Besfxxk unveils a cool wardrobe blending British and Korean influences

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Jun 17, 2018

Despite its unpronounceable name, it looks like people will be talking about Besfxxk for a while. The men's and women's ready-to-wear brand founded by 33-year-old South Korean designers Bona Kim and Jae Hyuk Lim – partners both on and off the catwalk –, caught the public's attention on Sunday, the third day of Milan Fashion Week Men's, thanks to the freshness of its collection but also with its masterful cutting and construction which mixed British tailoring and Asian creativity. 

It's the first time that Besfxxk, which usually shows in Seoul, has held a runway in Milan. For its fifth collection, dedicated to spring/summer 2019, the duo took inspiration from 1980s streetwear and British heritage. Indeed, the two designers met in London, where Bona Kim was attending the London College of Fashion and Jae Hyuk Lim was at the Royal College of Art. 

Perhaps because of the World Cup, sportswear was the most visible influence at this subtly colourful coed show where models wore shining patent sneakers with fluorescent yellow or striped socks. Boys layered different shades of baggy football shorts or sported two-tone jogging bottoms transformed into straight-fit trousers and coupled with long supporter scarves. 

All of this was mixed with hyper-classic white or striped men's shirts incorporating inevitable fashion touches such as pockets made with shirt cuffs. British-style trench coats, tracksuit jackets in ultra-light nylon and four-colour satin jackets rounded out the menswear selection. 

The girls alternated sportswear with more contemporary looks such as pretty cotton dresses made out of different men's shirts, asymmetric two-fabric shirts and a hybrid raincoat which metamorphosed into a short dress on one side. 

"We work around the transformation of clothing which can be worn in different ways, and around the mixing of cultures. Our fashion is quite experimental. We love fashion and that passion became our work", said the smiling designers to FashionNetwork.com. 

Everything is made with Japanese fabrics in Korea, where the couple now lives. Besfxxk has some thirty multi-brand distribution partners in Asia, the United States and Europe, where it is available at Paris' L'Eclaireur, among other fashion destinations.