Amidst the Hallyu wave, K-pop artists dressed in Fusion Hanbok to promote traditional Korean culture to the world, which in turn brought the Hanbok industry’s attention to Fusion Hanbok. Hanbok, Korea’s unique cultural outfit, has begun to lose its traditional beauty in return for the spotlight that it received with the emergence of Fusion Hanbok. With Chuseok, the season of Hanbok, approaching, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) would like to explore the world of Hanbok and the fusion transformation it is experiencing.
What Is the Fusion Hanbok?
The Hanbok is a traditional outfit that practically symbolizes Korean history and culture. It is known to have started its history around 2000 B.C. and continues to this day. The long history of Hanbok can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period when it was first used as a symbol to differentiate royals and commoners. The traditional Hanbok that people are familiar with today is the Hanbok that was developed during the Joseon period, between the 14th to 19th centuries. Around the latter years of Joseon, women began to break free from the strict Confucian restrictions. They started to recreate Hanbok to emphasize thinner waists and voluminous skirts because of Western influence. During the 1980s, a modernized Hanbok was created to simplify the overall outfit to focus on practicality and comfortability. With the globalization of K-pop and Hallyu in the 21st century, the world began to show more interest in Korean tradition and culture. Within this spotlight was born the Fusion Hanbok. The Fusion Hanbok is a redesigned modern version of the traditional Hanbok. The most common element of the Fusion Hanbok is the western-influenced voluminous skirt and short jeogori, an upper garment of Hanbok, made of modern fabric and sequins. In fact, the Fusion Hanbok was born with the fashion industry’s attempt to make the Hanbok a successful business item. The Korean government used the rising popularity of Hanbok to promote Korean culture. For instance, it created regulations that allowed people dressed in Hanbok to enter palaces for free. Through this regulation, Hanbok rental shops became a boom around the four palaces in Seoul. To sell more Hanbok in the competitive market of rental shops, Hanbok designers began to create fancier and more fascinating Hanbok designs. These challenges resulted in the development and popularization of the Fusion Hanbok. However, the Fusion Hanbok is currently a controversial topic for harming Korean tradition.
The Other Sides of Fusion Hanbok
-Against the Rules
The Fusion Hanbok is being accused of harming Korean tradition. The biggest issue about the Fusion Hanbok, according to critics, is that it changed critical elements of the traditional Hanbok to make it practical and popular. To begin with, the ribbon design substituting the goreum, the conventional coat string of Hanbok, is at the center of the controversies surrounding the new type of clothing. This is because ribbon designs have never existed in traditional South Korean culture, which suggests that Fusion Hanboks with ribbon designs are against Korean tradition. Another issue with Fusion Hanbok is the short skirt length. Namely, “mini-skirt Fusion Hanbok” designs that have clearly branched from Western dresses can be easily seen in the Hanbok industry. The calm and elegant aura that ancestral Hanbok designers pursued and the traditional details that made up Hanbok are becoming vague. Karen Santos and Angeli Domini Lim, foreigners who have been interested in Korean culture for the last few years, spoke to the SKT and admitted that they were “not clearly aware of the existence of Fusion Hanbok” and would not be able to “tell the difference between a traditional and Fusion Hanbok.” As such, Fusion Hanbok may become a route to spread warped and inorganic versions of Korean culture.
-Fusion Hanbok: Calm before the Storm
The Fusion Hanbok has been viewed as a harmful influence by the traditional Hanbok industry, stimulating opposition within the market. In 2018, the Jongno District Office acknowledged the negative effects of Fusion Hanbok and opened a debate to discuss the controversial outfit. The results were to exclude Fusion Hanbok from the advantages of free Hanbok palace explorations. However, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) disagreed with the Jongno District office’s stance. Despite the adverse effects that the new clothing may cause, the CHA claimed that restricting Fusion Hanbok would result in a more significant cultural loss. Furthermore, the Fusion Hanbok industry asserted that the Fusion Hanbok is more economical as it produces more eye-catching products at a lower price. Although the modern Hanbok is taking up a place in the Hanbok industry, controversies surrounding it do not seem to settle down.
Hanbok’s Transformation Is Innocent
Having been introduced to Hanbok just over 10 years ago, the Fusion Hanbok is becoming recognized as an official type of Hanbok. However, as the preservation of traditional Hanbok is critical as well, it seems vital that the CHA protects the traditional Hanbok. Although some existing mild regulations protect traditional Hanbok culture, these regulations do not serve their full purpose yet, suggesting the need for a reformation. To preserve traditional Hanbok culture, appropriate research must be conducted to study its history. Therefore, the government and CHA must provide an environment for researchers to study Hanbok on a national scale. Furthermore, the CHA must promote traditional Hanbok culture alongside Fusion Hanbok. The Fusion Hanbok is an excellent medium to present Korean culture to the world. K-pop artists have been wearing Fusion Hanbok on stage to attract the public to Korean culture. In an interview with the SKT, famous Hanbok designer Danha revealed, “Our brand’s international sales skyrocketed to more than 4000% after I created the famous K-pop group Blackpink’s How You Like That Fusion Hanbok stage outfit.” The increased sales demonstrate that the Fusion Hanbok effectively connects the world and Hanbok. Moreover, the Fusion Hanbok is becoming a fashion trend used on runways and as a global fashion show theme. For instance, in April, a fashion show themed Hanbok Wave occurred in Milan. Also, Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s former designer, included Fusion Hanbok-inspired designs in 2016. It is clear that the Fusion Hanbok is a fashion theme at the center of the world’s attention that will continue to spotlight Korean culture.
A Dive into Fusion Hanbok
Now, it is time to dive into the Fusion Hanbok and learn about the details that make it so beautiful and unique!
Modern fabrics such as silk, linen, lace, and tulle
Fancy patterns and designs, short and voluminous skirt length, ribbon design, cropped top coat
Vivid and bright tones, or trendy pastel colors
Bracelets, shoes, necklaces, headbands, and more inspired by traditional Korean motifs
The culture and tradition of Korea are truly beautiful. Therefore, they must be protected and passed on to future generations. However, changes that the traditional Hanbok went through to become Fusion Hanbok are also part of the history. The Fusion Hanbok promotes Korean culture and tradition. The SKT hopes that Kingos are able to understand more about the transformation of Hanbok and appreciate the difference between Fusion and traditional Hanbok.