Hanbok returns with modern charm
Modernized hanbok with a shorter skirt and polka dot "jeogori (jacket)" / Courtesy of Today Hanbok
By Kim Bo-eun
By Kim Bo-eun
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.
Hemlines have gone up, traditional designs simplified and unconventional 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.
Changing times
The trend started as young designers started altering traditional patterns in recent years. Numerous brands making their own modern versions of the traditional attire have sprung up this year. A simple google of "daily hanbok" on search engines will reveal a long list of sites. Big name brands make up to 25 million won ($20,981) in monthly sales.
Online and offline communities of hanbok enthusiasts are also growing.
The attire has become even more popular for travellers. As people travelling abroad wearing the traditional attire make names as "hanbok ambassadors," more young women are making their way around the world wearing traditional costumes. One "hanbok traveler" even made it to Mount Everest.
Posts of travelers in hanbok in foreign settings continue to be uploaded online and photo exhibitions of such trips have been hosted.
There are also workshops for people planning such trips - people can get tips on how to pack and wear the clothing.
Photos on Instagram with the hashtag #HanbokTravels / Courtesy of Instagram
Renewed interest
"It seems that younger people developed an interest in their traditional dress as new attempts were made in terms of design to make the traditional attire more accessible in daily life," said Hanbok Advancement Center manager Park Sung-young.
Although some argue that the new designs cannot be regarded as hanbok, Park views them in a positive light.
"Modern hanbok can be seen as a more fashionable version of the traditional one," she said. "We believe that such designs can expand the scope of hanbok, and that such attempts can create a virtuous cycle that leads to interest in tradition."
Park said that for now, simply having more people talk about hanbok is good.
"We are anticipating that the boom among young people wearing hanbok when they travel will help make hanbok more culturally significant," she said.
Limits
While the renewed interest is viewed positively, some people in the industry worry that it will simply pass as a fad and fail to last as efforts to preserve tradition.
Some industry insiders also believe that the alterations and new interpretations will become too much of a stretch from tradition.
"There definitely are concerns," said Today Hanbok CEO Kim Bo-kyung. "We are trying as much as we can to save and follow traditional patterns."
She added interest at the moment is limited in terms of gender and age group.
"Interest is mostly among young women," she said. "To be able to say hanbok is truly regaining popularity it would have to spread to a broader population to include men as well as older people."