“Why Korean Fashion is Special” by Tiffany P.

Do you have a fashion style? Korean people are very famous for fashion! People from around the world love their style and clothes! But people didn’t start wearing clothes like that in the past century, it has a very long story. Most of the people in this world, never imagine how the Korean people suffered and practised for thousands of years before their fashion changed. Also, it is really important to know about what happened before saying that it was easy, however, each person wants to change a part of themselves because they don't have confidence that they are pretty! Having a style is very important to increase self esteem, just like Koreans do. Research shows that the Korean people’s clothes were more traditional, but still with several styles and colours, representing their innocence through their fashion. “If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.” by Gail Sheehy.

Many things impacted the South Korean Feminine Fashion change through the years. Korean feminine fashion has changed for a lot of unique reasons! According to the Google Arts & Culture site, the traditional clothing, Hanbok, that is still considered very important in South Korea, is historical and full of changes and meanings. The Korean In Me mentions that “Although there have been changes throughout its history, the hanbok is still worn today in Korea for celebrations, weddings, birthdays, and milestones, and represents the aesthetic of the Korean people. People all over the world have fallen in love with hanbok, and have incorporated it into their fashion to make the hanbok haute couture”.  It is so pretty and colourful! The texture is awesome and the fact that it is so comfortable is what makes so many people wear it. It seems as if you are wearing princess pyjamas!! The site Google Arts & Culture also says that Jeogori (cho-go-ree) is the name of a short top that women wear, they also wear a piece called Chima (tch-ma), which is a skirt. The combination of them creates a Hanbok. It wasn’t so colourful in the past as it is now, many reasons have impacted the change in style. 

Not only Hanbok has changed. The makeup, selfcare and the style of clothes have changed too. Korean fashion changed a lot after the Japanese invasion (1392~1910). It has become more a beautiful mixture of Korean and Japanese fashion. Hanbok was officially introduced in the Goryeo (goe-reo) period (910~1392), before the Japanese invasion in the Chosŏn century. Before it happened, the Jeogori was large and designed with colder-toned colours, flower designs were very common in it. After the invasion, It was possible to see some practical changes in women’s fashion. Jeogori had become shorter and smaller, and Chima continued almost the same. The 17th century was considered the start of the fashion changes in Korea. Also, the changes of the king and queen, resulted in changing the fashion too. The queen wore larger clothes than the citizens. Until the 17th century, the fashion was very similar. The women’s figure started to be revealed in the 18th century. Jeogori became shorter and narrower than the past century. The Japanese colonisation gave the most impact to the Korean fashion change. Lots of things have impacted Korean fashion change, consequently there are several resulting differences. 

There are many differences between the past and nowadays clothes. The clothes changed a lot! Nowadays, Hanbok is not being worn as a daily outfit for many people! Google Arts & Culture say that until the 19th century, everyday people wore Hanbok, the long and large traditional clothes. But, the 20th century was different, according to the site Asia House Arts, which states that “In the early 20th century, Koreans started to adopt western fashion powered by the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945) where the Japanese colonial government promoted modernisation.” The reason for the fashion change wasn't so good, however, the consequence was! After comparing the images of Seoul Inspired and  Google Arts & Culture, nowadays, hanbok is not being worn as much as before. In addition, shorter clothes like tops and shorts are being more used. According to the images of cute clothes in Yesstyle , depending on the people’s clothing style, the clothes to wear are different, if it is a cuter style, people usually wear neutral and lighter colours and designs of clothes that are not so large and neither so short. But before, people didn’t know about the styles, they only lived their life, now that people know about it, they can identify which style was in people’s hanbok by looking at its colours. Different from nowadays, in the past, people in the same social class wore the same clothes. According to Korea In Me, There are many types of hanbok, which can match with people’s appearance and personal style. The differences of the clothes resulted in having many diverse styles.

There are many styles of clothes that are most loved nowadays. The styles are amazing, each one has its own style, so if you find yours, you will be very attractive to everyone. According to Bemarie Korea and Rebels Market, there is the Hongdae street style, Ewha style, Retro Street, Hip Hop, Couple look, Ulzzang, School, Cute and Classic/Clear style. Hongdae street style is a very “strong” style, Hongdae is a populated region, it is mostly possible to see people with oversized, unisex and chunky clothes. Ewha (Ee-hwa) is an feminine university in Korea, where women wear clothes mixed with cute, school and classic/clear style. Ulzzang (ol-chang)  means a good- looking face, so it is a fashion that depends on the pretty face. The rest of the famous styles are possible to understand by their names. Most people in the street are seen to have a classic/clear style because they wear neutral colours, and it is very clear. It is very pretty! Especially in people who have long legs. The site Lianox mentions that the reason why Korean people dress well is because they have lots of styles and big fashion companies. It says that “Describing Korean Fashion feels kind of impossible since it encompasses many styles into one: It is generally street wear, but more minimalistic, it isn't formal wear, still, this style usually has a slight touch of elegance to it, and maybe even a little vintage style sprinkled on top”. It  is very good that Korean people have respect and are religious. Style is a very important thing in our lives, mostly for the younger generation. According to White House Black Market, people can increase their self esteem using their wardrobe, which means that if people find their style in the wardrobe, it will increase their self esteem. People can feel more powerful and pretty. Also, understanding  fashion has lots of more benefits, like focusing more and sparking fresh ideas.

Having a notion of the difficulties and changes in the process passed by other people is something very important that only few people have. Our past is important, however our present and future are important too for reflection. Every time you walk on the street in Korea, normally you see many people wearing pretty clothes of different styles. What is more funny is that they walk, demonstrating courage and love for themselves!! According to the Gr Counseling site, 85% of the people are affected by low self esteem. Sometimes, people have low self esteem because of their past traumas and their physical and emotional characteristics. Be like Korea, even if something very bad happens to you, don’t be afraid and walk for a better future. Find ways to let you be better emotionally. Did you find your own fashion style? You don’t need to be quick, take your time.