Korea is an enthralling and vibrant place and so is it fashion industry. The roads of Korea have a glut of automobiles and are surrounded by sky-scrappers but it still holds on to its traditional pagodas, peaceful estates, temples and palaces.
This diversity and the blend of traditional and modern values of the country are reflected in Korean Fashion too. Is Korean Fashion really worth all the hype? Why online fashion shopping sites give so much importance to Korean clothes? Why so much money is being spent on the Seoul Fashion week? Well! These are some of the common question which might be in the minds of shoppers around the world. But people inside the fashion industry or people who have been in Korea for long enough will know that Korean fashion has been witnessing some significant changes and it is here to stay.
There is a massive change in the way common people of Korea have been dressing up and there is a sudden burst of new styles and unique expressions of fashion in the Korean streets. Korean people today are willing to push certain boundaries and are bolder in their outfits. Like with everything associated with Korea, the most telling changes happened in fashion during times of war, economic development plans and military rule. The 1990s marked the upsurge of Korean fashion. It was the time when people having high disposable income in Korea started to spend it on fashion shopping. The country has some wonderful designers and extremely talented technicians in sewing and dressmaking. But the country is still fighting to come out of its image of a cheap raw material supplier and is striving to make its mark in the fashion world.
There are various Korean bodies which are doing some excellent work in the fashion scene like the Seoul Fashion Centre and the Korean Fashion Association. Korean dresses are really fascinating and as is their history. More than some thirty years ago hanbok, a traditional Korean clothing was a part of any Korean’s wardrobe. This dress too underwent many changes throughout the turbulent Korean history. Hanbok in its traditional form has more curved features. It uses a huge amount of fabric as they are not meant to be tight fitting. The curvy and colourful nature of hanbok has a great influence over the current fashion industry. By blending traditional hanbok with some modern ideas many new styles were created. The style and patterns in hanbok has even been used in architecture.
Besides hanbok there are a host of other Korean dresses and accessories that would interest any fashion lover. A Samo is a type of hat which goes with a dalleyong, which is a robe worn by higher ranked officials. Gulle is a type of decorative head gear mostly worn by children aged below five years. Binyeo is a hair pin which looks like a rod and helps hold a crown or to wear the hair up. Norigae pendants are worn around the waist of a woman’s skirt and give a regal look to the entire outfit. So next time you do online fashion shopping spend some time to explore such unique items of the Korean fashion.