By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Fingerprint silver cufflinks, eco-friendly bags made from old Korean banners, bird and cloud salt and pepper shakers, and ice cream-shaped earrings and are just some of the quirky and cool Korean-designed products attracting attention at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) SoHo design store in New York City.
Around 75 lifestyle products created by Korean designers are currently being sold not just in New York but also MoMA online shops in the United States, Japan and Korea, as part of the ``Destination: Seoul'' collection.
The MoMA's on-going ``Destination: Design'' product collection showcases emerging designers and design trends from different countries twice a year. Previous collections featured Japanese, Finnish and German design, but this spring, it is Korea's turn to be in the spotlight.
MoMA retail executives said Korean designed products seemed like an ideal choice for the product collection for spring, especially since ``color and nature are important in Korean culture and you can see that expressed in many of the products.''
``Americans tend to be relatively unaware of Korean design beyond automobiles and electronics, but during our time there we've been seeing a lot of fresh and innovative design beyond these familiar categories. South Korean designers also seem very responsive to the current times. We found many designers and manufacturers to be socially and environmentally aware. Companies such as Eco Party Mearry and GongJang, for example, make their products from recycled materials and also donate to other non-profit organizations,'' said Kathy Thornton-Bias, MoMA retail general manager.
The MoMA merchandise team chose products that are innovative in form, function, materials and production. There is also an emphasis on design that reflects Korean culture and tradition, such as the ``hwatu'' game cards, a carp key ring (carp symbolizes career advancement) and a colorful umbrella featuring Korean culture's 10 symbols of longevity.
Vibrant colored traditional Korean patterns were used by designer Kim Ju for his handbags, such as the striped ``Lucky Shoulder Bag'' and ``Camellia Tote Bag.'' ``The decorative fabric camellia on the bag symbolizes the virtues of strength and calm. I chose the camellia because I thought it was the flower that closely resembles Korean women,'' Kim said.
There are some products that may not be obviously Korean, such as Design Group Second Hotel's Spooner, a spoon-shaped bottle opener. The Spooner was directly inspired by Koreans' penchant for opening bottles using a spoon.
Another aspect of Korean design that attracted the MoMA's attention was the use of recycled materials.
Eco Party Mearry design team's Song Gi-ho said their eco-friendly bags made from old banners are selling well at the MoMA store because of their bright colors and unique Korean lettering.
``Our products are produced from objects and materials with a past. It's not brand-new, but it also means the products have a special story of their own,'' Song said.
Another bestseller is Eco Party Mearry's gorilla plush doll that resembles the endangered highland mountain gorilla and made from used children's clothes. Song said the company will soon launch a second line featuring another endangered animal, the polar bear.
MoMA Design Store merchandising team worked with HyundaiCard, which is its licensing partner in Korea, and the Korea Institute of Design Promotion to identify products and designers that were appropriate for the collection. Over 200 items were chosen during the initial screening, but was trimmed down to a list of 75 items that was submitted to the MoMA team.
MoMA Design Store hopes ``Destination: Seoul'' will bring more attention to young Korean designers in both the U.S. and Korea, and give American customers a better understanding and appreciation for Korean design.
Visit the U.S. Web site www.momastore.org or Korean Web site www.momaonlinestore.co.kr.