Everything You Need to Know About ROKH: the Label That Went Viral at FW25 in Paris

By Aqasha Nalani  •  14 Mar 2025 in Runway

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If you’re a high fashion fanatic who’s been keeping up with the latest Fall/Winter 2025 (FW25) shows in Paris and Milan, then you’ve likely come across ROKH.

The rising label has been making waves across social media, thanks to its stunning, avant-garde designs—most notably, the now-viral rustic hands that delicately emraced a stripped-down body garment like a Renaissance sculpture.

While ROKH is finally getting mainstream recognition, the brand has long been a force in the fashion world—thanks to the creative genius behind it.

According to Vogue, in 2018, designer Rok Hwang had already captured the attention of 120 of the world’s top retailers and even the industry titans at LVMH.

But what is Hwang’s story? And more importantly, what fuels his artistic vision?

Although born in South Korea, Hwang spent his early years in Austin, Texas, living in a caravan with his economist father.

As a teenager, he moved to Nottingham before eventually settling in London to study menswear as an undergraduate. However, his passion for womenswear led him to pursue a master’s degree at Central Saint Martins, where his talent flourished.

His expertise soon caught the attention of none other than Phoebe Philo, who handpicked him for her inaugural team at Céline. That’s right—Hwang is a protégé of the British design icon, and in many ways, he carried forward the legacy Philo left behind when she departed from the brand.

After three years at Céline and stints at Chloé and Louis Vuitton, Hwang took a leap of faith and founded his own label, ROKH, in 2016.

His meticulous craftsmanship and innovative approach quickly gained industry recognition. Just two years later, he was awarded the Special Prize—part of the prestigious LVMH Prize—an accolade that cemented his status as one of fashion’s rising stars.

Plenty of well-known international actors and musicians have also donned his pieces, including Dua Lipa, Sydney Sweeney, and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo.

Hwang’s vision for ROKH has always been deeply personal

“From the very beginning, we wanted to project the women we believe in—someone who doesn’t feel confident, someone youthful and fragile,” he told Vogue.

Despite describing himself as shy and introverted, his designs are bold, exploring deconstruction and adaptability with garments that appear broken and reassembled.

Instead of typical mood boards filled with photography, Hwang focuses on fabrics and prints, drawing inspiration from second-hand pieces found at flea markets in London and Belgium. His design process has always been rooted in taking garments apart and reconstructing them with new possibilities in mind.

However, Hwang decided to do things differently for his latest FW25 collection, a testament to his ever-evolving craftsmanship.

According to Vogue, for his latest collection, Hwang drew inspiration from an unexpected source—a weathered 19th-century mansion on Avenue Marceau, caught mid-renovation.

The peeling plaster, exposed framework, and layered remnants of the past fuelled his creative vision, leading to designs that felt both raw and refined.

This season, the South Korean designer reworked his signature trench coats and tailored pieces with zippered panels that unravelled to reveal unexpected silhouettes.

He infused these structured garments with billowing chiffon capes and sculptural bubble skirts, striking a balance between architectural precision and soft, ethereal movement.

While we’re seeing more and more designers embracing minimalism, Hwang ventured in the opposite direction, embracing intricacy and experimentation. This is where he won the crowd.

His expansion into menswear featured classic wool coats and sharp jackets, sliced open at the waist or chest with intricate zippers, complemented by sleek, high-waisted trousers with a subtly flared cut.

The most striking piece of the night? A draped black gown with an exaggerated, billowing skirt. At first glance, its glossy texture resembled industrial plastic, but up close, it revealed itself as futuristic, high-shine velvet—perfectly in sync with the resurgence of dark, romantic aesthetics in contemporary fashion.

Once again, Hwang challenges the norm, proving that his vision exists in a league of its own.

With a growing cult following and an artistic approach that resonates across fashion and social media, it won’t be long before ROKH becomes a brand that everyone wants a piece of.

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