Designer: Bumsuk Choi for General Idea

Photos: Ken Pao for models.com
Text: Jonathan Shia

If the large camping tent perched at the end of the runway at the Fall 2011 General Idea show wasn’t enough of a hint that designer Bumsuk Choi was dreaming of an escape to the mountains, the collection would have been just as effective in making the point. Working in collaboration with Italian outerwear brand NEPA, Choi presented a series of outfits that not only looked appropriate for rugged use in the great outdoors, but felt durable enough to withstand it as well. A Fair Isle pattern showed up on coats, sweaters, and even a pair of leggings while other pieces popped with their brilliant primary colors or a reinterpreted camouflage print. Rich natural hues, like mustard, navy, and forest green evoked memories of autumn mornings spent in foggy forests, an image that was reinforced by the sleek hiking boots and all-purpose backpacks that completed the looks. Mountaineering has come to be one of the unlikely inspirations running through this season’s menswear collections- an idea that Choi has worked with in a way that is both literal and subversive.

Models: Nic La France, Paul Boche, Christian Brylle, Guntars Asmanis, Matthew Hitt, Charlie Westerberg, William Eustace, Luis Borges, Corey Baptiste, Charlie Westerberg, Noma Han, Keno Weidner, Miles Garber.

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