ROMANCHIC designer Choi Hyejong graduated from the Fashion Design Department at Parsons School of Design in New York in 2004 and returned to South Korea to start her own brand ROMANCHIC in 2015. The creative concept of the brand is to use various types of fabrics and technologies to find a balance between female femininity and modernity, and to find authentic roles for contemporary women. Romanticism is the main spirit emphasized by the brand, committed to presenting a simple, exquisite, and elegant contemporary female image. In the 2023 Autumn/Winter collection, ROMANCHIC is inspired by Queen Elizabeth of Austria. The entire autumn and winter series not only showcases a gorgeous exterior, but also expresses another kind of loneliness within the queen. The silhouette details of lace, ruffles, and ribbons accentuated the beauty and elegance of women of that era.

Undercover originated from Japan and was founded by Jun Takahashi in 1994. The brand takes inspiration from Harajuku, incorporating a lot of artistic elements into its street-style menswear. The description of beautiful, eerie, surreal, and ever-changing aesthetics are seldom used by other designers in Harajuku, but they are the traits of Undercover. Jun Takahashi openly admits that his design is heavily influenced by the fashion art master Rei Kawakubo, who excels in playing with materials and structures. He is passionate about imbuing clothing with various themes, forms, and cultural significance to create fashion with an artistic quality.

The clean fit of Hangzhou Wholesale Market and minimalist Korean style remains the mainstream, in addition to continuing the pragmatic Urbancore and elegant commuting style. It is worth noting that Bowcore's bow elements and Maillard color scheme are paired this season. The item that needs to be focused on is the coarse tweed small fragrant jacket, which has a significant market share this season. Pay attention to the application of minimalist collarless, lace, lapel, and pocket design in details.

NEEDLES was founded by Keizo Shikizu, the renowned owner of the Japanese select shop NEPENTHES. NEPENTHES primarily sells men's clothing and also carries its own brand, NEPENTHES, as well as other international fashion brands such as SOUTH2 WEST8, NEEDLES, and ENGINEERED GAREMENTS. With over 20 years of experience in the fashion import trade, Mr. Shikizu utilized his extensive network of manufacturers and designers from around the world to develop the NEEDLES brand, which is a fusion of rich experience and diverse cultural influences. In 2007, the flagship store of NEEDLES was opened in Fukuoka, where Mr. Shikizu infused his extensive knowledge of menswear to create a unique and distinctive brand style.

This month, the wholesale market in Guangzhou needs to pay close attention to the application of the Merlot color range in jackets, suits, trench coats, and skirts. In terms of style, the market is dominated by an elegant commuting style, with a significant proportion of the popular Korean minimalist Clean fit style. Influenced by the New vintage trend, the proportion of trendy high street style has increased, mainly focusing on leather and denim items, with the use of vintage techniques and street-style letter printing elements. Some new arrivals include woolen coats for early winter, with a focus on a quiet luxury and minimalist style, emphasizing fabric texture and tailoring.

The founder of EENK is Korean designer Hyemee Lee. The brand's clothing pursues a confident and minimalist fashion attitude. Hyemee Lee believes that fashion has no boundaries and she prefers to use clothes to reflect her experiences as a woman in life. Therefore, EENK's clothing is practical and highlights the elegant and cute characteristics of women. In early autumn 2023, EENK launched X for X, a series dedicated to exploring unknown and undefined territories. The items in this series break free from the boundaries of the old world and venture into a new realm of blurred boundaries and identity reconstruction.

In September, Dongdaemun Market in Korea has fully launched its autumn collection. The current popular style highlights an elegant and commuting fashion, with delicate tailoring and a minimalist and neat look. Influenced by the continued popularity of urban outdoor style, the design of three-dimensional pockets that are both practical and aesthetically pleasing is widely applied to different items such as jackets, suits, and skirts. As for outerwear, designers focus on a concise and straight-lined boxy silhouette design to showcase a professional and urban image of women. For the autumn season, attention should be given to suits, jackets, and shirts. For more information, please click on the recommended content in the Korean section.

Rito Kojima, a veteran editor in the Japanese fashion print media, decided to establish his personal brand, KAPTAIN SUNSHINE, in 2013 after working in the industry for several years. As one of the representative brands of Japanese basic clothing, KAPTAIN SUNSHINE consistently interprets a luxurious sense of daily comfort through its loose silhouette and high-quality materials. In recent seasons, the brand has also been experimenting with the possibilities of bright colors in everyday styling, combining them with elements drawn from classic vintage clothing to make KAPTAIN SUNSHINE the perfect choice for transitioning from casual to sophisticated attire.

Gabriel Lee is a contemporary women's clothing brand founded in Sydney, Australia in 2012. The brand draws inspiration from movie plots and art for the design direction of each collection. With a focus on redefining silhouettes, Gabriel Lee pays attention to simple lines and bold details, leaning towards a more gender-neutral style that is loved by consumers. This season's pieces interpret urban elegance with minimalist tones and shapes. The smooth tailoring and deliberately enlarged details emphasize both masculinity and neutral beauty, while also showcasing the curves and proportions of women, creating an elegant and refined minimalist urban style. A natural, unbleached white color returns with an elegant sense of individuality compared to similar pure neutral shades. The use of light beige in Western-style tailoring explores a textured neutral shade, presenting a minimalist and high-quality texture.

Rokh, since its establishment in 2016, has been highly sought after for its exquisite tailoring and creative expression. Founder Rok Hwang is renowned for his deconstructive approach, using cutting and structure to convey ideas and design with a sense of avant-garde. The clothing shaped for Spring/Summer 2023 is a combination of freedom, vitality, and creativity. In Rokh's designs, the clothing is wearable yet sensual, deliberately emphasizing practical decorative elements. Playing with garment structure, using irregular cuts, hook details, and other elements, the collection depicts suits, trench coats, and skirts suitable for commuting, creating a distinct style of dressing and attracting numerous followers and admirers.

AFTER PRAY is a contemporary fashion brand established in 2018, offering modern hybrid apparel design based on exquisite tailoring and military advantages. The series, refined by the brand's own ready-to-wear through delicate methods and a futuristic sensibility, highlights the value and inspiration of clothing, freedom from oppression, and the joy and preciousness of imagining a long vacation. Street scenes or illustrations are decorated by prints, and minimal and breathable fabrics bring comfortable wear.

SINOON was founded in 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. The main designer, who has a background in painting, infuses the brand's designs with a strong artistic atmosphere. The brand focuses on pursuing surrealistic patterns and stories, with each garment carrying the designer's own narrative. SINOON is dedicated to creating a natural and romantic style that evokes a sense of comfort and inspiration in everyday life. The 2023 Spring/Summer collection of SINOON, themed "Sunday Noon Films," incorporates French romanticism and vintage designs. It effortlessly interprets a sweet and romantic ambiance while incorporating fairy-tale-like colors such as pink, baby blue, and pale green, creating a healing world for young women.

MARRON EDITION is a creatively designed brand founded by a small collaborative team. The brand specializes in presenting its unique design concepts through a minimalistic design style, using simple elements to create a lightweight, retro-inspired atmosphere while combining the latest fashion trends to create perfect matching items. In the 2023 Spring/Summer collection, a simple, succinct design style is used to create a classic professional image, with a combination of minimalistic and retro color styles that present a popular and trendy, Korean-style female professional image.

RECTO was founded in Seoul, South Korea in 2015 by designer JUNG JI YOUN. Prior to establishing the brand, JUNG JI YOUN already owned a boutique shop in Korea that primarily sold obscure fashion items with impressive designs. It was being exposed to these unique and innovative clothing designs that JUNG JI YOUN began to develop an interest in fashion design, and the desire to pursue fashion design grew stronger with time.

On Xiaohongshu, the views on Clean Fit have reached 80 million, with over 50 million discussions. Each fashion enthusiast has contributed their own interpretation of the style that balances clean comfort and fashion. In the future, we prefer things that feel more healing, comfortable and healthy. Based on this, the more natural and eco-friendly materials the better, which will become a new trend. "Clean Fit" is a stylish version of the "Athflow" style in the post-pandemic era. It has the relaxed feeling of athleisure, but does not overemphasize homewear, instead tends towards creating a relaxed and comfortable feeling with classic fashion items.

According to the TOP100 downloaded allover patterns of kidswear in October and November, flowers(25%) still dominate the market, followed by rabbits(18%), classic checks(13%) and fruit & vegetable(12%). Besides, tie-dyed watercolor effect(9%) is also a noteworthy direction.

Comme des Garcons Homme Plus, the menswear line under Comme des Garcons, was founded by Kawakubo Rei in 1984. It has won numerous accolades for re-conceptualizing the traditional masculine design and keeping its avant-garde style. In this season, the designer disassembles suits, trench coats, jackets and tuxedos as well as presents realistic floral prints and embroideries on them. She draws inspiration from the collage work of Bedelgeuse and turns garments into surreal artwork.

Woolen fabric plays an important role at Fall/Winter 23/24 Digital Première Vision Paris. Glossy velvet and plush wool give warmth and luxurious textures; undyed raw weaving expresses the desire for nature and primitiveness. Stretchy wool and soft flannel redefine freedom. Fancy yarns are added into classics to interpret the creativity.

Founded by Japanese designers Shinpei Yamagishi and Keisuke Kosaka in 2011, the fashion label Bed J.W. Ford is exploring creative designs and harmonious layers to create the unique elegance. Shinpei Yamagishi was once a shop assistant in a famous second-hand fashion store in Tokyo, and he carried an marvelous aesthetic with him. Going against the trending subcultures, Bed J.W. Ford maintains themselves on the road toward being elegant and light-handed.

In 1998, Hirofumi Kiyonaga set up the garment company SOPH.co.,ltd. and established its eponymous label SOPH. (Sophisticated Philosophy). In 2002, the brand was renamed SOPHNET. The brand is under the concept of French minimalism, focusing on neat designs and high-end fabrics. This year in 2022, the breaking news that the manager would resign on June 30 hit the Japanese fashion industry.

Less is More -- The Comprehensive Analysis of Korean Menswear Market