South Korean fashion designer, Sohee Park, presented her truly wonderful Spring 2023 collection during the haute couture shows in Paris. The designer’s brand, Miss Sohee, has gained significant popularity since its collaboration with Dolce and Gabbana during Milan fashion week of 2022. She received great praise for incorporating aspects of wildlife and even traditional Korean folk art, Minhwa, into her pieces. 

This year’s Spring Couture collection by Miss Sohee did not disappoint, as the talented designer managed to blend marine life and Minhwa to make an astonishing and bold set of designs.

The designer kept the silhouettes fitted to the body but also used flowy fabrics to incorporate movement into her pieces. Park intended to create a collection that exhibits a dark, fantasy feel with the use of the color black, alluring necklines, and intricate embroidery.

Look one features a black, fitted, floor length dress with a pink, beaded, petal-like structure wrapped around the hips. With this look, Park includes a unique plunging neckline; keeping the black dress simple, yet not boring. 

Look fifteen is a strapless, rose fuchsia dress with vibrant flower detailing that is often found on traditional Korean clothing. Strings of black beads hang delicately along the neckline and over the bodice giving the dress a jazz feel. Park effortlessly blends her style with her culture creating an equally graceful and sexy garment.

Look twenty showcases the designer’s ability to keep balance and symmetry in her works. The dress is made of a pink silk fabric with black bead detailing that adds depth and maturity. The bodice and the cape are decked in beading, while the waist down is kept plain with symmetrical flower detailing to keep it interesting. 

Park, once again, flawlessly incorporates Minhwa into her collection with look twenty-one. The look features a black velvet, strapless dress and a seafoam blue robe covered in intricate floral beading.

The influence of nature in Miss Sohee’s Spring 2023 collection is made quite evident due to the designer’s use of floral patterns, however, aspects of marine life specifically are also present in the collection. 

Sohee Park manages to blend several different styles together without the pieces being too chaotic or incohesive. One aspect of this collection that often receives criticism from John W. North students is how a select few of the designs don’t fit into the overall color palette. Sophomore Braedyn Near shares his input on Looks thirteen, fourteen, and nineteen. “It feels like the designer was playing with a few random colors that aren’t cohesive to the overall collection. It makes the pieces with these neon fabrics seem like an afterthought, especially because of how simple the looks are.”

Park deserves great praise for her fearlessness when it comes to necklines. The abstract necklines commonly accompanied by a strapless dress draw attention to the models’ torsos, accentuating the sexy vibe that the designer wants to portray. Park guides the audience’s eyes cleverly and there is a clear focal point on each piece, again proving the designer’s expertise in balance.

Sohee Park is still relatively new to the fashion spotlight, however she has set the bar high with her technical skill and ability to come up with bold, new ideas. Surely her Spring 2023 collection is not the last we will see.