FASHION WEEK: Yuna Yang's Spring/Summer 2013 Collection Inspired By Civil Twilight's Music

by UInterviewSeptember 10, 2012, 12:00 amNews >

Yuna Yang launched her Spring/Summer 2013 collection in Times Square on Friday evening to the beats of South African band Civil Twilight (often dubbed a young U2), whose music the Korean-born designer claims was an inspiration — and ideal match — for her classically-inclined line, which celebrates femininity with simple and elegant looks that are romantic and meticulous but wary of frills. “When I first listened to their music, I recognized that they had a very strong classic music foundation, but then they also had a rock edge, so it seemed perfect,” Yuna Yang , trained in fine arts and classic piano, told Uinterview exclusively, adding that this was the first time she turned to music for fashion inspiration. “I had always wanted to try this concept because, as a fine artist student, I learned that Kandinsky listened to music when he drew, and he would see shapes and colors as he did, so I thought, ‘Oh, this is what I want to do’.”

Yang’s 27 looks drew heavily on silken and gossamer textures that remained insistent on simplicity, and the collection was predominantly colored with a modest palette; even the occasional pop of color was woven into the look organically so as not to overpower the design itself. “This season I really liked using white and ivory, combined with soft lace,” said Yang. But the collection was far from tame: some pieces experimented with Japanese polka dots and prints, while a white cropped-pant Edwardian suit came to life with asymmetrical contours and crochet pattern details that looked as contemporary as it did refined. This “edge,” as Yang puts it, is perhaps why the designer relates so intimately to her fashion icon, 1920s star Louise Brooks. “She was a world traveler. She was an actress, but also a best-seller writer who danced all over the world, so she was very independent and stylish,” said Yang, whose event Close Your Eyes And See The World is no doubt as much a testament to her musical experimentation as to her self-professed icon and own international background — born in Seoul, studying in Milan, and working in London.

In attendance to support Yang during her show were model Baiyu, The American actress Isabelle Adriani and Norwegian director Mona Fastvold (pictured below), married to popular singer Sondre Lerche. "When we met Yuna and heard she was a fan we were thrilled to have such an organic designer/music collaboration," Civil Twilight members Andrew McKeller, Steven McKeller, Kevin Dailey and Richard Wouters (pictured above with the designer), who were also seated front row at the show, told Style Mode Magazine.