The pressure was on for Blindness last season—the label had just made the 2017 LVMH Prize short list—and designers KyuYong Shin and JiSun Park delivered a breakout lineup of elaborate, spangled jackets and sheer pearl-dotted pants inspired by The Danish Girl. This time they wanted to simplify, go back to basics. “Last season, honestly, we got too wrapped up in the concept and inspiration,” Park explained backstage. “So this time, we just thought about spring and the things we’ve always liked—beautiful things.”
One could see the signature shapes and details Blindness has carefully developed over the past two years: glorious crystals decorating mules and boxy suit coat lapels; plenty of pearls, pierced through the backs of jackets. There was more of the hooded mesh net tops from Spring 2017, and the trailing, reverse pussy-bow blouses first seen in Fall 2016. The bondage elements Shin and Park have toyed with (black studded vests, latex and leather) were amplified here with little black corset belts and a pink fringed PVC poncho. “It’s a little heavy but has the feel of a raincoat,” Park said.
A bit different were the billowing nylon coats and anoraks—including a tiered blue one on model and muse Hyun Min Han, worn over a frilled white lace gown. “Since it’s for spring, we wanted to use light fabrics like organza and those nylons that mimic paragliding,” said Park. Another departure came in the message: Now the duo has doubled down on their genderless approach, putting out two rather pointed statement tees (Blind Gender Roles and Fuck Gender). “Our focus is on creating pretty things,” Shin said. “The person inside could be a man or a woman; it could change and it won’t matter.” By obscuring their models’ faces with a series of elaborate pearl masks (words like Beauty and Blindness unfurling across them in white yarn), they drove that point home.
