Post Archive Faction hits home run in Pitti

Fashion Network

19-06-2025

Add Post Archive Faction (PAF) to the list of brands smartly endorsed by Pitti, the giant menswear salon in Florence, where this new South Korean marque made its Italian debut on Thursday afternoon.
Not quite a-star-is-born moment, but certainly the biggest hit of all the shows this week in Pitti. Post Archive Faction is all about techy urban wear, all-weather clubbing gear that's very dark, rather moody and definitely very cool, which all felt very now.
'The brand's name comes from the fact that our generation is very lucky in that we can access all these beautiful archives from art, fashion or cinema, or any movement anywhere, thanks to the Internet. So, we can drift around those archives, exploring and making our own new one,' explained co-founder Dongjoon Lim, in a preview.
Where what stood out was the remarkable hand of many fabrics: stiff dandy pajama suits in putty-hued toweling material; chiffon mesh crepe blazers that felt like light scouring pads; or desert dry linen shirts.
The tailoring was deconstructed yet somehow punchy – everything anchored by some great footwear: sprayed over Chelsea boots, brogue/clog assemblages; and saddle-stitch lace-ups.
PAF had shown before in Paris, with some well-admired hyper avant-garde Yeti-style concept clothes, though without making a giant impact. But by scaling up for this show, the brand suddenly took on another dimension.
PAF's arrival in Pitti comes in the wake of Kolon, a very large Korean conglomerate, buying a significant stake in the house. Looks like Kolon got the timing of that investment right. Notably, as a recent collab' with happening sneaker brand On underlined – some 90% of the collection sold out on the first day.
On a day in Florence where temperatures hit 37 degrees celsius, Lim insisted: 'I don't really like hot weather! Though it's very hard to find cool lightweight clothing for spring. But what I was want is very classic, but practical.'
Presented inside the looming former train station, Stazione Leopoldo, the cast marched out to the dramatic sounds of "Buka" by pianist Hania Rani. Full marks for some simple but highly effective staging, courtesy of veteran show producer Thierry Dreyfus. Using the full length the station, each figure silhouetted before a light-filled back wall. On the runway multiple trickles of sand – like from an hourglass – fell to create small islands to circumnavigate.
Asked how he wanted his audience to react, Lim responded: 'I'd like to think that they will be drifting both physically and in their imagination.'
Which they very probably were.