Stitching Korean spirit: Costume designer reimagines hanbok for world stage

Lee Jin-hee, a costume director, designer and professor at the Korea National University of Arts, holds up a "gat," a traditional Korean hat, used in the fashion show celebrating the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, last year during a recent interview with The Korea Times at her Seoul studio. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Lee Jin-hee, the mastermind behind the costume designs of countless dramas, films and theatrical productions, first encountered costume design during her studies at college, where she majored in stage design. Captivated by the spirit embedded in traditional Korean attire, she has carved out a distinguished career as a hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) designer.

The designer, who is now teaching at the Korea National University of Arts, made a name for herself through her work on hit dramas such as "Love in the Moonlight" (2016) and "My Dearest" (2023), as well as films such as "The Treacherous" (2015) and "The Great Battle" (2018). In 2020, her artistry earned her the Costume Design Award at the Grand Bell Awards.

In 2024, she held a solo exhibition by invitation at the Korean Cultural Center in New York, and last year, she unveiled 15 hanbok pieces integrating artificial intelligence (AI) at a fashion show celebrating the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Most recently, she served as the chief costume designer for the local musical "Arang," which is currently eyeing a New York debut.

As for her 2024 New York exhibition, Lee said she was initially fraught with anxiety about how U.S. audiences would perceive "obangsaek," the five traditional Korean directional colors rooted in deep cultural philosophy. However, the response completely took her by surprise.

Lee Jin-hee, a costume designer and professor at the Korea National University of Arts, irons her costumes during an interview in her Seoul studio. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

"Obangsaek is deeply intertwined with the principles of yin and yang, the five elements and the universe. In the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), infant mortality was high, so people heavily incorporated these colors into children's clothing as symbols of longevity and protection. They are incredibly vivid, primal colors. When I went to New York, the viewers there ultimately talked about 'vitality.' Even without any explanation, they could feel the raw energy and life force within the colors," Lee said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at her studio in Seoul.

"Visitors told me they saw something simple yet incredibly powerful. On the surface, the colors are intensely vivid and flashy. But the fact that they felt that underlying energy proved to me that the essence of what I wanted to convey was truly delivered. The response was far more explosive than I ever anticipated. When I look at hanbok, I see the hidden, latent power of Korea as a cultural powerhouse."

Strength in simplicity

In her 20s, she used to marvel at the sheer opulence of Western attire. When she first pivoted to designing hanbok, she initially found it "too simple."

"But the more I studied hanbok, the more I realized that while it is incredibly elegant, it carries immense energy. To simplify something requires a proportionate amount of power. You need the strength to strip away the unnecessary, and that is precisely the strength and energy of our people," she said.

"It looks simple, but it is incredibly potent. Take the silhouette of hanbok trousers or the jacket — the way a straight line harmoniously coexists with the gentle curve of the 'baerae' (the bottom curve of the sleeve) is brilliant. Achieving harmony through simplicity requires an extraordinary aesthetic sense. The more I study the traditional rituals, the more I realize that we are a people of incredible passion, high energy and bold expression."

The costume Lee Jin-hee designed for the 2010 drama "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" is displayed in her Seoul studio. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Embracing AI revolution to expand territory of hanbok

At the APEC summit, Lee presented "Future Hanbok" — a collection that aggressively utilized AI as a core design element. While acknowledging many in the creative fields harbor an aversion toward AI, she thinks understanding the AI ecosystem is a matter of survival.

"I input design elements based on my own aesthetics and worldview. When I use a creative program with those prompts, my data and my research materials, it generates entirely new creations. If you input the original archetypes of the Three Kingdoms period, some programs will spit out exactly what was inputted, while others will completely reinterpret it and offer fresh designs," she said.

While some artists fear that handing over such data will lead to losing their creative territory, Lee believes that failing to read the changing AI ecosystem will lead to being entirely consumed by it, anyway.

"Ultimately, art stems from my worldview and my essence; AI is simply a tool, and that tool is getting sharper. I see infinite possibilities for expansion here, and I believe it will greatly aid in the globalization of hanbok," she said.

Costume designer Lee Jin-hee explains the strength of "obangsaek," five traditional Korean directional colors, in her Seoul studio. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Recalling an event in New York where AI-generated "pansori" (traditional Korean narrative singing) received an incredible reception, Lee said, "Just because a tool is used doesn't mean the IP (intellectual property) suddenly belongs to another country. Knowing how to use these tools versus being ignorant of them makes a world of difference. I believe AI can play a wonderful role in digitizing our IP for future generations, expanding it and keeping it alive and breathing."

In the same vein, she views the current trend of young people wearing modernized, nontraditional hanbok around Gyeongbok Palace as a form of cultural play, rather than as a threat to tradition.

"Because Korea endured wars, much of our tangible heritage was lost compared with Europe. Perhaps that is why today's youth are even more drawn to tangible cultural assets; they find their roots there and feel a sense of pride. While curators play a vital role in historically verifying and preserving tradition like a museum, I think it's fantastic that young people love hanbok so much that they interpret and enjoy it in their own modern way," she said.

Colorful spools of thread hang on the wall of costume designer Lee Jin-hee's studio in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

From screen to stage and beyond

In the past, historical K-dramas often featured flat, unornamented hanbok. However, the outfits Lee designed for the hit 2010 drama "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" shattered the conventional mold of historical costumes, becoming a massive sensation. She was the first to introduce modern techniques to period costumes — such as digital textile printing and sequins — while boldly using a pastel color palette. The airing of that drama marked the genesis of the modernized hanbok trend.

Lee said that designing for television is entirely different from designing for the stage.

"A theatrical performance has to pack an entire world into just a couple of hours. In a movie, if a character says, 'Look at the ocean,' the director takes you to a real beach. But on stage, you can just put up a window frame, say the line, and the audience imagines their own ocean," she said.

"Technically, stage costumes are much harder to design. Because theater lighting is so harsh and high-contrast, you can’t just make a costume look normal, like you would for film. You have to use bold textures and layers to give the clothes depth, pulling the audience into the drama. Stage costumes simply require far more experience."

The costumes Lee Jin-hee designed for the musical "Arang" / Courtesy of Lee Jin-hee

Lee recently expanded her work into media art performances, painting and sculpture. "I am currently focusing more on expanding the traditions and shamanistic rituals I love into a contemporary language. Because I am fascinated by Korean aesthetics, I love infusing Korean elements into all my endeavors. If you truly understand the Korean spirit and aesthetic, you can infuse it into any project that comes your way. That is what breathes true life into a piece," she said.

Her latest work, the musical "Arang," originally carried a heavy tone of sorrow. However, by injecting Korean ritualistic and shamanistic qualities, Lee managed to breathe vibrant life into the original script.

Pointing to a 2024 photo shoot she conducted in the Kazakhstan desert, featuring Kazakh models draped in hanbok, she said, "Because our ancestors used to die at early ages, the Chinese character wishing for long life was frequently stitched onto children's clothes and pillowcases. Along with it, we also took Korean traditional patchwork prints and hojakdo (folk paintings of tigers and magpies) meant for protection, and brought them into the modern era."

She added: "When the patterns of our traditional folk art are married to modernity like this, our IP expands in its own right. Ultimately, that scalability is what matters most. No matter how advanced technology gets, true IP can never be stolen by someone else."