While veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung made history by winning the Oscar for best supporting actress for her portrayal of a Korean grandmother in “Minari,” her “wonderful Minari family” made its presence felt on the red carpet by sporting iconic looks. Youn showed up at the 93rd Academy Awards in a boxy midnight blue brocade gown designed by Egyptian semi-couture designer Marmar Halim, based in Dubai and London. She completed the look with a velvet belt, a diamond bracelet f

A traditional Korean outfit worn by BTS’ Jimin that was scheduled to go under the hammer was removed last minute on Thursday. His fans however are calling for the modern “hanbok” suit to be put up for auction as planned. The K-pop superstar wore it for a September performance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Myart Auction on Thursday removed the outfit from its online auction list last minute and it was only available for preview as the a

Fashion industry sees new future in piles of waste

The virtual Seoul Fashion Week fall-winter 2021 wrapped up last week, bringing together unique designs from 43 fashion brands based in Seoul. Retro style and Korean traditional beauty stood out on the runway.  Rookie design brand SETSETSET invited audiences into a “Sarang bang,” the guestroom in a hanok, a Korean traditional house. Its fall-winter collection featured baggy jeans as well as kitsch and lovely dresses in bright colors. The woman’s fashion brand was launched

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft & Design Foundation announced on Thursday that 2021 Hanbok Culture Week kicks off Friday and will run until April 18. Established in 2018, the event has been held annually in the third week of October to promote the beauty of Korean traditional costume. This year it will be held twice, once in spring and once in autumn, according to the Korea Craft & Design Foundation. “2021 Hanbok Culture Week is prepared as a safe

The zero-waste movement has spread rapidly in the global fashion industry. The fashion industry is one of the leading polluters, generating around 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions each year, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “I know zero-waste fashion is growing in brands like Nike and Zara, who have released products that reuse materials, but I’ve never bought them,” said Yoon Na-ra, who has been trying to live a zero-waste life for the

The upcoming 2021 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week, Korea’s largest fashion event, will feature 43 designer brands showcasing their collections at museums alongside artworks and national treasures. “The runways at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, could be considered as an artistic interaction between two artists,” said Seoul Fashion Week Director Jeon Mi-kyung during a press conference held on Wednesday in Seoul. “The runways are filmed quite c

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles on eco-friendly fashion highlighting new fabrics, manufacturing processes and trends that aim to improve environmental sustainability. - Ed.  Roanna Tan from Singapore found out about Korean vegan fashion brand Marhen J from an advertisement on social media Instagram and decided to make a purchase. The fact that it was made with vegan leather initially drew Tan’s interest but she was also happy with the design and quality. &ldq

Upcycling fashion brand RE;CODE charts new course in fashion

Models strutting and posing on the runway in a hall packed with celebrities and fashion industry movers and shakers. A crowded backstage where makeup artists stand tightly next to models, applying colorful eye shadow and lipstick. This year, it may be difficult see any of these scenes unfold as the COVID-19 pandemic has halted on-site fashion shows. In their place, the fashion industry has begun to embrace online shows. The Korea Creative Content Agency was the first to adapt to the “n

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Crafts & Design Foundation (KCDF) announced Thursday the 22 middle and high schools that will adopt hanbok-inspired school uniforms from as early as October. The hanbok-inspired school uniforms project began in February last year when the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Education signed a memorandum of understanding to develop hanbok-inspired school uniforms. Of the 50 schools across the nation that applied for the project, 2

French luxury fashion house Hermes gained the upper hand in a lawsuit against Korean fashion label Playnomore, alleging copyright infringement of its signature handbags Kelly and Birkin. Playnomore is recognized for its use of neon colors and “eyeball bags.” The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a ruling saying that Playnomore violated the act of “unfair competition,” copying Hermes’ iconic handbag designs. The Supreme Court returned the case to the Seoul High

Face masks featuring diverse colors and designs are gaining ground in Korea, as protective equipment is increasingly perceived as a fashion item. A growing number of social media users here are posting photos with fashionable face masks. More than 20,000 posts have been uploaded on Naver, Korea’s biggest portal, and similar mask-related photos are piling up on Instagram as well.  Last month, a fashion show was held in Gangnam, southern Seoul, showcasing various facial protection p

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education have announced plans for hanbok-inspired school uniforms, and samples are on display at the KCDF Gallery in central Seoul. The 53 samples were selected through a contest held in April 2019. Schools can view them and meet with consultants from the Culture Ministry’s Hanbok Advancement Center at a booth in the gallery. A total of 20 middle and high schools are to adopt the uniforms with government assistance. The tw

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday announced that it will select 20 middle and high schools that will adopt hanbok-inspired school uniforms in conjunction with the Ministry of Education. “We hope that a new value of hanbok can be discovered through hanbok-inspired uniforms that look good and feel comfortable,” a Culture Ministry official said in a statement. This project began in February last year when the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Education signed