In the west side of Seoul’s sprawling city, the Seoul Fashion Week was beginning with momentum, taking guests into all far corners of the Korean capital. On a brisk weekday evening, guests began to arrive at Layer57, a renovated warehouse and studio space, where champagne and canapés provided a deep contrast to the surrounding local, industrial neighbourhood. As a former factory, the warehouse event space has retained its exposed concrete walls, wooden beams and timber roofing.

Here, British fashion label Alexander McQueen enlisted Milan-based architecture and research firm Andrea Caputo to create an aluminium structure made from intricate joint connections, presenting the new collection. Looking closely, the collections’ butterfly textile prints are further integrated in the structure, projected against steel plates that reflect their profile and silhouette. The deep red hues bounce off of the silver frame,

What is most fascinating about the installation design is it’s functional approach; although it is comprised of a sophisticated system of joints, it can be easily disassembled and reassembled for further use – maintaining innovation and sustainability in design. Standing as three independent mechanical structures that form a whole, the design creates a rectangular form that is possible to manoeuvre dependent on it’s external environment and space. Andrea Caputo Studio explained, “As three independent yet connected volumes, the infrastructure can accommodate diverse installations and can be easily disassembled for future use.”

The way that guests moved through and around the space, provided an intimate yet exposed environment that allowed guests closely examine pieces and still feel as though they’d entered the fantastical world of Alexander McQueen, if even for a fleeting evening.