Thanks to PSY and his hit song "Gangnam Style", the dynamic South Korean modern culture is finally getting the attention it deserves. Though South Korean pop acts such as Dong Ban Shin Ki, Super Junior and Shinhwa and drama series have captured the hearts and minds of many people worldwide, none of the efforts have caught the public's eye as much as the song and the music video (Sorry Wonderfuls, "Nobody" didn't make it THIS BIG in such a short span of time).
The music video has spawned "parodies", with some of them depicting subcultures in other South Korean cities, such as Hongdae and Busan. Gangnam and Hongdae are both districts in Seoul, with the former known as the "Beverly Hills" of South Korea, and the latter known because of its youthful culture, thanks to the universities around it. Busan is an urban coastal area, known for its beaches and ports and equally colorful metropolitan culture.
So if you want to dip into South Korean culture and get good laughs, I suggest you check out these three videos.
Last September 2, a fashion show featuring creations inspired by the mugunghwa (South Korea's national flower) was staged in Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul.
Mugunghwa is also known as the American "Rose of Sharon". Koreans have expressed their love for the flower for thousands of years, with a band of warriors (the Hwarangs) inspired by, and a day dedicated to the flower. While South Koreans still openly show their fondness for mugunghwa, North Koreans show their fondness more now for kimjongilia and their national flower, the magnolia.
Here are more photos from the said fashion show, courtesy of Newsis.
The 2012 Jewelry Fair Korea will be held from 19 - 22 April at Hall C of Coex in Seoul. The first two days will be for trade buyers only. The fair will open to the public on the last two days. Aspiring buyers can register on the event website.
Fine jewelry, diamonds, pearls, and gemstones, watches & clocks, fashion jewelry & accessories are just some of the items that will be on exhibit. Tools & equipment and jewelry publications will also going to be on exhibit.
The fair is organized by the following: Korea International Trade Association, Korea Jeweller Confederation Association, Korea Federation Of Jewelry Industries, Korea Jewelry Design Association, Korea Jeweller's Association, Inc., Korea Gem Trade Association, Korea Pearl Association, Master Valuer Korea Association and the Korea Watch&Clock Industry Cooperative and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
Even mom-and-baby fashion has been influenced by the Korean wave. The Chosun Ilbo reports that traditional Korean baby carriers are becoming a hit in the United States. It's called podaegi (포대기), which literally translates to "wrap". The report is as follows:
Traditional Korean Baby Sling a Hit Overseas
The traditional Korean baby carrier blankets called podaegi are a hit among young hipster parents in the U.S. and elsewhere. Podaegi, which is basically a large piece of cloth with two straps, has become a popular item on online shopping sites. A U.S. online shopping site for young parents called togetherbe features photos of the Korean-style baby carrier and instructions on how to use it.
A Google search for podaegi shows mothers around the world using it to carry their baby.
A Google search for podaegi shows mothers around the world using it to carry their baby.
The website introduces it as a traditional Korean form of carrying babies close to a parent's body. It adds that podaegi "can be tied around the adult and baby" with the straps attached and "it's a perfect fit with every tie, resulting in superior carrying comfort for both mom and baby!"
Podaegi are also being sold on other websites including Cotton Cradles trading baby carriers of natural fabric. A search for podaegi on Google and other international portal sites leads to content uploaded by people who created their own podaegi along with photos or video clips of mothers carrying their babies in one.
The Chosun Ilbo recently reported an upturn in men's cosmetics. As more and more Korean men realize the importance of good grooming and skincare as part of their health, South Korea's cosmetic industry rises to premiere status in Asia. Here's the full report:
Metrosexual Koreans Seen as Guinea Pigs for New Cosmetics
High-end foreign cosmetics brand SK-II recently introduced a skincare line for men in Korea, its first such foray in any country. The decision came after liquid essence for men, which hit local stores last October and costs W160,000 (US$1=1,120) a bottle, saw a month's worth of inventory sell out in just four days.
"Korea accounts for 40 percent of the world's high-end cosmetics market for men, and Korean men are often considered in the industry as test beds for new products," a sales associate of SK-II said.
Men are quickly forming the main ranks of cosmetics shoppers, with the domestic market for men's beauty products growing 15 percent each year. Industry watchers expect the market will surpass W1 trillion this year.
/Yonhap News Agency
In Korea, concealers, products that minimize pores and whitening products have seen higher sales growth than basic skincare products such as lotions or skin conditioners among men. Meanwhile, domestic cosmetics brand Amore Pacific opened a make-up store for men in the trendy Hongik University area in northern Seoul and it attracts 300 customers a day on average.
The same holds true for apparel. Sales of women's clothing at Lotte Department Store nationwide fell 5 percent in January compared to a year earlier, but increased 7 percent over the same period for men's clothing. Shinsegae Department Store became the first retailer in the industry to open a section last year specializing only in men's fashion and sales have already risen 450 percent since it opened.
Domestic retailers say Korean men in their 20s and 30s have grown up watching popular men's dance groups since the late 1990s and are used to spending money on personal grooming. For example, many online shopping sites saw a surge in sales of men's undergarments that make the wearer look more muscular. Sales of body shaping or padded underwear rose 170 percent in February from one year earlier, according to popular online shopping mall 11st.
4minute's HyunA will be launching her own fashion brand, called HyunAXSPICYCOLOR. The brand's design concepts are 'retro, chic and sexy' and highly inspired by the fashion of the 1950s and the 1960s. HyunA is involved in all aspects of the brand, from conceptualization, clothing design to the photo shoots.
She stated, "Although as an artist I did show a lot of sexy concepts, for this brand which will be launching at the end of March, I worked very hard to delivers styles that are not only sexy, but also fashionable and stylish. For this spring, if you own a single item mixed with lace, anyone can easily complete a trendy look.”
Let's all watch out for this and wish HyunA best of luck! Also hopefully she puts up an online store so foreign fans can also enjoy wearing her fashion.
White Day is a significant lovers event in South Korea. It comes exactly a month after Valentine's Day and is the day when males pay back females with candy and gifts.
For Korean boys out there (especially those who do not live in South Korea yet still celebrate it in line with Korean culture) who still have no idea as to what gifts they could give, go for something subtle yet colorful to match the candies you'll be giving! Here are a few things you can order from YesStyle's "Ready to Ship" collections for your girl:
Candy-colored dresses by YUMI ($31.00 and $20.00, click on the price to go to the site and order)
Stewardesses' uniforms are also fashion icons. I remember the time when the Philippine Airlines' stewardess uniform was hailed as one of the most stylish stewardess uniforms in the world. Take a look at this website to see what I mean.
Now, Korean stewardesses, particularly those from Asiana Airlines, are protesting as their companies are employing stringent policies that go against their rights as humans, and as women to dress fashionably and comfortably.
Here's the report by The Korea Times:
Dress codes irk stewardesses
By Lee Hyo-sik
One of the country’s largest labor umbrella groups is urging Asiana Airlines to ease its guidelines on how its female flight attendants should look and dress. It argues the company’s rules are too excessive and infringe upon the basic human rights of employees.
But the nation’ second largest flagship carrier refuted the claim, stressing its dress code should be observed as it represents corporate brand and identity.
The company said flight attendants should abide by the rules at all times by maintaining a “decent” appearance while on duty.
In commemoration of International Women’s Day, which fell on Thursday, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a press conference in front of the headquarters of Kumho Asiana Group in downtown Seoul at 11 a.m.
KCTU said Asiana’s rules on appearance and attire for stewardesses were too strict, demanding the airliner revise them as quickly as possible to respect individuals’ freedom of expression and other human rights.
``We agree that flight attendants should look presentable. But it is too excessive for the company to tell us how to look and get dressed from A to Z,’’ said Kwon Soo-jung, the head of Asiana Airlines’ stewardess union. The union is affiliated with KCTU. ``The guidelines do not help us serve customers and ensure flight safety. They are outdated and overly strict, suppressing female flight attendants’ rights to individuality and freedom of expression.’’
Kwon even said that the rules are mainly aimed at maximizing company profits by commercializing women’s bodies. According to the Asiana flight attendants’ union, they cannot wear pants at work.
They should always wear pink or yellow nail polish, while keeping the length of their fingernails shorter than 3 millimeters.
Flight attendants are also banned from wearing eye glasses and strongly encouraged to wrap their hair in a small-sized hairnet.
In comparison, Korean Air flight attendants, mostly senior ones, are allowed to wear pants. But they are also subject to stringent appearance and attire guidelines.
``Flight attendants are not Barbie dolls. We are professionals with diverse characteristics who strive to become successful. We should not be judged by how we appear outside. We cannot be subject to any discrimination at work just because we are women,’’ Kwon said.
She demanded company management invalidate its guidelines concerning appearance and attire of flight attendants. ``The company must allow us to wear eye glasses and put on trousers. The widespread discriminative practices against female flight attendants should also come to an end.’’
But Asiana Airlines said it has no intention to change rules governing how flight attendants look on airplanes.
``These internal rules are not compulsory but are strongly recommended to be kept by all flight crews,’’ an Asiana Airlines spokesman said. ``We are in a highly-competitive service industry. The way our flight attendants dress and look significantly influences our business. Not to mention, they also represent the company image.’’
Compare the uniforms of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines' stewardesses. Personally I think Asiana Airlines should at least upgrade the color of their stewardesses' uniforms because they are downright dull and sorry to say, like something that came out of North Korea. They don't want that impression, right? Korean Air's uniform even earned its way towards a whole ad!
To celebrate cinematic art, Korean stars came out last October 6, 2011 to attend the kick-off of the 16th Busan Film Festival (부산국제영화제) held at the Busan Film Center.
The Busan Film Festival (부산국제영화제) featured 307 Korean and other-language films from October 6 - 14, 2011. 13 of these films from 12 countries vied for awards in the New Currents section of the festival's awards. Wear and Conquer is happy to report that the two top winners hail from Asia. Iranian director Mortez Farshbaf's film "Mourning", and Filipino director Loy Arcenas' film "Niño" garnered the top two honors.
Here are some photos of Japanese and Korean celebrities on the red carpet:
Ten of the hottest rising South Korean fashion designers come together for "Seoul 10 Soul", a fashion project by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in partnership with the Seoul Business Agency. The designers were handpicked by five local judges and ten foreign judges among the 37 designers who participated in this year's Seoul Fashion Week.
The lucky 10 Korean Fashion Souls: standing left to right: Choi Bum Suk [최범석] (General Idea [제너널아이디어]), Kim Jae Hyun [김재현] (Jardin de chouette [쟈댕드슈에뜨]), Lee Seung Hee [이승희] (Leyii [르이]), Lee Suk Tae [이석태] (Kaal E. Suktae [칼이석태]), Lee Jae Hwan [이재환] (jaehwan*lee paris [재환이파리]) and Sheen Je Hee [신재희] (Jehee Sheen [재희신]) sitting left to right: Kim Jae Hwan [김재환] (ALANI [알라니]), Steve Jung and Yoni Pai [정혁서& 배승연 ] (Steve J and Yoni P [스티브제이요니피]), Ko Tae Yong [고태용] (Beyond Closet [비욘드클로젯]) and Kim Sun Ho [김선호] (Ground Wave [그라운드웨이브]).
The ten designers are set to promote South Korean fashion by touring around the world and showcasing their collections in top fashion hubs around the world such as London, New York and Paris. Last 20 May 2011, the designers participated in Blueprint 2011 as part of the 2011 Asia Fashion Exchange held last 13 - 22 May at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Here are their collections as reported by Singapore's Razor TV:
After doing promotional activities overseas for a year, one among the ten will be chosen as the "Star Designer", will recieve government support, take part in the 2012 Paris Collection and build a showroom there. To view more of their collections, visit the official Seoul 10 Soul website and the designers' websites indicated below. You can also interact with the designers themselves via social media.
With that, I wish all the designers luck as they help Asian designers break fashion barriers beginning this year - and hopefully, beyond!
Like what I said in my very first post, I would feature news on North Korean fashion if anything came up. Lo and behold!
Two years ago, the official North Korean channel (Korean Central Television [조선중앙방송]) came out with this segment:
Compare the video above to recent reports about fashion in the "most-isolated" country in the world:
In odious North Korea, facelifts and spare jeans are in style
Women іn North Korea, one οf thе world’s mοѕt odious countries, still keep adult tο date wіth conform trends аnԁ ɡο іn fοr plastic surgery notwithstanding harsh misery аnԁ ongoing food shortages, according tο a news bу аn online newspaper.
Upper-class women іn Pyongyang, thе North Korean hub, hаνе bееn speckled wearing οn-trend spare jeans аnԁ hυɡе earrings, reports AFP citing thе Daily NK, a South Korea-based announcement thаt relies οn a arrangement οf sources іn thе North.
Mοѕt women іn total North Korea wear uniforms οr drab clothes, such аѕ plain skirts wіth below-thе-knee hems, elementary boots wіth a unsentimental ѕtουt heel, аnԁ shabby blouses ornate wіth thе imperative pin ѕhοwіnɡ Kim Il-sung, thе “Fаntаѕtіс Leader,” whісh аƖƖ North Koreans mυѕt wear.
Famine іѕ again melancholy North Korea thіѕ spring, аnԁ thе UN’s World Food Program іѕ scheming tο discharge puncture food assist tο 3.5 million North Koreans pang frοm “severe famine” аnԁ starvation.
Women іn North Korea used tο bе criminialized frοm wearing jeans аnԁ mini-skirts, deliberate forms οf “capitalist decadence.” Men wеrе compulsory tο hаνе tiny back-аnԁ-sides hair, instead οf long hair thаt hаԁ a “negative effect” οn intelligence, wіth a televised promotion debate exhorting group tο “trim ουr hair іn suitability wіth Socialist lifestyle.”
But underneath Kim Jong-un, son аnԁ successor apparent οf stream personality Kim Jong-il, conform restrictions hаνе reportedly eased.
With North Korean culture undergoing such changes, the country's identity is seen as conforming with Western standards. I am torn on this actually. I don't like seeing North Korean women - or any North Korean for that matter, stuck living a life full of propaganda and suffering so I find these small freedoms as welcome change. On the other hand, conforming to global standards would diminish North Koreans' identity as the world has known them, which without any malice or discrimination to a type of political system, is simply conservative and communist. I hope that if change will truly happen in the state, North Koreans would develop an identity that is truly theirs, but with much less repression.
All over the world, middle-aged men look up to the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas for clothing styles. So who do South Korean men look up to? They look up to actors Cha Seung Won (차승원) and Kim Myeong Min. Here's the latest men's (or should I say ahjusshi (아저씨)?) trend news from Korea Herald:
Middle-aged men want to wear like actors Cha and Kim
Men in their 40s have chosen actors Cha Seung-won and Kim Myeong-min as fashion leaders they want to imitate.
A survey by Chaeil Industries showed 14.5 percent of men wanted to dress like Cha and Kim. 500 men between the ages 40 and 49 were surveyed.
The department head of Galaxy marketing team Han Ju-young said the survey was conducted to get a glimpse of the sense of taste and the tendencies of men in their fourties. “It seems like Cha was voted for his classy style and Kim for his charismatic looks,” Han said.
By Yun Suh-young (syun@heraldm.com) Intern Reporter
Who says politics and governance can't be fashionable? In March, the Philippine Consulate in New York featured Filipino designer Dita Sandico-Ong in an eco-themed fashion show. This May, the Korean government has vowed to provide support and projects for the Korean fashion industries. Everywhere around the world, governments are recognizing the value of going chic to promote national identity, heritage and talent. Read on to find out about the South Korea government's plans for the local fashion industry:
from the Korea Herald:
Ministries, Seoul City take on fashion
A view of the trade show “Blueprint” from Asia Fashion Exchange 2010. (Asia Fashion Exchange)
Two government ministries and the Seoul local administration agreed Wednesday to join forces to promote Korea’s fashion industry.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Seoul Metropolitan Government pledged to cooperate on fashion-related projects under the agreement signed at Seoul Palace Hotel.
The three governmental organizations will run a Fashion Industry Policy Council to manage projects. The council will have three goals ― promoting star fashion designers, promoting South Korean fashion brands and building a strong infrastructure for the local fashion industry.
“What I have always heard from fashion insiders was that it would be a big help for the development of the fashion industry if many projects led by the Culture Ministry, Knowledge Ministry and Seoul City were organically connected and combined. It is a bit late, but the three organizations prepared a policy council,” said Kim Jong-yul, head of the Cultural Content Industry Office at the Culture Ministry.
The organizations have launched many projects to promote South Korean fashion designers and fashion brands overseas in recent years. Although the projects were welcomed by fashion insiders, they were also criticized for being inefficient as they often overlapped with each other.
For example, under the same goal of promoting up-and-coming Korean designers to overseas markets, the Culture Ministry has been running a project named “Concept Korea,” the Knowledge Ministry, “Korean Preview in New York” and Seoul City, “Seoul’s 10 Soul.” They shared similar in content, encompassing a showcase and fashion fair.
The organizations will keep the names of the separate projects but will search for ways to better link them to one another.
Meanwhile, Seoul’s 10 Soul, a Seoul City-led fashion project, will hold a promotional event at ion Sky in Singapore on May 20 during Asia Fashion Exchange which will be held from May 13 to 22 at Marina Sands Bay.
Asia Fashion Exchange is composed of “Audi Fashion Festival” which will host a line of fashion shows featuring famous fashion brands including Missoni and Ungaro; a trade show named “Blueprint’; a fashion design competition titled “Star Creation” and an Asia Fashion Summit featuring 30 fashion experts from all around the world.
Eight Korean fashion brands ― Alani, Beyond Closet, Doii Paris, Jardin de Chouette, KAAL E.SUKTAE, Steve J & Yoni P, Sue Comma Bonnie, The Studio K ― will be participating in the trade show.
The book "Top Model" by Salim Publishers was launched in Kyobo Books, Seoul last 11 May 2011. Among those in attendance were models Ji Hyeon Jong, Jang Yun Ju, Song Kyung Ah, Han Hye Jin and model, singer and actor Kim Jae Wook. The book reveals the stories behind the Korean fashion and modeling industry, including stories about fashion designers, photographers, stylists, make-up artists and of course, models. The book also offers viewpoints from other people close to the industry.
8 May is a special day for Koreans as it is the day in which they commemorate both their mothers and fathers. 8 May is Parents' Day. Traditionally, little children would give their parents (and other parent figures) red or pink carnations as a sign of their love and devotion. However as they grow up, many of them opt to honor their elder loved ones with longer-lasting versions by giving them carnation brooches.
Here are some styles you can choose from for your eomma (엄마) & appa (아빠) (Some items are discounted/일부 제품은 할인된) :
