“I want to make a dress which can be exhibited in her living-room rather than kept in her closet.” This is the solitary statement on Bonkuk Koo’s blog. His beautiful dresses are staggeringly complex works that should not be shut away in a closet, out of sight and out of mind. “It is not just clothes for wearing, it’s art that people can get a lot of emotion and energy from.” Whether they are displayed in a gallery or on the body, Koo’s dresses cannot fail to be regarded as outstanding artistic achievements.

a dress by Bonkuk Koo

Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Koo started his fashion studies in 2002. After taking a two year break for compulsory military service he continued on his intended course, transferring to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. Koo graduated from FIT in May of last year and is now assistant atelier director at Chado Ralph Rucci.

What struck me when asking Koo about his dresses was that two were inspired by Nature’s dynamic energy: a flowering tree blowing in the wind and waves on the Hudson River kicked up by a storm. Not content to contain these scenes in two dimensions, Koo actually mimics this movement through design. The above dress actually gives the illusion of flowers moving when the wind catches it: “I had already bought hand-painted fabric. I cut up everything and re-matched the flower pieces so that it looks abstract. When wind blows the dress it seems like the flowers are flying and moving.”

Koo at work on the dress with flying flowers

construction detail

a cut-up and reassembled flower, reminding me of the literary cut-up technique made famous by William Burroughs

front detail

Koo’s favorite dress was inspired by the Hudson River, which he lived next to three years ago. “I always watched the Hudson River from my place. Some days it was really dark, rainy and windy. The weather made the river beautiful to me. I still can remember the beautiful black waves.”

the black wave dress

the black wave dress looking more like sculpture in this photo

construction detail

construction detail

To stare at the fabric patterns in Koo’s “Mummy Dress” is almost meditative. During a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Koo came across this:

an Egyptian mummy from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

The mummy’s wrapping inspired Koo’s technique for two dresses, a shift that can be found on his blog and this:

Koo’s dress inspired by Egyptian mummy wrapping

construction detail showing the mummy wrap technique

the Mummy Dress in progress

Koo has included many awesome construction photos along with those of his completed dresses on his blog. They are well worth the visit.