The LEHHO Woman As Artist 

The LEHHO SS19 Collection celebrates the modern woman, whether she wears an apron, a suit, or both. Strong colors such as blue and dark green blend in with pastel pinks and lilacs, similar to the spectrum created by diluting acrylics for watercolor. Ultimately, this is a collection that aims to provide women with choices - strong and bright, or soft and muted. 

This season, the Creative Director Shinhye Suk was inspired by the soak-stain method of painting pioneered by Helen Frankenthaler, an American expressionist painter. A signature mark of her work is the bleeding of oils into the fibers of the canvas, which creates translucent effects that reveal the natural qualities of both materials. Each print in the SS19 Collection has been hand-drawn by Suk, who blends retro nostalgia into fresh designs for the contemporary Frankenthaler.

Photographs of Frankenthaler’s life show the changing style of womenswear and its effect on the mid-20th century artist - who wore aprons when spilling paint onto a floor of canvas and tailored two-piece pantsuits in lecture halls - at a time when women began to take a more visible role in society outside of the home. Influence from Frankenthaler’s paintings can be seen most in this season’s watercolor shirts and bitonal dresses and skirts, whereas influence from the female painter’s personal style can be seen in the silhouettes of suits, the apron-like ties on the dresses, and the coats adorned with roomy pockets fit for all an artist’s tools.