The Hanbok Wave Project's Efforts to Connect Youth with Tradition: 'Kim Tae-ri' promotes hanbok globally
2024-12-25
Actress ‘Kim Tae-ri’ wearing traditional hanbok, promoting it through ‘Hanbok Wave’ project. (Photo credit: 'Hwang Yi-seul).
In a world where fashion often shifts with the tides of modernity, the Hanbok Wave project stands as a vibrant testament to the enduring beauty of traditional Korean attire. This innovative initiative seeks not only to revive interest in hanbok—a garment rich in history and cultural significance—but also to reinterpret it for contemporary audiences around the globe.
The hanbok wave project is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft & Design Foundation.
In this article, I interviewed one of the designers participated in this project. We talked about her collaboration with the actor 'Kim Tae-ri' and the importance of modern hanbok.
The interview was conducted via email during a period between 20 and 22 of December.
Would you please introduce yourself.
Hello, my name is 'Hwang Yi-seul'. I'm a hanbok designer who runs a brand named ‘Leesle’. I am active in Jeonju, a town full of traditional culture and Korean heritage.
My main style is the modern hanbok style which adds practicality to hanbok.
Designer ‘Hwang Yi-seul’ who participated in hanbok wave project. (Photo credit: ‘Hwang Yi-seul’).
How do you define a modern hanbok, and what sets it apart from a traditional hanbok?
Traditional hanboks often come to mind as narrow hanboks such as skirts, jeogori (Korean traditional jacket), durumagi (traditional Korean overcoat), and vests in the style of the late Joseon Dynasty.
But if you think about the word definition of hanbok, hanbok is "Korean clothes". Any outfit with Korean heritage can be called ‘Hanbok’.
Modern hanbok refers to modern fashion created by designers by reflecting the colors, lines, materials, patterns, and silhouettes of hanbok. To put it simply, it's a 21st century hanbok.
How do you see celebrities wearing hanbok influencing the public's perception of this traditional outfit?
Celebrities have strong fandom and influence. They have the power to spread through TV and social media. In that sense, the costumes they wear can have the main effect of attracting great public attention.
When influential stars are exposed to their favorite hanboks, many fans are interested in them. I think this kind of influence allows us to promote hanboks widely.
This work was inspired by the flower painting on the square glass lantern of the Joseon Dynasty royal family. (Photo credit: ‘Hwang Yi-seul).
How is the design process of modern hanbok different from traditional methods?
Modern Hanbok focuses on being able to wear real clothes in everyday life in modern times. I focus on practicality rather than fancy colors or volume.
You should be able to wash it in a washing machine and wear it on the street so that you don't have any inconvenience.
They should be comfortable to wear all day long. In that sense, one has to be very careful in choosing materials and with colors. It is also important to develop patterns that do not add pockets, zippers, or squeeze the body.
It is also necessary to melt the trends that people like these days, and at the same time, you have to feel the traditional beauty, so you need to understand both the modern and the tradition. I've been working on this for nearly 18 years, but it's still difficult.
Can you please explain your recent collaboration with the actress 'Kim Tae-ri' on this project?
It's one of the projects called the '2024 Hanbok Wave'. It was created after more than six months of research.
It is a project in which hanbok companies and Korean Wave artists collaborate to develop hanboks and expose them globally to gain opportunities for the popularization and globalization of hanbok.
'Kim Tae-ri' wore two of the eight "Heritage Collection" I produced.
I wanted to express the depth that cultural heritage possesses. So, I melted images inspired by relics such as 'An Jung-sik' 's "Seonsan-Nugakdo" and the Joseon royal square glass on the hanbok. This heritage collection focused on showing the depth and beauty of our traditional culture.
Actress 'Kim Tae-ri' gave her opinion by carefully checking the material and color. She suggested the alluring beauty of hanbok and helped me a lot in making the design. Actually, the final version of the design has been changed a lot from the draft.
It's a design that incorporates a lot of 'Kim Tae-ri' 's opinions.
I was very touched to see that my affection for hanbok and traditional culture was just felt at the meeting site and gave my opinions one by one.
This work was based on 'An Jung-sik' ’s ‘Seonsan Pavilion’ in the late Joseon Dynasty as a motif. The landscape painting created with elaborate printing on the highest quality silk is reminiscent of a painting. (Photo credit: ‘Hwang Yi-seul’).
In what ways do you think modern hanbok can contribute to the preservation of Korean culture?
Some people say that modern hanbok hurts the identity of traditional hanbok. But I think differently, traditions are not fixed, they are changed. it's more valuable only when it's melted into our daily lives and used in practice.
Modern Hanbok plays a role in lowering the threshold to make hanbok accessible to those who do not know how to wear it.
Modern Hanbok coexists with traditional Hanbok and plays an important role in inheriting the traditional culture of hanbok.
How would you describe your personal design aesthetics?
If you define the outfit in a word, it's "The hanbok that you can wear right now." Hanbok is a piece of clothing. It's not an artifact in a museum.
It should be not a hanbok that can be seen with the eyes or seen in TV shows, but a clothes that I touch, wear, wash, and put in my closet.
In order to do that, you have to include contemporaneity and be friendly.
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