Stray Kids’ Felix to become face of hanbok’s modern redesign

Stray Kids member Felix / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment

Traditional attire has long wrestled with a stiff, museum-piece reputation, but Korea's cultural policy officials are betting that a dose of high-octane K-pop stardom can turn centuries-old garments into the next global streetwear trend.

This week, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that Felix, the deep-voiced, ethereal member of the chart-topping boy band Stray Kids, has been officially crowned as the face of the "2026 Hanbok Wave." The annual initiative pairs contemporary design houses with top-tier Korean wave luminaries to aggressively rebrand the hanbok — Korea’s traditional dress — for a modern, international audience.

Now in its seventh year, the campaign boasts an enviable roster of past muses, including figure skating legend Kim Yuna and screen stars Suzy, Kim Tae-ri and Park Bo-gum. But selecting Felix marks a sharp, tactical pivot toward the hyper-globalized Gen Z fandom. Stray Kids commands a massive, intensely loyal international following, making their front man the perfect vessel to break through Western fashion barriers.

The government is launching a competitive hunt to select five independent fashion firms to bring this cross-cultural vision to life. The chosen designers will be tasked with crafting 10 custom outfits each, tailored explicitly to fuse Felix's signature punk-meets-prince aesthetic with traditional Korean tailoring silhouettes.

The resulting collection won't just sit in a Seoul showroom. Instead, the ministry plans to splash high-fashion editorials across electronic billboards in global style capitals, including New York, Paris, and Milan, later this year.

"With the global expansion of Korean content, international interest in our traditional attire is hotter than ever," said Jung Hyang-mi, a senior policy official at the culture ministry. "This project will serve as a catalyst to solidify the hanbok as a highly desirable, wearable piece of content for fans worldwide."

For global fans looking to mirror their favorite idols, the message is clear: the hottest look coming out of Seoul isn't runway streetwear — it's royalty.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.