“I feel like [wearing Thom Browne] I can shine as an individual,” says Teo Yoo. “I enjoy the classic menswear with minor, sweet details that show a contemporary twist.”
Highsnobiety is speaking to the star of the new Past Lives movie shortly after the finale of Thom Browne’s debut couture show in Paris on July 3.
Yoo, like many other Thom Browne fanatics, has been wearing the clothes of the American designer for a number of years now, citing its modern take on traditional looks as one of its most appealing facets.
However, despite creating bespoke garments on several occasions (most notably for Lizzo for 2022’s Met Gala), it wasn't until 2023 Thom Browne officially dipped his toes into the crazy realm of couture.
Yoo, who is speaking to Highsnobiety wearing a classic grey double-breasted suit from the Thom Browne archives, recently starred in Celine Song’s Past Lives, a film that premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
Despite Yoo's extensive catalog of accolades (one which most famously saw him star as Viktor Tsoi in the Russian musical Leto), the actor admits that the world of couture is an entirely new one to him, but one that he most certainly appreciates.
“It was the first live Haute Couture show that I've seen, so I was overwhelmed by the experience,” he said.
“I enjoyed the themes of time decaying and death. It was expressed in a nostalgic and spectacular way. The sounds of the bells gave it a Sunday afternoon mood with a Death Reaper's touch. I appreciated the honesty in Thom's expression.”
Thom Browne’s official couture debut in Paris (at present) is merely a one-off that was designed as a part of the brand’s twentieth anniversary celebrations, but one that’s been met with great acclaim.
For Yoo, a long-time wearer of Thom Browne (and lover of his grey suits), it was a spectacle to treasure and one that he likely won’t be forgetting in a hurry. That’s for sure.
