Girl group BLACKPINK unveiled its new song "How You Like That" on NBC's "Jimmy Fallon Show.” The modernized Korean traditional dress, Hanbok, caught the eyes of viewers. The music video with BLACKPINK wearing the Hanbok garnered 170 million views. Girl group BLACKPINK (left) and member Jenny (right) who took the stage wearingHanboks made by Dan-ha. I met Dan-ha (30), the representative of Dan-ha, who achieved her dream of "Helping people around the world see her uniquely designed Hanbok."

- Were you originally majoring in Hanbok?

"My major was originally the Chinese language. I worked as an office worker at a casino in Jeju Island. I traveled abroad with my high school friend. Every time I went on a trip, I wore Hanbok. I like colorful patterns and I wanted to take some fun photos. My friend who is with me, Lim Woo-jung, vice president of Danha, often said, "If we have time later, let's open a brand that makes Hanbok ourselves." 

She continued, "I always bought and wore Hanbok, but I thought about making it myself. So I came to Seoul every weekend from 2015 and learned how to make traditional Hanbok from my master teacher at the Royal Clothing Research Institute. I once went on a trip to Paris wearing my waistcoat Hanbok. There were lots of foreigners who were interested. I've been asked many times, "What's this clothing?" "Where did you buy it?" I thought it would be marketable to sell Hanbok in Paris. Back then, there were many brands selling Hanbok. But it wasn't the design I wanted. I didn't like the fabric either. I decided to learn how to make Hanbok properly and make my own brand."

 

- Tell us how Dan-ha was started?
"I worked for a company and started an online Hanbok rental business in 2016. I did both but at some point my business income was higher than my company's salary. So I left the company and ran a Hanbok shop in Busan.”

”I ran a Hanbok shop and learned how to make Hanbok at the Boksik Institute. Then, I thought I want to study the theory of traditional dress. So, I went to the Graduate School of Clothing at Sungkyunkwan University in 2018. As I came to Seoul, I cleaned up the Hanbok shop. And in August, we started the Dan-ha brand and the online business. At first, I sold it by myself through Instagram. We sold 20 in the first two months. At that time, I was so amazed and proud of it. "I gradually increased the number of customers, raised funding, and grew the company.”

 

- Tell us about Dan-ha Hanbok.
"The typical product is a waist skirt with patterns of royal bojagi, which recently achieved 8,000 percent of the target amount through Tumblbuck crowdfunding. The Royal Tombstone is a relic on display at the National Palace Museum. I patented the design of this cloth pattern. 

Dan-ha also seeks Upcycling products. Upcycling refers to the rebirth of recycled products by adding design or utilization to them. We have a lot of clothes made from yarn extracted from plastic plastic bottles."

 

-BlackPink is the talk of the town wearing Dan-ha Hanbok.
"I got a call saying that they want to use Dan-ha Hanbok in a performance. We had to customize it, so it wasn't sponsored, but the stylist bought the product herself. The members Jenny and Rose wore our product.

Rose's cropped top is an idea from the chest cuffs women wore in their underwear during the Joseon Dynasty, and she also has a pattern of royal cloth. The clothes that look like a black scroll are "Chullik,” a military uniform of the Joseon Dynasty. It's for men, but it's attached to a skirt, so it's often worn as a dress in everyday Hanbok. Jenny's pink jeogori was originally a long-length coat that covers her hips. She cut it in half and wore the top part like a jeogori and the bottom part like a skirt."

 

- What is the price of this outfit?
"The waist skirt costs around 200,000 won ($180.00 USD). About 450 waist skirts were sold in June. We sold it through our website. Sometimes we get pre-orders and sell it through the funding site. Tumblbug funding sales alone exceeded 400 million won ($332,000 USD) this year."

 

-What's the difference between other modern Hanboks and Danha?
"These days, Hanbok looks like Hanbok, but fabrics, patterns, and sewing methods are often Western style. In fact, it doesn't take much time and costs less. We pursue traditional sewing methods. For example, in traditional Hanbok, the part that cuts well, such as armpits and sleeves, is called a boulder, so you add another layer of cloth. These days, Hanboks skip this part a lot. But if you take out these details, it doesn't feel like traditional Hanbok. Also, we don't use fabric from the market. We pick patterns from royal relics or traditional patterns and design them ourselves."

- Is there a goal ahead for you?
"We are preparing collaboration to put the paintings of Minhwa artists in Hanbok. Also, I want to break the stereotype that Hanbok is only worn on special days. Many people say, "What kind of Hanbok is this?" I want people to think of Hanbok as a free and modern fashion. I think that the tradition of Hanbok can continue only when more people wear it through change. Until now, I only vaguely thought, "I wish people around the world would see my Hanbok." But I'm glad that BLACKPINK's outfits helped us let the world know about Hanbok."

 

 

Source: http://kukak21.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=news&wr_id=11070sst=&sod=&sfl=&stx=&page=1

 

English translation  by Michael Lammbrau : Washington correspondent, the Korean traditional music newspaper editor