"As a fashion designer, I was commissioned by South Korean actor Byung-Hun Lee to design him an extravagant outfit for the upcoming MET Gala, based on the astrological theme “Signs Beyond the Stars”. The outfit initially possessed a plethora of fashion and cultural influences. It procured inspiration of silhouettes from the Lolita subculture, which centres on a cuteness aesthetic, and the designs of fashion designer Christian Siriano that utilises scale and variation to create an elegant simplicity. Based on his home country’s culture, another key influence was the hanbok traditional dress where I focused on researching each separate component of the outfit. To add to the focus of Eastern Asian dresses, I also refer to the Chinese hanfu, as the silhouette contrasts with the hanfu. Hubble Telescope images of galaxies, sci-fi and historical astrological artefacts were my central influences for fulfilling the brief’s astrology and space theme."

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