Miss Sohee
Just 5 years after graduating from Central Saint Martins, Park Sohee established herself as one of the youngest and most stylish haute couture designers. From doing shows at Paris Fashion Week to having Royalty from the Middle East as her clients, she started building an empire at just the age of twenty-four. With her atypical début in 2020 on her Instagram account, showing her first collection.
So, what makes this eponymous brand fascinating in the world of business and fashion? In the fashion world there is a newfound respect for the young fashion designer. She has taken everyone by storm, showing off her romantic designs and brilliant craftsmanship. “It is rare for an emerging designer to solely focus on couture”, said W magazine, however that may be the very reason why she is so successful.
Park focused of brand creation as well as value in the sophisticated and smart brand positioning. Ever since 2020, Miss Sohee was never “loud”, in created its clientele list by elegant appearance and inspirational storyline. The brand is focused on South Korean heritage, where she was born before moving to the UK. Park mentioned a few times in Vogue interview that her grandma played a big part in her designer dream, as well as najeonchilgi (art of inlying mother-of-pearls) and Minhwa (Korean folk art). However, this is not just inspiration, it is smart brand positioning. The heritage storyline was a personal guidance given to Park by her mentors Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who in the same way used their Italian heritage for their brand Dolce and Gabbana. From a strategic point of view, using “heritage” is one of the strongest and safest ways of brand building.
In parallel with its heritage positioning, the brand balances reputation with a more humane dimension, embedding sustainability into its creative and operational choices. For instance, Park actively uses fabric from Abacá plant (type of banana tree) and form Nona Source (resale platform for “re-sourcing” exceptional materials by LVMH). Moreover, she often draws inspiration from the Victoria & Alber Museum in London, where she frequently visits. In return, two couture dresses were donated and she designed their Christmas tree. With addition to her sustainability efforts, Miss Sohee has made a great impact on her reputation when she mentioned Haenyeo female divers or “women of the sea” as inspiration for her 2021 winter collection. Tradition reflecting strong women and deep ecological knowledge in Jeju Island recognized by UNESCO, was the stimulus behind one of Park’s greatest creations, giving a shell-like appearance to the dresses.
One of her greatest traits is the ability of being so versatile with her designs and accommodating them to each client individually. In her previous interviews, she mentioned that she doesn’t design a piece for the client, rather she creates this relationship with them and gets to know them and their tastes. A personal favorite piece of hers is the one worn by Lalisa Manoban at the White Lotus Premiere. Romantic, flower like silhouette of the dress combined with the elegant white fabric and pearls and a tonal progression solar yellow. This dress was the L’éclosion of my genuine regard for the craft involved in Miss Sohee’s designs.
Lalisa Manoban “White Lotus“ Premiere
Starting a brand doesn’t need to have a “hard launch” to be successful, building respect and creating luxury rather than speaking it creates an image that is unshakeable in titanic industries, like fashion for example.
Vogue Taiwan
Vogue Korea January 2021
Miss Sohee demonstrates that progress does not always require visibility, and that the most intelligent moves are often made quietly. Despite the scale of the brand she has built and the attention that follows it, she has remained largely absent from interviews and public display. This restraint is not accidental, but strategic. Rather than relying on exposure, she allows the work to circulate on its own terms. Traditional codes of couture, when combined with a modern vision, become a form of differentiation rather than nostalgia.
Miss Sohee could have chosen visibility. She did not. Creating for royalty and high-profile clients while remaining largely under the radar is as respectful mastery as her craftmanship.
