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For Rejina Pyo, the lines between fashion, art, and design are wonderfully blurred. “The way I design clothes is the same as designing a table or designing a space,” she said. “I’m really trying to be true to myself.”
This month, the London-based designer and artist opened Rejina Pyo 86, a new shop in Notting Hill that doubles as a gallery with curated exhibitions—an expansion of her long-running interest in bringing art and fashion together. Pyo joins Artsy’s editor in chief Casey Lesser on this episode of The Artsy Podcast for a conversation about her affinity for art and artists and why fashion and art are such ideal bedfellows.
Rejina Pyo 86. Courtesy of Rejina Pyo.
Known for bringing an artist’s eye to her designs—from sculptural silhouettes and buttons to her bold use of color—Pyo originally studied fine art in college and is now back in art school, currently enrolled in a master’s program at Goldsmiths, University of London. Over the past few years, this perspective has become increasingly evident: She recently collaborated with the Munch Museum, and last year she marked her brand’s 10th anniversary with a curated exhibition at London gallery Soho Revue.
In tandem with the episode, Pyo curated a collection of artworks on Artsy, which you can explore here. “These works remind me that art isn’t only something to admire—it’s something to be in conversation with,” she said of the selection. “They encourage me to keep exploring, experimenting, and trusting the process, even when the way forward feels unclear.”
Munch x Rejina Pyo silk scarf print. Courtesy of Rejina Pyo.
Also on this episode, editors Casey Lesser and Arun Kakar reflect on the past year in art, discuss insights from Artsy’s newly released Artsy Buyer Trends report, and share a few personal art highlights from 2025. Listen now and read an edited excerpt of the conversation with Pyo below.
This episode was produced by Olivia Horn and edited by Grant Irving.
Rejina Pyo, The Ruler. Courtesy of Rejina Pyo.
Rejina Pyo Martina bag in aqua green leather. Courtesy of Rejina Pyo.
Casey Lesser: This art-fashion intersection is becoming more and more popular. I know that you got an early award from the Hans Nefkens Foundation, which was actually an art and fashion award—so this has always really been a part of your brand. And that award was important to launching your brand, right?
Rejina Pyo: I studied art and then went into fashion. And at the graduation show of Central Saint Martins, my master’s program, I knew, because I had already worked in the industry, that this might have been the last chance that I could make something where I really didn’t need to worry about production and the cost and selling the pieces. So the work became very artistic.
Rejia Pyo AW 11 show at Central Sain Martins, 2011. Courtesy of Rejina Pyo.
It involved charred wooden sculptures carried by models, and it was very ritualistic and pagan. None of the garments included any stitches—it was burnt edges glued together. So that collection won me the Hans Nefkens award, and I was commissioned to create a work that stands between art and fashion at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, which is one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands.
And so I had a huge space to do a solo show, and that was just a dream come true—where I could really decide to create something that can be an artwork.
Installation view of Rejina Pyo “Structural Mode” at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 2012–2013. Courtesy of Rejina Pyo.
C.L.: And then, last year you celebrated 10 years of the brand and instead of doing a runway show, you decided to curate an art exhibition, called “As She Is” at Soho Revue in London. Could you tell us a bit about that decision and your inspiration behind that show?
R.P.: Yes. The way of thinking started a few years back; I really wanted to communicate what fueled this brand to be for the last 10 years. Whenever the pure source was translated to a garment and put on a model in a catwalk format, I felt like I kind of lost the real message. And I wanted to try a completely different way. I think it was perfect timing for the 10 years—celebrating all the artists who inspired me for the last 10 years.
Installation view of Mother’s Object in “As She Is,” curated by Rejina Pyo at Soho Revue, London, 2024. Courtesy of Soho Revue.
So, it was 19 artists, a group exhibition. And I could not include my mother who inspired me so much, so one of the rooms was called “Mother’s Object,” and so I created my mother’s collection. It includes a lot of Korean antiques that I brought from Korea. I think some people cried—it was really kind of emotional.
I didn’t have an academic, art historical approach to curating. I worked very intuitively. And while curating, that’s when I realized: This is another way of expressing. Because it’s very much what I do day to day in broad terms, like editing and curating and mixing things.
I think the highlight was at the opening where you have established artists, like Chantal Joffe, and younger artists, like Antonia Showering. All these artists, across generations, were admiring each other’s work and having a great dialogue. That was wonderful.
Installation view of “As She Is,” curated by Rejina Pyo at Soho Revue, London, 2024. Courtesy of Soho Revue.
Artists, designers, exhibitions, and institutions mentioned in this episode:
About our guest
Rejina Pyo is a London-based designer and artist, as well as the founder and creative director of her eponymous fashion label. Trained in fine art before studying at Central Saint Martins, Pyo is known for sculptural silhouettes, distinctive details, and bold color. She has increasingly blurred the boundaries between fashion and contemporary art through exhibitions and collaborations, including a project with the Munch Museum. She recently opened Rejina Pyo 86, a new shop at 86 Golborne Road in London that also serves as a gallery space.
About The Artsy Podcast
As editors at the world’s largest online art marketplace, we discover and decode art every day. Now, we’re inviting you to join our conversation. Alongside the leading voices in fashion, music, design, and beyond, we’re untangling the art world and its role in our cultural landscape—one episode at a time.
Portrait of Rejina Pyo by Bob Foster. Courtesy of Rejina Pyo.