For its Spring/Summer 2027 edition, Concept Korea brought fashion and cinema together at Palais de Tokyo, presenting a joint runway by Bonbom and Asparagus alongside the Paris premiere of How to Walk, a fashion film directed by Ock-seop Yi. While the program connected both collections through a shared cinematic narrative, Asparagus made its Concept Korea debut with a distinct investigation into contradiction, using the relationship between protection and exposure as a central point of departure.
Led by designer Lee Myongje Je, Asparagus approached these opposing states not as fixed categories but as conditions that must be sustained within the same garment. The collection locates its beauty not in resolving contradiction, but in maintaining it: masculinity against femininity, structure against softness, and protection against exposure. Rather than seeking a perfect balance between these forces, Lee allows the friction between them to remain visible.
The collection moved between streetwear and high fashion without treating the two as separate territories. Familiar utilitarian references were disrupted through irregular proportions and unexpected construction, producing garments that appeared simultaneously functional and unsettled. Deconstructed silhouettes, asymmetrical structures and experimental details interrupted conventional forms, allowing the body to become part of the tension within the clothes rather than simply providing a framework for them.
This tension extended beyond the clothes themselves. Garments, bodies, styling, sound and performance operated as parts of a single system, reinforcing the collection’s deliberately unsettled character. The runway therefore became more than a presentation of individual looks. Movement and sound contributed to the same visual logic, sustaining the fragile relationship between opposing forces that defined the collection.
This sense of instability was also central to “How to Walk”, which preceded the runway presentation at Madame Cinéma, the cinema inside Palais de Tokyo. Starring actress Minha Kim and model Taejun Hong, the film translated the seasonal concepts of Asparagus and Bonbom into a cinematic language, establishing an atmosphere in which the collections could be considered beyond their physical construction. For Asparagus, the film provided another perspective on Lee’s interest in opposing states and the uneasy space between them.
On the runway, these ideas became more immediate. Asymmetry interrupted otherwise recognizable forms, while exposed elements and protective structures created a persistent negotiation between revealing and concealing the body. Rather than resolving these oppositions, Asparagus allowed them to remain visible, making contradiction an active component of the collection.
Presented within Concept Korea’s expanded dialogue between cinema and fashion, Asparagus demonstrated how a collection can extend beyond its individual garments into a broader visual and conceptual language. Its Spring/Summer 2027 offering is ultimately defined by this refusal of resolution: protection can expose, exposure can protect, and masculinity and femininity can occupy the same silhouette without cancelling one another out.
Photos: Courtesy of Ritual Projects
www.asparagusasparagus.com
@asparagus_collection
Highlights from the Collection
Comments are closed.