CHAEWON KIM

It will Bloom, to a Festival is a fashion collection inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem, which offers a poignant reminder: “You must fail to understand life; then it will turn to festival.” This collection explores how fashion can offer a healing experience to those who struggle to embrace the uncontrollable and unpleasant aspects of life, encouraging a balance between control and serendipity. Drawing from personal experiences with uncertainty, the designs invite interaction and adaptability, symbolizing life’s ever-shifting nature. Inspired by Rilke’s imagery of “a gift of many blossoms,” the collection references the life cycle of flowers—particularly wilted petals—as a metaphor for finding beauty in every stage. Techniques like laser-cutting and cyanotype create textures that reflect faded fragility and transformation. Through playful elements like pop-up book motifs and contrasting materials—rigid and fluid, delicate and structured—the collection becomes a wearable celebration of acceptance, inviting the wearer to find joy in life’s unexpected, imperfect moments.

" You must fail to understand life;
then it will turn to a festival.
And let every day happen to you,
as a child, in passing, from every breeze,
accept a gift of many blossoms. "
-Rainer Maria Rilke