Jekeun Cho, the London-based Korean menswear designer, unveiled his highly anticipated Spring/Summer 2024 collection during Paris Fashion Week. This marks the fourth collection from the eponymous brand and showcases Cho’s continued exploration of the human psyche through deeply introspective and cognitive menswear design.
For this season, Cho delves into the Korean concept of “일탈” (iltal), which translates to deviation or departure from the norm. The collection captures the spirit of youthful rebellion and experimentation, encapsulating the desire to break free from societal expectations and embrace a playful approach to life. The pieces embody the transformative journey from boyhood to manhood, inviting wearers to embrace their individuality.
The Spring/Summer 2024 collection features hunched silhouettes and a grunge aesthetic, juxtaposing tartan suits and kilts with vibrant Hawaiian shirts and bold contrast colours. This contrast symbolizes the dissonance between internal thoughts and external actions. Cho takes inspiration from the unique experiences of youth, reworking deadstock school uniforms into progressive tailoring, incorporating unconventional cuts and structure to evoke emotions and capture the essence of adolescent rebellion.
Throughout the collection, double buttons appear, drawing from the Japanese tradition of giving the second button to a high school crush as a symbol of affection. This detail adds a touch of nostalgia and romance to the rebellious narrative of the garments. Cho’s multicultural background, with South Korean roots and a foundation in law from studying in China, infuses the collection with a thought-provoking blend of East Asian and Western European influences, exploring the delicate balance between conformity and individualism.
Jekeun Cho’s creative journey began with a study of law, a discipline deeply rooted in social order and the perception of others. It was through this exploration that he discovered the power of fashion to challenge preconceived notions and reveal the true essence of individuals. Cho’s SS24 collection serves as a reminder that perception can be deceiving, urging us to look beyond the surface and embrace the complexities that lie beneath.
As we sat down with Jekeun Cho to discuss his SS24 collection, we were captivated by his passion for capturing the human experience through fashion. His innovative concepts and attention to detail leave us eagerly anticipating the future of the brand.
What inspired you to explore the concept of iltal in your collection?
We all miss those times when you would hang out with your best friends in school and get up to “iltal” funny things that your parents and teachers didn’t like but it never harmed anyone. Time goes so quickly, and you’ve grown up so fast, suddenly you find that you can no longer do those things anymore, it’s no longer acceptable when you are considered a part of adult society. I wanted to express this nostalgic moment in the collection.
How did you translate this concept into design elements in your collection?
I started with schoolboys’ looks/ uniforms from the 90s, recalling my school years and the interesting elements from there for example, oversized jackets and folding our trousers up because our parents were worried about their children growing up too fast and needing new uniforms too quickly which I imagine is quite universal—also, girls wearing trousers under their skirt for flexibility and style. Japanese schoolboys give their second button to their crush to express their feelings as the second button is the closest button to their heart. I also looked into UK youth gangs in that era, they wore unique accessories, badges, chains and belts. These elements combined turn a good schoolboy into a rebellious boy in my collection.
What films did you reference to bring this concept to life?
I am a big fan of 90-2000 East Asian noir and high school background films. The characters are comical and irrational but would die for a friendship or love. I like that feeling which I lost somehow after growing up. This time I used references from a Korean film “The City of the Rising Sun” and Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Characters in these films do nonsense things because of friendship and love, but it can be explained by the energy of youth, and I agree and love that. Also, they have great fashion references which inspired a lot of this season’s collection. Nice suits styles, Hawaiian shirts, and blazing guns with Shakespeare lines.
Can you walk us through the story behind the collection and how it relates to the iltal concept?
I started from two different pathways. One is East Asian school boys and another one is Punky boys from the West. There was not much freedom in East Asian schools at the time when I grew up, but I believe all boys must have had big energy and wanted to express themselves somehow. So, flour on the jackets and motorbike printed tops express what boys trying to show their iltal energy. I have also been inspired by very cool Western youth styles in the book “Swiss Rebels” by Karlheinz Weinberger. These were different styles, but they shared the same energy therefore it mixed well at the end.
What was your design process like for this collection, and how did you approach capturing internal thoughts and reflections?
I like portrait photographs of East Asian countries, a moment where expressionless people are captured in the frame, but they all look like they have different stories. Especially “Asakusa Portraits” from Hiroh Kikai is my favourite book and I always use this book as an initial starting point. For me, people in the book look interesting with their own style, but it is lost in black and white. So, I print them and do collages or doodles with colourful materials to give them more delightful characters from my imagination and then develop this into designs. This is my favourite process of designing and it gives me a lot of ideas in capturing the main message I want to deliver.
Could you tell us about the unique cuts and structures in your collection?
I enjoy tweaking places where you don’t notice, for example, I pulled the shoulder line to create hunched silhouettes which represent the posture of people lacking in confidence, which I’ve been doing since my first collection and matched these with bright colours to make these two characters contrast with each other. I also created these unique cut lines in the fabric (coming from my brain-scanning images) to contrast with the surface and inside.
How were you able to seamlessly blend Korean and Western European culture in your work?
It is the most natural thing I can do. I can confily say I am very East Asian but what I see and listen to are from here, London. So, it automatically makes a good harmony between my roots and the new things I experience every day. Even though I try to keep my Korean heritage and culture very hard, it always blends with European culture in the outcome and the same if I try in the opposite way around. I collaborate with the stylist Matt King who has a very cool English punk style and jewellery brand CC-Steding which also has a very rebellious style. These collaborations give a wider spectrum to the collection as well.
Can you delve deeper into your realization that perception can be deceiving once you look beneath the surface?
This subject is why I love fashion. Of course, making beautiful clothes is the priority for me and fashion. But at the same time, I really am interested in how we are perceived by our look. We all know fashion is the biggest tool to cover yourself to be cool for occasions. But I am also interested in the opposite way, someone wearing flat tones but wearing very colourful insides that you can see through small gaps. And this is what I keep developing through my collections.
What did you draw inspiration from for the motorbike theme in your collection?
I used to ride a motorbike when I was a teenager. It was full of fun and freedom when you rode empty roads at midnight with your mates. At that time, I didn’t care much about things, I just enjoyed the time. I swear to God I can’t speed that much anymore and no chance of overtaking other cars now. I’ve kind of become a coward as I’m more aware, but I miss that time, fast disappearing streetlamps, feeling of the engine between my legs. Again, I miss that time very much.
How did you rework deadstock school uniforms into progressive tailoring?
School uniform fabrics are what I like the most. It has a tailoring aesthetic but has a kind of flexibility at the same time which allows young boys to move their bodies more. I sourced dead stocks from one of the biggest UK school uniform mills. Instead of using them to make clean school looks, I removed sleeves, painted, threw flour and raw edges etc. to express the passion of youth.
What is your ultimate vision for the rebel man you envision through your collection?
I’m always surprised when I see someone wearing very edgy or rebellious looks which almost makes other people scared to approach them, but you realise after how kind and thoughtful that person is. This is very fitting for my concept.
What’s next for Jekeun and where do you see the brand going in the future?
My goal for the brand is to become a distinguished brand by our unique style and concept. I will focus on showcasing more of what I love, which I hope to catch the hearts of people who will like what I do in return. I want to connect with more people who share all different thoughts and to be able to sympathise when people wear my collection.
Jekeun’s Instagram: @_jekeun
