South Korea’s fashion is menswear orientated, and MVIO's show during Seoul Fashion Week proved why that is. Except for presenting the popular hybrid of preppy and dandy, MVIO designer Sang Hyuk Han also added a layer of sartorial delight by merging a luxurious feeling (embodied by his extensive use of silk tops and scarves) and a harder and rougher attitude through leather pieces and studs.

Entitled ‘Road Trippers’, Han started out with cropped suit jackets that were just on the right side of looking like airline uniforms. A series of detachable hip pockets added a utilitarian touch, while the mentioned silk – sometimes attached to cotton tops – created a sophisticated atmosphere, skilfully counter balanced by graphic logo slogans on the same fabric. Denim shirts and biker jackets testified to a more street-smart attitude, and only the last segment of leather trousers upstaged it…

Dazed Digital: What was your starting point for this collection?
MVIO: My life in general, but I especially looked at love and riding for this collection!

DD: What kind of riding are you referring to…
MVIO: Horseback riding, motorcycle riding… it doesn’t matter what sort of riding!

DD: You worked a lot with contrasts between hard and soft, especially through using silk and leather…
MVIO: Yes, contrasts are always part of my shows. Hard and soft, black and white and so on…

DD: Do you have a favourite piece from the collection?
MVIO: The first look, a cropped jacket with exciting proportions and shapes.