System Hits the Right Note of Nostalgia for Fall 2025
System designer Hee Soo Kim is looking back, but living in the moment.
The South Korean brand celebrates its 35th birthday this year, and Kim ventured into his own archives for updated takes on classics. The 1990s nods were evident in bias-cut slipdresses over T-shirts, but Kim was careful not to dwell in nostalgia.
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The result was a collection filled with contemporary updates on classics. Kim often takes cues from British style, and this collection held true to that bent. Collars were flipped, twisted or tied at the neck as if swept up by wind, and outerwear was chock full of jackets that could withstand a good gust.
Several of those were from the label’s collaboration with British brand Baracuta, including Harrington styles. A black zip-front with silver studs was a standout with rock ‘n’ roll ease.
Workshirts were updated and there was plenty of plaid. Stylist Virginie Benarroch used smart layering to add depth with those prints and patterns, mixing checks and tweed, cropped fuzzy coats over longer blazers, and voluminous pleated trousers.
Kim worked with more substantial textiles this season, in heavy wools, alpaca and velvet to add textural richness. Fuzzy sweaters looked like a warm hug.
He also added a dash of Americana, inspired by Norman Rockwell’s “The Prom Dress” painting, and the sense of fashion as exploration. “I didn’t want to be too serious with this collection,” he said.
He debuted a new monogram pattern inspired by piano notes on a silky pajama-style top. It was all enough to bring “Emily in Paris” star Lucas Bravo to the front row of the Paris Museum of Natural History on a stormy night.
Despite its decades-deep archives, the brand has only been presenting in Paris since 2019 and opened its first flagship outside of South Korea in the Marais last September. Sales have been much stronger than anticipated, Kim said, adding that there are more local clients than expected.
“Paris has acknowledged the brand System, so I’m really happy for that,” he said. Now Kim hopes to capitalize on that momentum and has retail eyes on New York next.
Launch Gallery: System Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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