KOREA FOUNDATION

Foreign language designs on clothes or bags are viewed by many Koreans as being fashionable and refined. It is not certain if this stems from a fondness for the language, its country of origin, the intrinsic form of the letters, or perhaps a love of the unknown. In any case, foreigners seem to feel the same way when they see Hangeul on such goods, and the Korean alphabet is now attracting global attention as a new source of design, becoming a hip trend in the fashion world.
  In the fall of last year when a famous American fashion brand revealed its designs for the uniforms for the Team USA athletes who would compete at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, they included two T-shirts on which “평창,” the Hangeul letters for PyeongChang, was printed along with the brand’s trademark design. From a Korean perspective the design was rather simple and plain, but to the American eye, it was quite the contrary. The T-shirts quickly sold out on the official online store.
  Raf Simons, a Belgian designer who has earned worldwide renown for his creative designs, has used Hangeul printing on sneakers in cooperation with a global sports brand. The words written in traditional Korean calligraphy read “Natural dried persimmons from Sangju.” The designer also revealed a bag on which “Dried gulbi (yellow croakers) from Beopseongpo” was written in Hangeul. Having an international designer incorporate both Hangeul and these uniquely Korean foods into his designs was unusual to say the least. Indeed if Koreans saw such words on garments or bags, they might dismiss them as unrefined.
  In a recent fashion show in London, a clutch bag with a Hangeul design made by the well-known a British fashion company caused a stir. On the orange-colored bag was written the Korean word “긴장하라,” which could be translated as “Be nervous.” The designers did not simply emblazon the words arbitrarily, but had reportedly obtained the idea for the item from haenyeo, the female sea divers of Korea’s Jeju Island.
  These applications of Korean letters usually emphasize their form rather than their meaning, but it is more than encouraging that world-class enterprises have begun to discover commercial appeal in Hangeul designs. It cannot be said for sure, but it is likely that Hallyu, the “Korean Wave” represented by K-pop, Korean brands, and the image of Korean-made goods overseas, has contributed to the increasing use of Hangeul designs outside the country. If they take the lead in adopting these designs, they will surely expedite the broader use of the Korean alphabet, for after all, who could resist the beauty of haute couture Hangeul?

Written by Kim Shinyoung

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