Bajowoo has staged exactly three shows in Seoul. The designer’s first guerilla outing took place just two years ago in the tiny parking lot behind the Grand Hyatt hotel, sparsely attended by friends and a handful of editors. In a poetic turn, his final Seoul show before he heads off to Paris was held in a cavernous cement car lot six floors beneath Doota, the massive shopping tower owned by the Doosan conglomerate that sponsored the event. More than 100 heads turned up, including many Doosan executives in suits who did not mince words with their goal to “target millennials” with Bajowoo’s growing star power. It showed both how far he has come and the tricky terrain he must now navigate—how to grow the brand, yet stay true to its scrappy punk roots.
The collection was called CHAlleNGE, and he took inspiration simply from his own life. “I want to show the road I have walked until now, and the road I must walk in the future,” he said, of mixing classic punk references with his new yen for sleeker outdoor gear. For instance, electric streaks of spray paint flitted across all manner of stretch pants, jackets, and tops. It was a nod to the teenage Bajowoo, who created a pair of DIY red tartan pants with a bit of pigment, and the fact that all the pieces in his collection are still handmade.
Model-muse Ahreum Ahn opened the show in a seafoam and lavender motorcycle jacket and a pair of those white graffiti pants. Kozue Akimoto soon followed in a red wool duffel coat with a strip of reflective 3M tape wrapped around the waist. Many of the core pieces from last season returned—the puckered track pants, nylon jackets with mesh hoods—but to the rain gear he added several new things. There were textured Patagonia-style fleeces, including an acid green jacket and pant set and a silver hoodie with a soft leopard print splotched with paint, alongside more utilitarian items such as a lovely iridescent purple puffer and cargo pant overalls. A little white faux-fur coat and clear rain mackintosh dress stood out as surprisingly chic, but still felt natural next to the more punk pieces: a bit of purple scarf dangling from a back pocket that said “I’m a Mess” on it or a black balaclava with a zipper at the mouth, unzipped to reveal a smiling sliver of red.
It felt like 99%IS, taken to the next level, with the vintage car that closed the show, five models dog-piled on it and “Future Go My Way” scratched on the windshield. Or the raucous after-party, which featured sets by DJ KingMCK, rapper B-Free, and K-pop star CL. It will be exciting to see how this energy translates to Paris. It might be just what that the city needs now; in Seoul, it will be sorely missed.
