowledge of their strategy. In these instances of inflation and unrest, the fusion of modesty, expertise, and sustainability can information us in direction of a extra harmonious and aware existence.

In spite of everything, is not that the final word “dangerous bitch” transfer?