IISE’s SS19 lookbook is a beautiful interpretation of civilian protest

Clothing and fashion have long been one of the strongest mediums for interpreting culture and daily life. Terrence Kim, co-founder of Seoul-based clothing brand IISE (which roughly translates to 2nd generation) does just that and gives a street-inspired nod to South Korea's rich history and heritage. Today, IISE unveils its SS19 lookbook via The FADER. Have a look down below.

Speaking to FADER via email, Kim broke down the inspiration behind the collection's striking lookbook, which is filled with imagery of police in riot gear, bodies of young men uniformly scattered amongst one another, Molotov cocktails, and a powerful dark backdrop. Kim shared that he believes protest is "not a sign of complication; it’s a sign of community."

This is all emphasized through the collection's mainly dark tones, with subtle bright splashes. Black hoodies stamped with IISE's logo, along with dark jackets fixed with transparent hoods all look like the perfect protest gear.

"SS19 collection is a reflection of Korea’s past, present, and future of the country’s progress by way of protest," Kim said. "For the past three years, we have passed Gyeongbok Palace and the Blue House on our daily commute to our showroom. On this commute, we have personally witnessed the dynamic between riot police and civilian protestors. The Palace and the Blue House is a poetic backdrop to the sum of those parts, reminding us that our (and the world’s) progress from dictatorship to diplomacy was built by protest."

Peep a few images down below, and check the full lookbook via the IISE site here.