The Korean designer Rok Hwang with emerging brand Rokh is sought after for its cleverly customisable designs infused with off-beat elegance. The newest Rokh H&amp;M collection heroes Rokh&rsquo;s adaptable signatures, from double-layer trench coats to detachable-hem dresses, alongside flattering corset-style pieces and playful office-inspired bags and statement jewellery, is about to launch in selected stores and online.

<h4 style="text-align: center;">Questions for Rok Hwang, Creative Director at Rokh</h4>

Rokh has been praised for its innovative blend of classic silhouettes with avant-garde elements. Could you share insights into your creative process when creating your collection with H&amp;M?
The <a href="https://www.lofficielbaltic.com/en/fashion/emerging-designer-rokh-is-h-m-s-latest-collaborator">H&amp;M collaboration</a> was a really great experience for me because it allowed me to take the time to look back through my archive and evaluate designs I&rsquo;ve created in the past. I fell back in love with details and pieces I had designed in the past, then updated and tweaked them for H&amp;M, alongside our Rokh icons. I had the working woman in my mind, an aspirational figure which always inspires me, along with workplaces and workwear. We spent a lot of time working on each piece &ndash;&nbsp;I am very precise and visited the H&amp;M atelier in Stockholm several times to do fittings, every piece went through our hands, touching, cutting, crafting. The rather special thing about this collaboration was that H&amp;M wanted it to be true to the codes of Rokh, so they gave me the freedom to create something that truly represents our brand.
Fashion is often influenced by cultural and societal trends. How do you stay inspired in an ever-evolving industry?
It&rsquo;s certainly a challenge, but I try not to focus too much on what everyone else is doing and stick to my DNA. I&rsquo;ve always been inspired by real-life situations and women around me, from my mother to Phoebe Philo who I worked under at Celine. I want to create clothes for a woman in constant motion, and I take inspiration from everyday scenarios. Our brand is very international &ndash; I always say we&rsquo;re a citizen of the world. I travel a lot, and I get a lot of inspiration from visiting different countries and experiencing different cultures. I think diversity and a global mindset is a strength.
What did you like the most about your collaboration with H&amp;M and what is your favorite piece from the collection?
I think what I&rsquo;m really satisfied with is the timelessness of the collection. There are pieces that can be worn again and again, and be easily integrated into the customer&rsquo;s wardrobe, which is something I&rsquo;m always aiming to achieve with my collections. As for my favourite piece, it&rsquo;s probably the double trench for women and the button-up coat for men &ndash; both are Rokh icons that I feel really sum up my vision and allow people to express their personal style thanks to the customisable elements. And for me personally, my personal order was lots of the file bags &ndash; I am super organised and I can&rsquo;t wait to file away all my collection notes in them!

Did your diverse background (you were born in South Korea, lived in Austin, Texas, studied in London, worked in Paris) influence this collection with H&amp;M and which country has the most influence on your designs?
Definitely &ndash; as I mentioned, I see Rokh as a citizen of the world. It&rsquo;s hard to put my finger on exactly how each country influences my designs but I think it&rsquo;s more about a general perspective, being open-minded and looking for inspiration everywhere. We have a very strong customer base in Korea where I&rsquo;m from, which is great, and I&rsquo;m so happy that we&rsquo;ve been able to develop some special pieces with H&amp;M for that market. London and Paris have both been very receptive to Rokh collections, too, and we take influences from both cities. I&rsquo;m just so excited for more people to be introduced to our brand and our codes with this H&amp;M collaboration.
What are 3 pieces that everyone should have in their wardrobe?
Always, a trench coat &ndash; that for me is a classic piece everyone should own, as it looks great with everything from jeans to a ball gown. I love the two styles in this collection. I think denim is also something you wear again and again, and I love the two-tone wide-leg jeans in this collection which just have such a great attitude. I also like our signature double-belt because it&rsquo;s something that can so easily give an update to your outfit without having to buy a head-to-toe look &ndash; you can just cinch it over your blazer and go!

<h4 style="text-align: center;">Questions for Ann-Sofie Johansson, Head of Design Womenswear and Creative Advisor at H&amp;M</h4>

How H&amp;M decided to approach Rokh for the newest collaboration? What attracted you the most to the emerging designer Rok Hwang and his designs?
We&rsquo;ve been keeping an eye on Rokh and designer Rok Hwang for a while now, and what we fell in love with was his clever way of reworking classic tailoring so that it looks modern and fresh. His pieces can be quite radical in cut and conceptual in theory, but they&rsquo;re also very easy to wear, which is a balance our customers love. We got in touch over a year ago with a proposal and were thrilled when he agreed to collaborate.
Which items are your favorite pieces from this collaboration, from Women&rsquo;s and Men&rsquo;s collections?
I think the iconic Rokh designs are my favourites, we were so happy that Rok was so generous in sharing the designs. The double trench coat for women is a key style that lends instant cool to any outfit, and the same with the button-up coat for men. Both have elements that can be customized, so you can make them your own. I also love the studded beige blazer which would look great with a simple white T-shirt and jeans, but also pairs excellently with the studded pleated skirt.

What was the main inspiration behind the beautiful collection and was Rok involved a lot in the creative process?
We always try to give the designers we collaborate with as much creative freedom as possible, as we really want the collections to be a true expression of their brand identity. In this case, Rok designed the collection and specified which fabrics he wanted to use, we gave our feedback, then he came to Stockholm several times to work on fittings, changing the cut or construction or details until he felt each piece was perfect. He was very clear in his vision and it was a pleasure getting to know him better. The only challenge was editing down the final selection of garments as each piece was so strong!
Who would be the perfect customer for this joint collection?
It&rsquo;s always exciting to be able to introduce our customers to new brands and designers they might not have heard of before. At H&amp;M we feel we have a responsibility to lend our platform and our support to emerging talents. I think the real joy of this collection is that each piece is so versatile, and while they are easily recognizable as Rokh designs, they can be worn in lots of different ways and in different combinations according to your personal style. That versatility is always really important to us, so we&rsquo;re confident that even if our customers perhaps are new to Rokh, they will fall in love with it instantly.
Which 3 accessories are your must-have items for Spring/Summer 2024 season?
From this collection I think the mixed metal jewellery pieces are super exciting &ndash; I will definitely be wearing the earrings myself. I love the mules, which are quite a fashion-forward piece I think our customer will love. And the double-belt is a key piece that lends some Rokh attitude to any look.

The collection will launch in selected stores and online at hm.com from 18 April 2024.

Rok Hwang: "We’re a citizen of the world"

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