For Fall 2015, the Lie Sangbong collection, Oriental Ink, was a beautiful, on-trend, step toward a seriously fashionable winter wardrobe. Using a color palette of black, white and red, the line was inspired by Asian aesthetics without ever making its source material the focus of the collection. Heavy winter fabrics like wool, suede, fur and leather were prevalent in the designs, and prints were used as accent pieces or done in tone-on tone color to minimize their visual impact.
“I wanted to focus on subtlety and to explore the mixing and matching of classic autumnal fabrics in new and fresh ways,” said Mr. Lie, designer and founder of Lie Sangbong. “I think women are looking toward minimalism and simplicity, but with playful, veiled contrasts to add uniqueness and individuality.” He translated this idea into a collection with clean lines, precise tailoring and understated silhouettes. This idea of easy luxury and fresh simplicity is punctuated by pieces that include detachable layers or are fully reversible.
To emphasize the graphic color palette, Mr. Lie worked with Korean artist Sun K. Kwak to create a runway backdrop based on her “three-dimensional space drawings.” The black and white art instillation ran along the walls and down the entire length of the runway, in an attempt to “rhythmically transform the space and challenge the viewers’ sense of perception.”
