New Guards Group launches womenswear label Kirin by Korean DJ Peggy Gou

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Mar 8, 2019

New Guards Group, the Italian fashion group which owns some of the most directional streetwear labels currently on the market, from Off-White to Palm Angels, Heron Preston, Unravel Project, Marcelo Burlon County of Milan, Alanui and A_Plan_Application, has added a new name to its lineup, introducing Kirin, a high-end streetwear label launched by South Korean DJ/producer and techno music star Peggy Gou.

The debut Fall/Winter 2019-20 collection by Kirin, which means ‘giraffe’ in Korean, premiered during the Paris Fashion Week at a private dinner event, in the presence of NGG's co-founders Claudio Antonioli, Davide de Giglio and Marcelo Burlon. Among the guests, the group's star designer Virgil Abloh and Korean jewellery stylist Yoon Ahn.
 
The collection is an eclectic mix of bright colours, Korean mythological motifs and club culture graphics. It features printed suits, flowing pyjama sets, pretty bare-backed bodycon dresses, trench coats, overcoats, jackets, trousers, dungarees and t-shirts. Wild-beast motifs roam on a trouser suit or a shirt dress, while pixelated dragon heads pop up on jacquard knitwear and sweatshirts. The label’s cute vinyl trench coats strike a fluorescent note. The word 'Kirin' is printed all over some of the suits, and so are the letters K and R, referencing the label's name and Korea.

“I met Peggy Gou through mutual friends, and she made a great impression on me. I am a music aficionado myself. She travels to music venues all over the world, and sends us her ideas. Her design studio within our organisation then develops her collection,” said Antonioli to FashionNetwork.com last December.

Peggy Gou was born in Seoul and moved to London to study at the London College of Fashion, before switching to a DJ career. Now based in Berlin, Gou is well-known for her exuberance and has literally exploded on the house/techno music scene in the last two years. She is a must-see act for her eclectic DJ sets, her signature style, high-energy performances and top-notch productions.

With Kirin, NGG hopes to repeat the string of successes it has had with its other labels. The Italian fashion group has a revenue of over €300 million, and is much coveted. Last January, NGG was rumoured to be negotiating with the LVMH group.