However, the day had started badly.
That morning, downpours fell on Seoul.
But more is needed to hamper the preparations for the Louis Vuitton show scheduled for the same evening in the Korean capital.
All the trunk maker's teams have been hard at work for days.
Come rain, hail or wind, he will showcase his prefall 2023 collection under the Jamsugyo Bridge.
Erected in 1976 to connect the two banks of the immense Hanang River, Jamsugyo in Korean means "
submersible bridge
because it is completely covered by water during the monsoon period.
Fortunately for the 1600 guests (including the city's deputy mayor Kim Eui-Seung, Lee Jae-Hwan, the vice president of the National Tourism Office, the five members of the girl group Sserafim, many others K-pop stars and a hundred fashion students), the torrential rain stopped during the afternoon.
A wind to dehorn the oxen has taken over.
The LV staff distributes woolen shawls and heaters to the public, seated facing the line of skyscrapers surrounded by dense vegetation.
We wait, we warm up when we can but the view is magnificent.
Bewitching.
Because if the gusts chased the clouds, they left a light layer of mist covering the skyline.
The atmosphere is dark,
The Louis Vuitton Prefall 2023 show Emanuele Scorcelletti
A howl in Korean announces the first model, dressed in a two-tone windbreaker tucked into a trapeze skirt in glazed lambskin stitched with nails, wearing boots that seem to be mounted on tires.
A large format Alma bag in red epi leather in hand.
It's Hoyeon Jung, model but especially Kang Sae-byeok in Squid Game, the Netflix phenomenon series.
Moreover, its director Hwang Dong-Hyuk, in collaboration with Nicolas Ghesquière the artistic director of the trunk maker, staged this great raout.
Meeting of the third type between two standard bearers of the soft power of their respective countries, one French house founded in 1894 and which has become one of the best known and the other Korean fiction released last year and seen by more than 140 million people around the world.
“This first time in Seoul is a kind of diplomatic tour,”
Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of Louis Vuitton
The color-block silhouettes follow one another at a run.
The soundtrack sends out a mix of traditional Korean chants and psychedelic rock, hip-hop and court music, K-pop and Western pop.
The designer also clashes references brilliantly.
We glean a few along the way: down jackets and ultra-chic ski suits, remarkable suits and overcoats in quilted or embossed leather, bodysuits in monogrammed knit with a plunging V neckline, five-pocket metal pants from space, seventies trapeze dresses with leather inserts, vestal drapes warmed up with large sleeveless turtlenecks.
All the eclectic vocabulary of Louis Vuitton by Nicolas Ghesquière is there.
“
Neither quite (the) same, nor quite (an) other…
says the note of intent.
The fact remains that the postmodernist SF universe of the Frenchman combined with the incredible know-how of the trunk maker is here sublimated by the surrealist decor of this immense metropolis where glass skyscrapers, high-tech metros and pop culture in a kawaii version rub shoulders with temples. Buddhist temples, Joseon dynasty palaces and street markets.
"
I've been thinking about marching in Seoul for a while
," explains the designer.
South Korea has always inspired me a lot.
Especially the aesthetics of his cinema.
Host (2006) by Bong Joon Ho is one of my favorite films and Doona Mae is a great friend.
For this collection, we have taken up the archetypes of the house, the codes of leather goods that we apply to clothing, which are now a strong signature.
Just like this very symbolic bridge, this collection evokes these round trips, these moments that mix.
There are these elements of sport of course, which has always been one of my favorite inspirations, combined with a French classicism.
The functionality of travel, a dynamic silhouette.
This first time in Seoul is a kind of diplomatic tour, the Louis Vuitton caravanserai came to South Korea to tell its story.
»
“Seoul shares with us a pioneering spirit, a desire to reinvent creativity”
Pietro Beccari, CEO of Louis Vuitton
While the trunk maker is preparing to present its cruise fashion show in a few weeks, which this time will move staff, journalists, influencers and major clients to the Italian island of Isola Bella, its presence in Seoul last Saturday is not a chance.
“
I am happy that Louis Vuitton's very first prefall show is taking place in the vibrant capital
,” adds Pietro Beccari, CEO.
She shares with us a pioneering spirit, a desire to reinvent creativity, to encourage know-how.
Seoul is a cultural center towards which all eyes converge.
All the eyes of the luxury industry, in fact, converge on this small country, wedged between two big ones, China and Japan (Gucci has planned to organize a cruise show there in mid-May).
The North Korean market is one of the most dynamic in the sector.
There are no less than 18 LV stores in the Asian metropolis, the first of which opened in 1991 (compared to only ten in Paris).
With its growth of around 30% per year (according to the auditing firm KPMG), it should generate no less than 7 billion dollars in sales in 2024.
To realize this, all you need is a simple stroll through the streets of the city: a good number of Korean women wear branded bags on their arms.
And after the show, with the after-party in full swing, K-pop girl band Sserafim and Jaden Smith performing on stage,
