Introducing Suvin Park, a young designer from South Korea making her name in New York. Graduating in 2022, Suvin is preparing to launch her eponymous label SUVIN. We sat down with her to talk about her work, beauty and how art inspires her work.
What does the word “beauty” mean to you?
I find beauty in everyday objects surrounding us, which we can relate easily, including architecture, furniture, and space. I’m looking at how beautifully the lines and materials are used, and what shape those lines would look like if they were put on the human body. The harmony of architecture, furniture, and space is where I find the true nature of beauty in shape and I called this memory, “Reminiscence”, which ended up being my first collection.
Your collection is beautifully constructed with sculptural shapes and architectural silhouettes. Is there a particular technique you relied on or specific materials you had to use to achieve these looks?
I like to approach shapes from a unique perspective, taking silhouette from architecture and furniture through covering, and applying this shape back to the human body. The aspects that I found most beautiful about my processes are the idea of ‘covering’ through multiple layers of fabrics and the sense of wrapping the body using sculptural design lines. Different methods were used to support my idea, in my collection, you can see a lot of the shapes that the fabric curls around the body, just like fabrics were covered to reveal the architectural form.
Using this concept of architecture and body, I strived to redefine the beauty of a “body” in my thesis collection. The six looks of the collection epitomizes that objects too, have their own unique bodies. I applied draping and silhouette exploration through 3D development processes to marry them with my own interdisciplinary understanding and craftsmanship of the “body” as its own elegant subject.
Tell me more about your understanding of the body and what it means in relation to beauty.
I believe fashion is the most beautiful creation that comes out of a human body. But at the same time, as it is based on the human body, I wanted to find something else that can replace this body form. In the “Reminiscence” collection, I have explored new shapes and design lines through a variety of objects that I thought were similar to the human body. For example, I tried draping on the chair as one of my shape explorations, considering the chair as a mimicry of the human body and extracted shapes and details from draping.
How did you use 3D experimentation in the development of your collection? Was there a particular technique you learned?
In my shape and volume explorations, I used multiple frames to capture the interaction between furniture, space, and human action to explore a silhouette. In my design process, I always include variety of explorations to add an original approach in my design, where I find a new silhouette and shapes. I then moved on to volume explorations to juxtapose details to this found silhouettes.
This collection, I used white knits with the frame, and covered this frame on human body to extract shapes of stretched pleats and details, which were juxtaposed in my design.
Taking the human body as an architectural form as well, the curve of the body was revealed with a see-through cloth as shown in the silk organza trench coat, and Look06 was overlaid with a suede trench coat that had the shape of a frame which I pulled from my shape development. The 3D printed frame was used as an accessory to capture the moment of “memory.”
Was there any part of the experimentation process that you really enjoyed? Anything that you didn’t like doing? Are there any techniques you learned in creating this collection that you’d like to take further in your own fashion practice?
I think the collaboration with artists from various fields completes my collection- and it is a process I really enjoy when it gives great synergy. My vision, to be visually accurate, needs important details and a lot of expert touches. My editorial is inspired by Deborah Tuberville’s iconic images, including Soft Frustrations and The Private Apartment of Madame du Barry, from Unseen Versailles, France 1980. There had to be a place that could symbolize the space of memory and beautiful architecture. And our team found a perfect location in Murray Hills to complete my vision. And to recreate the vivid evocation of covered furniture and space, my collection had a creative collaboration with photographer Youn Jung Kim and set designer Christina O’Neill.
As someone looking to further their practice into a brand, where do you see yourself positioned in the global fashion space? Would you prefer to see your work as one of a kind pieces or art, or do you see yourself in larger retail spaces?
As a designer, I aim to create a brand with clear identity that reminds me of my unique perspective and craft. It is about forming a consensus, and it’s important to have a balance that designers open the door to understand what consumers feel and what they want. One of my goal as a brand is to create a rich archive through various inspiration and a become brand that reinterprets it every season. For me, it is ideal to create a brand that can be applied closely in real life, but has a workability. I don’t want my collection to remain as a work that is far from people’s life. I want to design collections imbued with comfort and warmth, where you want to keep it in your wardrobe for a long time.
Where would you like to take your work next?
My brand will continue to examine this idea of modern sculpture. I want my collection to remain a work that is close to everyone’s life. Always looking for the perfect fit and the perfect fabric. My goal is to showcase an effortless aesthetic as each piece exudes confidence and ease with a new understanding of the body in my own way.
To see more of her work you can visit her instagram or website
