EXCLUSIVE: 'Asia is the future', Karl Lagerfeld says as Chanel holds Korea show
German designer's fondness for Korea runs deep, and Chanel's recent cruise show in the South Korean capital is just the first step
It was a vision of the future in more ways than one. Within the grand arching curves of Zaha Hadid's Dongdaemun Design Plaza building in the centre of Seoul, the likes of supermodel Gisele Bundchen (who recently retired from the runway), actors Tilda Swinton, Kristen Stewart and Gaspard Ulliel, K-pop titans G-Dragon and Taeyang gathered with VIPs for Chanel's cruise show.
The runway set-up reminded us of a child's futuristic board game. Playful outfits executed with colourful candy stripes and geometric graphics, thick braided black hairpieces referencing traditional Korean styles and eyes highlighted with cartoonish lashes and double pencilled eyebrows.
"It's funny that everyone takes inspiration from China," says German designer Karl Lagerfeld in his trademark black shades and white ponytail, referring to the stars that had gathered in New York for the China-themed Met Gala. "But not from Korea … I find that so interesting. So that's why I did the show here."
Lagerfeld says that South Koreans "live very much in the present", which puts them in tune with the fashion trends.
"Look at the streets here, they are young and playful," he says.