Clara Son presents one collection a year, this one was titled Emergence 2023. Two models appear at a time, emerging from opposite sides of the room; they walk toward each other, around each other, and then away from each other, ending where the other began. The clothes at first seem disjointed; there are sweaters with knit embroidery, suits with metal eyelets, and shirts with knotted lace. Eventually, the theme becomes more apparent; it has something to do with circles. Wait… Not circles, holes? But the truth I learned is more shocking; the inspiration for Son’s show was Trypophobia; an aversion or repulsion to the sight of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps.
Most of her previous collections deal with some sort of trauma. Son states I wanted to boldly confront them and overcome them. I might sound silly but I do this thing at the beginning of the year. I do the thing that I hate the most continuously until I don’t hate it anymore. I think it’s an essential part of personal growth. If you’re not familiar with Trypophobia, I wouldn’t suggest googling it. The images are rather unsettling. Son’s clothing, however, is quite pleasing to the eye. Through this collection, Son addresses her fears straight on and the results are beautiful, both metaphorically and aesthetically. I overhear her friends discussing her dedication to her work. One friend explains how even on the subway she’s constantly working, designing, and sewing. On one sweater she hand-stitched an irregular circular pattern; through an intensive labor of love, she turns something fearful into something beautiful. She repeats this process one garment at a time– in different mediums; through stitching, sewing, cutting, tying, inserting, etc. resulting in a collection of shirts, sweaters, pants, suits, and accessories for cool kids. I ask her, now that she’s presented the collection, how’s her relationship with Trypophobia? She says, I can’t say I’m fully over it, but it’s getting better. That’s what really matters. That’s the message of the collection. Get it over with. Do not fear.