UTOPIA By Peder Cho Debuts At New Virgin Hotels NYC During NYFW

A judge on the recently streamed Fuse TV series Upcycled Nation, fashion designer Peder Cho launches his debut collection of the UTOPIA by Peder Cho during NYFW Fall/Winter 2023, on February 11th, 2023. With the grand opening of the Virgin Hotels New York City, the hotel hosted the designer’s high-end fashion line that included his signature upcycled designs.

The debut came to life in partnership with Global Fashion Exchange [GFX] and Virgin Hotels New York City Conscious Fashion Preview. UTOPIA by Peder Cho showcased its elevated designs of cargo workwear with intricate construction and draping, as well as upcycled pieces inspired by his previous work on the Instagram account @utopia.us. Cho’s aesthetic and fashion design have reinvigorated the conversation around sustainability through his garment creation.

Cho notes that “this debut is a culmination of my last four years as a designer and will set the precedent for my design language going forward. All fabrics used here were dead stock and I have several fully upcycled pieces highlighted to pay homage to my entire career up until now. I’m known for being an upcycling designer pushing the envelope of sustainability and this collection will allow me to spread that message to a greater audience.”

Peder Cho made a name for himself through social media, exploring upcycling and creating custom pieces with brands like Nike, Kid Super, and Skims, to name a few. The UTOPIA by Peder Cho’s debut collection titled “Finding Happiness” is handcrafted by Cho and his atelier, referring to a “community” practitioner from Los Angeles to Italy.

The ready-to-wear line comes as a culmination of a series of grand opening events by Virgin Hotels New York City, including celebrity stylist, futurist, and co-host of Fuse TV’s Upcycle Nation, Jerome Lamar hosting an panel to discuss the impact of textile and clothing reuse the night before.

Peder Cho is Korean-American, self-taught designer who pursued his career in design after a corporate life as an accountant. His experimentations led him to Los Angeles, where he built his upcycling community.

“‘Finding Happiness’ and is a story of my life through garments,” Cho describes. “I was an accountant for four years prior to my design career and that monotonous lifestyle was wearing me down. You can get stuck in that corporate cycle and time will pass: wake up, gym, go to work, and end with a happy hour. This collection symbolizes the breaking of that monotony.”

Cho has grown a dedicated following showcasing designs on his respective Instagram and Tiktok accounts, amassing nearly half a million followers. Cho recently led an interactive design showcase with True Religion at ComplexCon, where he created custom pieces for a live audience.

UTOPIA by Peder Cho began as a perpetual upcycling experiment that now is a homage to Cho’s ability to create new garments with functionality and upcycled pieces equal in value and aesthetic. UTOPIA will be available for purchase on the UTOPIA by Peder Cho website and in select retailers in August of 2023.