99%IS Makes a Seoul Debut With Its 2017 Spring/Summer Collection
The punk brand unexpectedly takes over a hotel parking lot during Seoul Fashion Week.
Seoul-born, Tokyo-based designer Bajowoo took over the parking lot of the Grand Hyatt Hotel last week to present the first-ever Korean show for his brand 99%IS. Giving attendees just 24 hours notice of the location, the impromptu information and unlikely venue set the stage for the rebellious collection, which saw heavy punk-inspired pieces with a futuristic slant. “There is that whole 1 percent of culture that most people don’t care about, but to me and my friends, is our 99 percent,” Bajowoo explains about his brand’s name. With a crew that includes K-pop megastars like G-Dragon and CL, 99%IS is on its path to becoming the next big label in fashion. Since launching the line five years ago in Tokyo, the designer has mainly kept it a one-man operation, which lends itself to unique details and fine craftsmanship. For instance, one can easily witness the cumbersome rows of safety pins that were painstakingly added by hand, but unexpected features like a small metal slat on the sleeve for putting out cigarettes can easily be overlooked. Accentuated by smashed cans functioning as eye patches and bold prints borrowing from the Korean language, Bajowoo finds inspiration from a myriad of places.
The collection is titled “Against Great Truth,” where the acronym “A.G.T.” is incorporated throughout the pieces. It also stands for ah-gee-teu, which means “hangout spot” in Korean, where Bajowoo felt that while groups like skaters and punks may have their own ah-gee-teus, there’s a shared commonality when it comes to fashion. Scroll through the images above to see the full collection and check out more of 99%IS via Instagram.
