Peter Do, the New York based luxury brand, debuted its highly anticipated Spring Summer 2023 men’s collection, shown with the women’s collection, on September 13th, at NYFW. In partnership with Korea’s largest entertainment company SM Entertainment, Peter Do showcased the women’s, men’s, and unisex collections on several of SM’s biggest stars.
Peter Do took its next step into the future of K-pop and fashion, collaborating with the powerhouse entertainment group, known for artists like Girls’ Generation, Red Velvet, NCT, aespa, and more, on the invitations and the runway show. Focusing on the collection’s concept of “TIME,” the personalized show invitation given to guests was presented as a memory box in the form of a cookie tin, after the common household practice of reusing such tins as sewing kits.
The 60-look collection is an exercise in Peter Do fundamentals, highlighting key silhouettes of the brand’s past, reworked for the present for future generations to cherish. Expanding on its signature tailoring offering for women, the collection presents key wardrobe pieces adapted for men across categories of ready-to-wear, shoes, and bags.
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“This season, I was thinking about how we always seem to be running out of time in this industry,” Do says. “As a designer and brand, we are always living in the future and never in the present. This collection marks a period where, for the first time in a while, I feel present – where I’ve slowed down to savor those important moments in life. In pursuit of completing the Peter Do universe, people have always told us “It’s about time that you launched men’s!,” although men have been wearing Peter Do for some time now. The eternal question of “Who is the Peter Do woman?” has always been limiting to me. Now I’m excited to say that Peter Do is for everyone, because we don’t just dress women or men, we dress people.”
The brand’s signature sleek tailoring appears in its signature 4 piece skirt suit, a crisp blazer and shirt with a pleated skirt over trousers, shown on both men and women. The men’s looks focus on sharp short suits, cashmere hoodies, languid silk blouses, and denim staples. Dramatic long pleated skirts, lightweight gowns, and fine knits and jerseys juxtapose with smart suiting and warm layering for women. The closing looks of the collection mirror the opening looks, only deconstructed and bared to exhibit the incredible construction and hand work behind a deceptively simple jacket, coat, or dress.
“We have a button up shirt that we’ve been working on for years, that I’m finally beginning to love more–although it’s not quite at 100% yet. In every development process, it takes repeated efforts of fittings and adjustments, reworking them in pursuit of improving the result for our end wearer,” Do says. “The hand-done special techniques that we used throughout the collection from resin dye, bleach, and paint, to print, studs, and embellishment – are some of the most labor intensive processes in garment making. I wanted to fully embrace this concept of time with our commitment to these processes, however intimidating they may be, especially since we’re always on constant deadlines. It just reinforces our stance on believing in slow fashion that isn’t trend or hype driven, and our commitment to fashion that is versatile, adaptable, and has longevity.”
The collections’ main prints are digitally manipulated photos of important snapshots for Peter Do. “I wanted to memorialize some defining moments; I took the sunset image when we first moved into our new studio, where we made our first runway show happen,” Do says. “This picture of the New York skyline, which we see everyday, reminds us of the importance of this city and its ecosystem to our identity.” Combat and platform boots were given fresh coats of white paint and dip dyes, while coats and boleros were hand embellished with thousands of Swarovski crystals. Shirts and gowns were crushed and entirely hand painted with graphic strokes.
“Sometimes you need to look back in order to move forward,” Do says. “I believe that newness doesn’t always come from scratch. Oftentimes, you can create newness with something that already exists. We’re leaning into our core values of convertibility and versatility for this collection, where a more inclusive collection including menswear was the natural next step for Peter Do.”
After dressing NCT’s JOHNNY for the 2022 Met Gala, where he was the single most mentioned guest of the event, Do, inspired by the way that SM’s artists incorporated fashion into music, chose NCT’S JENO to open the historic show with the men’s – the first time a K-pop artist will open a NYFW show.
“It was a natural choice to have JENO open the show. JENO embodies the Peter Do man – multifaceted, confident, and a trailblazer. I have so much respect for these artists because there is so much time put into their craft that people simply don’t see. Few realize the intensity of what is happening behind the scenes to achieve the end product; it’s very similar to fashion so I identify with that process very much. As a brand forging its own path in the industry, we are proud to partner with the leading global player in K-pop to help write the future of fashion.”
Special appearances will include attendance from Red Velvet’s SEULGI, invited by Do as a guest of honor, and SM ROOKIES SHOHEI and EUNSEOK, who will make their NYFW debut by walking in the show.
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