WNDERKAMMER

“Soft charisma” is the spirit designer Hye Young Shin has sought to capture since launching her label WNDERKAMMER nine years ago. Drawing inspiration from the artistic world, Shin references ballet dancers and film directors among her creative muses. It comes as no surprise that the work of former Céline designer Phoebe Philo has been hugely influential to her. As a young designer, Shin is bent on striking the balance between art, wearability, and accessibility, a tall order in a marketplace that at present is densely oversaturated by maximalist and none-too-practical fashion. As far as sourcing, the garments here are made from eco- friendly fabrics with an emphasis on comfort and structure. Hye Young Shin, a happy mother of three adoring cats, also maintains a firm stance on animal activism, and does not engage in the use of real leather or fur. Though vague in its definition, the dictum “soft charisma” finds embodiment in the clothes seen at Wnderkammer. Here it is an unfettered, pragmatic, and unpretentious sophistication, one that draws our attention to an artist, a performer—a simply stylish woman.