A pair of Australian fashion designers are finding new ways to incorporate and preserve the timeless and authentic qualities of traditional Korean clothing for modern consumers.
Joanna Lee, 21, a third-year fashion design student at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), and fellow student Changmin Yun, 23, are the creative minds behind JOANNAYOUN, which is reimagining traditional Korean clothing, known as hanbok, a combination of top, pants, skirt and coat.
“Hanbok has always been a prominent garment in my life as a Korean-Australian, and I would always wear it for special occasions like birthdays or weddings,” Lee tells Central News.
“You don’t see many traditional Korean designs worn in our daily lives, which is why it’s so important for me to take this opportunity to promote appreciation for the Korean culture… and build a bridge between Western and Korean garments by resonating with the audience’s familiar signifiers of garment.”
“Hanbok has always been a prominent garment in my life as a Korean-Australian, and I would always wear it for special occasions like birthdays or weddings,” Lee says.
History of hanbok
The hanbok, unlike its simple translation – “Korean clothes”, is a national symbol of Korea and an embodiment of its rich history and cultural identity, its origins dating back to the Goguryeo Kingdom that flourished between 37BC and 668.
The loose-fitting jacket (jeogori) and wide, flowing skirt (chima) are the most distinct features of the hanbok, and were designed to be comfortable yet functional, suited for Korea’s horse riding and sitting culture.
“The unique structure of jeogori [includes] git, dongjeong, goreum,” according to Dr Minjee Kim, a historian and lecturer specialising in Korean dress and textile history in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
In Korean society, clothing also played a significant role in maintaining social hierarchy.
“Prior to designing, I did extensive research into Korea’s history and found that an individual’s status or position in society and gender were heavily reflected in the type of hanbok they wore,” Lee says from her home in Melbourne.
“Noblemen or royalty wore elaborate, intricate designs made from luxurious silk fabric; whereas commoners wore much simpler designs made of cotton.”
However, the hanbok that is widely known today did not take its form until the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), where the chima remained voluminous while the jeogori and its sleeves grew shorter and more fitting over time.
Redefining hanbok for today
Lee has worked on countless designs – informed by historical research and a special interest into how people lived in the past.
“There’s no limit confining creative innovation. It is totally up to the creators and performers how to present traditional aesthetics in innovative ways. I believe ‘tradition only continues when it functions in the present,’” says Dr Kim.
“What you eventually have to create is contemporary fashion. [And] Korean cultural elements are one of the raw ingredients and spices for your well-presented dishes.”
Lee’s new hanbok line will feature two collections – wearable and couture.
Lee’s designs are informed by historical research and a special interest in how people lived in the past. Credit: JOANNAYOUN Sketches/Instagram @joannayoun.
“The wearable collection features tailored hanboks, fused with both traditional elements along with modern tailoring techniques, and will include designs that retain the classic hanbok silhouette but made to be more practical for daily wear,” she says.
“Whereas the couture collection features fun and extravagant interpretations [of the hanbok]. It completely exaggerates and embellishes the traditional garment, inspired by Korean festival parties that feature traditional fan dancers and dokkaebi’s (goblins or spirits in Korean mythology),” Lee adds.
Credit: Designer: JOANNAYOUN. Photographer: Mira Pedlar. Talent: Evangeline, People Agency
Through her modern hanbok line, Lee hopes to make more than a simple fashion statement.
“To me, fashion design is merely a medium which can be used to communicate powerful messages and designing a fashionable hanbok is a vehicle to share my personal culture to the audience,” she says.
Some key hanbok terms
Git refers to a type of collar or neckline found on hanboks that is often ornately embroidered and made of contrasting fabric.
Dongjeong is a white, stiffened, collar worn around the neck of the hanbok’s jeogori (jacket) giving it its refined appearance.
Goreum describes the long, decorative ribbons that hang from the front of the jeogori (jacket) and are knotted in a single-loop bow that give the hanbok its aesthetic appeal.
Korean fan dancers or buchaechum dancers perform in colourful hanboks, often adorned with mesmerising patterns and shapes.
Main image of Joanna Lee and Changmin supplied.
