SPOTLIGHT ON… Miss Sohee
MEET THE KOREAN DESIGNER CHANNELLING HER REVERIES INTO COUTURE
Sohee Park spent much of lockdown revelling in her own imagination. The Korean designer used the months stuck in her ‘tiny’ London flat to dream up a fantasy world filled with flora, fauna and extravagant structures. This was the starting point for her first-ever collection, one that would later be worn by the likes of Miley Cyrus, Bella Hadid and Naomi Campbell.
Growing up in South Korea, Park was often reprimanded by teachers for doodling in her schoolbooks. But drawing was in her blood: her mother was a gifted children’s book illustrator, known for her mastery of detail and colour.
After watching a couture show on her grandmother’s television aged 14, Park realised that she could turn the meanderings of her imagination into reality. This led her to Central Saint Martins and studying fashion design. ‘I was very lucky that my mother encouraged me to express my creativity,’ she says.
As she entered her final year, the pandemic hit. With school closed and many cloth suppliers shut, Park had to fight to finish her studies and present a graduate collection. She turned her living room into a workshop and spent her days researching, sketching and sewing.
Her debut for the Miss Sohee brand was a five-piece capsule entitled The Girl In Full Bloom, the name hinting at both her own coming-of-age and the floral elements of the larger-than-life ballgowns. With their iridescent colours and avant-garde silhouettes, Park’s designs could not feel further from the sartorial reality of lockdown. ‘I create my own world, and I want my clients to feel like they’re being immersed in that world,’ she says. ‘It’s feminine, sexy, beautiful and sophisticated – but also fresh.’
Now, her designs have graced magazine covers and made for memorable red-carpet moments, including Gemma Chan’s crystal-encrusted look for the Eternals premiere and Cardi B in a shell-inspired white dress at the American Music Awards. ‘Everything has happened so quickly,’ says Park, who still finds seeing celebrities wearing her clothes ‘completely surreal’.
The designer now has a studio and a full team to help create her bespoke gowns. Big industry names have also lent their support: a recent collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana saw Park present her first in-person show at Milan Fashion Week. ‘It’s important to put out fresh ideas about what couture is and what it can be, especially for the younger generation,’ she says. ‘It is beyond exciting to see my creative daydreams come to life.’
Having achieved so much already, Park’s focus is now on ‘using the lessons from past collections to move forward’. The only limit is her imagination.