The recent, Seoul Fashion Week sent winds of change through its emerging fashion industry as young designers such as Blindness, D-Antidote and Kiok added defiant glamour to a city at the cusp of the North Korean conflict. Seoul Fashion Week took place from October 16 to 21 and happens biannually in March and October for spring and fall collections.

One of the most impactful brands on the runway was Blindness, a brand that made it to the 2017 LVMH Prize short list. Creative directors KyuYong Shin and JiSun Park dressed models in pearls, nylon coats and black corset belts. Other trends included a small brim hat with decorative pearls, reminiscent of a matador’s hat, black matador-style pants, bell-sleeve tops and an earth-toned color scheme, including light pink, black, grey, army green and pops of blue and yellow. Additionally, inspired by pollution masks worn in Seoul, models also wore delicately embroidered veils with pearls.

Another notable runway show was the gender-fluid D-Antidote, who collaborated with Italian brand Fila. Designer, Park Hwan-sung has gained popularity since his runway debut earlier this year. The collaboration used influences from London and Seoul in its hoodies, track suits and backpacks. The backpack is a trendy street-style must have. D-Antidote Spring 2018 trends included track jogging pants, overalls, matching tops and jogging pants and fanny packs and fedora’s galore.

Seoul Fashion Week showcases new trends that people crave worldwide however, going global is difficult for Korean fashion brands. The internal market is so large that young designers may not need to expand worldwide.