Jisoo, Tomorrow X Together, Han So-Hee: Inside Dior’s Star-studded Retrospective Opening in Seoul

The unveiling of Dior’s “Designer of Dreams” retrospective in Seoul reached a high point with a star-studded cocktail reception, fronted by brand ambassador Jisoo.

The member of the K-pop girl group Blackpink appeared in a black jacquard and satin number and a bejeweled Lady Dior bag.

Jisoo was joined by a host of Dior ambassadors, including all members of the K-pop quintet Tomorrow X Together, Mingyu from the K-pop boy band Seventeen, actors Han So-Hee, Nam Joo Hyuk and Lomon, and South Korean figure skater Yuna Kim.

Also in attendance were Narin from the K-pop girl group Meovv, actors Kim Min-Ju, Cho Yi-Hyun, Ki Eun-Se, Roh Jeong Eui, and Heeding Park, short track national team member Sungwoo Jang, figure skater Jun-Hwan Cha, models Taejun Hong and Yoon Young Bae, and model and influencer Irene Kim.

The “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” exhibition at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, one of Seoul’s landmark venues designed by Zaha Hadid, will be open to the public until July 13.

For the traveling exhibition, pieces are newly chosen for each city, from an ever-expanding archive collection that includes more than 15,000 dresses and 15,000 accessories. In Seoul, the exhibition includes some 250 dresses, ranging from never-before-seen pieces found through auctions to recognizable numbers worn on the red carpet by Jisoo of Blackpink and Natalie Portman.

During the opening event, Jisoo was seen posing next to a dress she wore that is on display.

“It was wonderful because you could see everything from the New Look to the master craftsmanship by the atelier artists,” said actress Roh Jeong Eui.

In addition to featuring a new set of dresses, the exhibition unveiled works by artists of Korean origin, including new additions to the Dior Lady Art project. Lee Ufan, a pioneer of the Mono-ha movement, brought his signature gestural stroke to three wooly bags in black, mint and white.

A highlight of the exhibition is an atmospheric room conceptualized as a giant “dalhangari” moon jar, a traditional piece of Joseon-era porcelain. Christian Dior’s love of gardens is brought to life anew through delicate paper art by Hyunju Kim. The artist has been working with “hanji,” or Korean traditional mulberry-fiber paper, for more than a decade. Kim along with 20-plus assistants spent more than two months crafting tens of thousands of paper leaves, flowers and branches. Two weeks were then allocated to individually “planting” the paper blooms without the use of glue.

“I really took sustainability into account. The New Look expressed femininity and post-war healing, and so, I think the organic quality of ‘hanji’ can also bring the wonders of nature to the modern world,” explained Kim.