Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution

Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution is a compelling story about the history and transformative legacy of Korean fashion. The first of its kind at the Cleveland Museum of Art, this exhibition presents approximately 30 works, plus accompanying ephemera, ranging from excavated 17th-century aristocratic garments to contemporary Korean couture by leading and emerging designers, including André Kim (1935–2010); Lie Sang Bong (b. 1954); Lee Chung Chung (b. 1978), for LIE; Lee Jean Youn (b. 1978); and Shin Kyu Yong (b. 1988) and Park Ji Sun (b. 1988), for Blindness.

As Korea’s first notable male designer, André Kim started his brand in1962; his contributions range from creating trailblazing Joseon dynasty–inspired couture to facilitating postwar Korean diplomacy through his design prowess. Lie Sang Bong launched his eponymous brand in 1985, experimenting with various fabrications, silhouettes, and abstract concepts, interlocking couture techniques with historical Korean references. The aesthetics of his son, Lee Chung Chung, who founded LIE in 2013, fuse mainstream dialogues, from pop culture to gender-bending, emanating the future trajectory of fashion and social commentary. Likewise, Shin Kyu Yong and Park Ji Sun, in their brand Blindness, also explore the gender-fluid frontier of Korean couture but use more deconstructed methods. As the first Korean designer to be invited by the Fédération de la Haute Couture in Paris from 2010 to 2012, Lee Jean Youn is much celebrated for his sensitive incorporation of traditional Korean aesthetics and sewing techniques into his creations. Finally, mulberry bark dresses by Aimee Lee—artist, papermaker, and researcher of Korean paper—seamlessly illuminate how traditional methods are not fixed but can be transformed into new possibilities. 

Through juxtaposing historical and contemporary ensembles, Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution recounts the definition of “couture” from an inclusive perspective, amplifying how tradition has empowered contemporary Korean fashion designers to invent a new artistic language.