The Korean drama “Now, We Are Breaking Up” has entered its second week of screening. This Korean Drama tells the story of the winding path for the couple of Ha Young Eun, a clothing designer from a well-known brand, and Yoon Jae Kook, a freelance photographer who has always been targeted by fashion brands for his cool portrait skills. Is South Korea good for fashion designing? The answer lies on that Korean Drama.
It appeared to be one of Ha Young Eun’s routines as a clothing designer. She and some of her colleagues went down to the field to see firsthand the clothing trends that Seoul’s people were following. Young Eun will immediately take pictures of some people whose dress is quite inspiring.
When I saw this part, I was immediately amazed. How can it be, that Seoul people who perform in Korean drama look so fashionable? Even for a quick walk out of the house, they dress up neatly and make the streets of the capital a runway. The clothes they wear are very trendy and fresh.
Paris is the world’s fashion center, but did you know that Seoul is also fashionable enough to be glimpsed? In addition to the fact that many young people are fond of Korean dressing styles, several other reasons make South Korea not fervent about fashion trends.
#1 Culture
South Korea, especially Seoul, does have an appearance-based culture. Based on a survey of the appearance and extent of plastic surgery in South Korea, in 2020, 61 percent of adults in South Korea admitted that they cared about their physical appearance.
Most South Koreans do pay attention to their appearance. Looking at its history, South Korea used to be among the countries with retarded economies. In the days after the war, the people of South Korea lived under limitations. Not even has nice clothes, just to eat they have to do everything they can. Therefore, as the South Korean economy stabilizes and most of its people can reach the goods they want, keeping appearance is a matter of concern.
Add to that the Confucian teachings that encourage every human being to take care of their body as good as possible, the more affection the South Koreans have for appearance. Yes, although the impact of this culture creates a very strict standard of beauty.
#2 Seasonal Turnaround
In addition to its culture, South Korean awareness of this performance is also supported and demanded by the changing seasons. South Korea is a country with four seasons of the year. Seasons are changing, fashion trends are changing.
Most Koreans will update their wardrobe every season. Well, just imagine how much they spend on having to update their style regularly. And here comes a dress designer role like Ha Young Eun in Now, We Are Breaking Up. Ha Young Eun and other designers have to create new trends but also have to know what people want. One way is to go down to the field to see clothes models that are hot in the community.
Come to think of it, it doesn’t feel a match for wearing a thick outfit made of wool in the summer.
#3 Motivating stipulations
Not just casual clothes that are always new every season, but school uniforms too. In most schools in South Korea, generally, the uniforms worn by students will change three times a year. If most students in any country change their uniforms once a year because they are growing tall, South Korean students flock the uniforms to following the season.
In winter, they’ll wear a uniform called dongbok. A dongbok set contains a blazer, shirt, and trousers or skirt. When winter is over, the students will wear chunchuboks or spring and autumn uniforms. The clothes are simpler because they are only in the form of shirts, knitted vests, and bottoms in the form of pants or skirts. Summer uniforms, referred to as habok, will be even simpler with shirts and shorts or skirts.
In addition to having their color and feel every season, uniforms in South Korea are also produced by a fairly prestigious brand. Maybe you’ve heard of brand uniforms like SMART and Skoolooks. They routinely make new designs and technologies in uniforms, for example, some uniforms were designed that would not be dirty despite the spillage of juice. Even this brand collaborates with K-Pop idols, such as BTS, TXT, and EXO.
Even a uniform is just up-to-date and as cool as this, let alone a casual outfit that can be combined at will. So it’s no wonder that many immigrants come to South Korea and feel inferior because their appearance is not as good as that of people in the country. One of them was a British YouTuber, UnJaded Jade, who had studied in South Korea. Is South Korea good for fashion designing? I hope now you have the answer.
