LEBEIGE, the womenswear brand of Samsung C&T Fashion Group, announced on the 13th that it has launched a collaborative collection with Korean ceramics master Yoon Kwang-cho and will host the exhibition 'Time Shaped by Emptiness' on the 17th and 18th at Youthquake, located on Hyoja-ro in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Through a collection and exhibition that reinterpret the aesthetics of Korean ceramics as refined fashion, the brand aims to offer customers a distinctive cultural experience.
LEBEIGE is a premium lifestyle brand that reinterprets Korean beauty through a contemporary sensibility. Building on its unique identity, the brand runs 'Salon de LEBEIGE' every year, a project in which it collaborates with Korean artists as a gesture of respect for the permanence and excellence of art. This collaboration marks the 2026 edition of Salon de LEBEIGE.
This year's partner, Yoon Kwang-cho, is a ceramicist who has modernized the spirit of Joseon-era buncheong ware in his own distinctive style. Breaking from the convention of shaping round vessels on a potter's wheel, he has built up clay directly by hand, expressing the free-spirited textures and natural vitality characteristic of buncheong ware. His works are held in the collections of major museums in Korea and abroad, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art and the Leeum Museum of Art, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago in the U.S.
According to the company, the pairing of LEBEIGE and Yoon stems from a shared philosophy that views Korean tradition as a starting point for new creation, as well as a common aesthetic pursuit of 'emptiness.' Just as the artist guarded against mere technique and found new ceramic forms in the space left by emptying out, LEBEIGE likewise pursues beauty through restrained design that focuses on the essential.
The collaborative collection draws inspiration from the forms and painterly expressions of Yoon's signature works, including 'Wolin Cheongang (月印千江, Moon Reflected on a Thousand Rivers),' 'Gwansu (觀水, Contemplating Water)' and 'Eumyul (音律, Rhythm).' In particular, LEBEIGE focused on translating 'freedom' and 'nature'—the core values running through the artist's work—into the materiality of the garments.
The artist's spontaneous brushstrokes are rendered in delicate embroidery and neat beading, while traces of dripping slip are expressed as prints on the fabric. The contrast of black and white is reinterpreted as gradually layered gradation patterns. Crafted primarily from premium wool-silk blends and silk, the collection consists of 14 pieces in total, including dresses, blouses, pants, skirts and scarves.
The collaborative exhibition 'Time Shaped by Emptiness' showcases the process by which the sculptural language of ceramics is translated into contemporary clothing. Around 18 works by Yoon will be presented alongside the LEBEIGE collection they inspired. The exhibition runs on the 17th and 18th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and admission is free.
The collaborative collection is available at LEBEIGE department store boutiques nationwide and on SSF Shop, Samsung C&T Fashion Group's online shopping platform.
"This year's 'Salon de LEBEIGE' was conceived to express the values the brand pursues through Yoon Kwang-cho's singular artistic world," said Kim Seung-hyun, head of the womenswear division at Samsung C&T Fashion Group. "Through this meeting of ceramics, which shapes clay, and fashion, which crafts clothing, we hope to offer customers a distinctive cultural experience that resonates deeply."
