Traditional meets contemporary in modernized hanbok trend

[stutterflies.livejournal.com]

Korean designer modernizes hanbok into casual outfits
By Jessica Kwen for KoreAm (August 7, 2015)

With its vibrant colors and unique silhouette, hanbok, or traditional Korean attire, has often been regarded as one of the most iconic aspects of Korean culture. Up until a century ago, Koreans wore hanbok as everyday clothes to work, school and public outings. The tradition of wearing the elaborate, multi-layered dress eventually faded as Koreans opted for the convenience of Western-style clothing.

Dew Hwang wearing her designs. (Photo via Sonjjang Design Hanbok)

Korean designer Hwang Yi-seul, also known as Dew Hwang, is pushing for hanbok to make a comeback with her clothing line Leesle, which specializes in creating casual hanbok that can easily be worn on a daily basis.

Her designs incorporate the empire and A-line silhouettes of traditional hanbok, but are created from quality fabrics, such as cotton, denim and linen, to achieve a clean and modern look. These modernized hanbok dresses are sold in a variety of colors, from soft pastels to bolder tones, and trendy patterns. Buttons, zippers, pockets and elastic waistbands are sewn into the dresses to make it easy and comfortable to wear.

Hwang’s casual hanbok dresses retail anywhere from $100 to $150.

Leesle hanbok dresses (Photo via Sonjjang Design Hanbok)

In 2007, Hwang designed and wore a fusion hanbok inspired by the popular Korean comic book Goong to a costume parade at Chonbuk National University. After many people praised her for her craft, Hwang decided to sell hanbok online. She sold her first creation in five days and her second in a week.

Three months later, Hwang opened her online store, Sonjjang Design Hanbok, using a meager investment of 45,000 won (about $43) to register the business. She made the first few hanbok from leftover fabrics from her parents’ bedding store, according to Chosun Ilbo.

Since launching her store, Hwang has branched out her business to include fusion hanbok cocktail dresses, wedding dresses, casual wear and children’s clothing. Her monthly sales now reach around 25 million won ($21,466).

Hwang’s fusion hanbok gown (Photo via Sonjjang Design Hanbok)

Hwang (far left) poses with models wearing her designs (Photo via Sonjjang Design Hanbok)

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Hanbok trend draws mixed responses
By The Korea Times Seoul staff (August 13, 2015)

(Courtesy of Today Hanbok)

Hanbok, or traditional Korean attire, has mostly disappeared in the highly modernized city of Seoul, with the exception of weddings or national holidays such as Seollal or Lunar New Year and Chuseok or Korean Thanksgiving.

But hanbok has recently been weaving its way into modern-day clothes in styles that are captivating young women.

Modernized hanbok with a shorter skirt and polka dot “jeogori (jacket)” (Courtesy of Today Hanbok)

Hemlines have gone up, traditional designs simplified and modern patterns incorporated to make appealing outfits for modern women.

Today, in a trendy area such as Hongdae, you may come across someone clad in a T-shirt and a hanbok skirt. While these modern styles also come as a complete outfit of a “jeogori (jacket)” and skirt, mix and matching is more popular. Incorporating pieces of modern-style hanbok has kicked off as a trend in Seoul.

That doesn’t mean everyone is welcoming it.

Kim Ae-ran, 30, who likes to wear modern styles of the traditional costume, said people do not always approve of her outfits.

“I often wear modernized hanbok, which has a shorter skirt than the traditional one, but some elderly people say it isn’t appropriate,” Kim explained.

She said many people have a narrow definition when it comes to tradition.

Many others agree.

“Modernized hanbok can be appealing but it might not be so effective in promoting Korea, because it looks different from the traditional costume,” said a blogger with the ID: lukt***n. ”Foreigners who have not seen hanbok before would not be able to tell what the modernized outfits represent.”

Designer Lee Young-hee’s traditional Korean hanbok fashion show is underway at an event in Cheongju City, North Chungcheong Province, on March 9, 2015. (Yonhap)

Mok Plus CEO Mok Eun-jung, third from left, attended the Oscars ceremony in a hanbok alongside a Hollywood actress this year. (NEWSis)

1. Written by Jessica Kwen for KoreAm
2. Written by The Korea Times Seoul staff

What do you think about incorporating traditional wear into everyday life? What kind of traditional clothes do you like?

Comments

[tempestdance.livejournal.com]

it's just that hanboks are so expensive. i would love it if koreans were more open to wearing hanbok as more of daily outfits like yukata or even more commonly worn during festive days and some part of it is the attitude towards but a big part is the cost - it's so damn expensive, i don't think i got to wore one after the age of seven.

[broadway-bound3.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about hanboks, but I saw my friend's and I think it was a cheaper make and made of a polyester. I couldn't imagine wanting to wear it for Chuseok when it's still warm outside and you're sweating in traditional clothes. So I guess you can either buy an expensive one and be a little comfortable or wear a cheaper one and sweat.

[atopworld.livejournal.com]

Those are cute. I really love the one in the fourth photo.

[jasmineakaiumi.livejournal.com]

I think it's cool that people want to reconnect with tradition by doing this.
Everything is so pretty!

[v-glace.livejournal.com]

I love seeing modern hanbok interpretations. Personally, I'd rather see wearable hanboks that are more easily accessible for the average person than the alternative, which I guess is almost none at all. It seems like a good way to express/connect to cultural heritage, but then again I'm not Korean so who knows. That "skirt being too short" reason is bleh.

[stutterflies.livejournal.com]

I recently attended a Vietnamese wedding where the bride had her bridesmaids change into ao dai halfway through the reception (I have only ever seen the bride do the outfit swap). It was pretty cool and they looked super pretty, but I bet it was expensive as fuck. lol

[juhli.livejournal.com]

Ao dais are soooo pretty, when my cousin married she also had her bridesmaids in ao dais :D
They were borrowed, so it wasn't so expensive.

[rosetta16.livejournal.com]

this dresses are soooo pretty, I want

[misa-star.livejournal.com]

I still wear the vietnamese ao dai all the time. I have like 15 of them

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

Haha omg I used to wear ao dai in like high school but they are soooo unforgiving. If you gain or lose even just 5-10lbs you need to get another one made. At least I do. I honestly can't be bothered anymore unless it's a wedding/dam hoi. Not even at Tet anymore.

[petecarl.livejournal.com]

I think it's a good way to continue to connect with your cultural history while still being practical. Anyway, I really like the green and white outfit and the tie skirt.

[921227.livejournal.com]

I saw this article and thought it was really interesting.
I'm not korean, but I do remember we've had a few articles about hanbok before on omona and felt a little sad that so few people wore them but I guess it's probably what happens in a lot of modern countries.
Personally, I like the idea of modernizing the hanbok -- that accessibility to a younger generation could be useful in bringing life to traditional ones as well. I guess it could be similar to how young people these days are taking vintage accessories and clothing and matching with modern trends -- it's just another evolution in fashion and culture

[xxhna.livejournal.com]

wearing traditional wear in daily life seems like a good practice, especially if you want to keep that part of the culture alive. I've seen many kinds of traditional dress and it is really beautiful and heart warming to see people being able to express their culture in that way.

[ah-mui.livejournal.com]

Malaysian women wear Malay traditional clothes all the time, it's normal. There's a lot of modern interpretations nowadays, but even the traditional ones have different styles/elements that differentiate by state. Traditional hanbok seems quite chunky/clunky compared to streamlined ones like yukata, saree, ao dai etc

[turtles-tszx.livejournal.com]

MTE, but i also think bcos of our weather and affordable price makes it easier for daily wear as well. I love baju kurung pahang but somehow i think you really need to have good quality of cloth to make one since the design is so simple.

[ah0000.livejournal.com]

I really like this style

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

dresses from first article are so pretty and look so comfy

[momomoing.livejournal.com]

These are so cute!

[haixiao.livejournal.com]

i didn't realize hanbok were so expensive or only worn exclusively for certain holidays
my korean friend said we could rent hanboks when we go to seoul because she hasn't worn one since she was a little girl and i was like whaaat but now i understand

[skidadler.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of modernizing traditional clothing. I've always loved hanboks, I think they're gorgeous. I would love to get any of those variations. I love wrap dresses, so this is definitely up my alley.

[pseudo-shigure.livejournal.com]

the modern ones are so cute.

i think Indonesia do quite well in modernizing some of our traditional wears (only some, bc this country has so many ethnics=so many traditional clothes). we either make kebaya into really pretty gowns, or make it into casual top so you can wear it with jeans. and the batik fabrics are so versatile now you can turn it into pretty much anything.

[turtles-tszx.livejournal.com]

Indonesian kebaya are so so pretty especially the details, im a malaysian and find myself mesmerized when i see people wearing indonesian kebaya bcos it's pretty.. Too bad i cant pull it off :(

[arysthaeniru.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of modernizing hanbok, but of course, it's hard to reconcile modernizing it with disrespecting what it stands for. There's arguments for it both way, and I'm not korean, so commenting too much would be stupid.

As for me, with indian background, I don't wear saris, gagra or regular chudidhar in normal life, because of the fabrics they're made from. Very heavy and when I get messy easily, I feel bad about messing up something expensive, and I end yup not wearing it very often. I have more cotton and comfortable chudidhar tops, but then I don't wear them because they're very plain and I only need them for my dance classes, where I get shouted out for not wearing something traditional.

Of course, there are in-betweens that are both lightweight and pretty, but then wearing foreign clothing daily still gets you weird looks, even inside Bay Area, filled with so many different cultures. And people regard you as someone whose ideas are rooted in the past, instead of you just honouring your culture. They always wonder whether something's special for a religion, if you only where it every no and then. And if you wear it everyday, or regularly, they'll start judging you for being too attached to your homeland.

and whoops this got longer than I wanted

[steelsigns.livejournal.com]

aw bb I sympathise with your dilemma - all just coz' people are judging each other by what they wear smh

[atelierlune.livejournal.com]

I kind of see why someone would be uncomfortable with a shorter hanbok - everyone here can imagine a sexualized version of a national dress not being ok - but at the same time a lot of the ones in the pictures are super cute and don't stray too far from the original.

[burnbook31.livejournal.com]

I really like this version a lot

[winegums.livejournal.com]

yeah, the skirt....I have been looking for sth like that for what feels like ages. Full shirts with a cute waist detail >>>>>>>

[lysblack.livejournal.com]

Man, all the new versions are gorgeous, but so is the original.

I feel so envious of cultures that have such beautiful traditional clothes, when mine doesn't.

[yakuniku-8.livejournal.com]

Me too. We have regional traditional dresses but not a national one.

[sirenofny.livejournal.com]

I love looking at old photos of my grandmother in her hanbok but she always complained how uncomfortable it was for her and how she was always making sure her skirt wasn't gaping in the back. The few times I wore mine as a kid, I felt uncomfortable as well so these modernized ones look so appealing to me.
I don't really care what foreigners think cause they usually say something stupid like "Chinese, Japanese, Korean? Who cares. You're all the same" and I know people like my grandmother would marvel at how chic and comfortable these were.
Where can I get one?

[xxyumekaxx.livejournal.com]

Really? I've never heard that, maybe because I'm living in Europe?
If a european person ever said that, you could easily answer 'Ah, like (where person comes from), French and Italian are all the same?'
They'd get the difference really fast, lol.

[dokyungsoo.livejournal.com]

these are all so pretty!

i love wearing the qipao/cheongsam, but i only ever get to do it over chinese new year. they do try incorporating it into daily wear, but most of them are designed for the older generation and ages young adults. shame :(

SUBARU'S BUTT

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO NOT LOVE HIM.

[stutterflies.livejournal.com]

[yakuniku-8.livejournal.com]

So much beauty in these pictures! It's so elegant.

I don't know the history of hanbok but I guess it haven't been exactly the same through the centuries. It must have been trends regarding the colours, etc,...

But I understand that some are too sexy for a traditional dress like the ones for the fashion show by Lee Young Hee. It looks like the underwear under the hanbok.