Exotic trends and cultures have always had their rise and fall in the world. If it wasn’t the early interest in European culture, then it was the fascination with countries like Japan. But lately, the tide is shifting.
These days, you’ll find Korean culture prop up just about anywhere. It’s present in the music people are listening to, the shows they watch on TV, and lately, the clothes they wear. That’s right, South Korea is taking over the fashion world by storm. But just how did it all really start?
South Korea and Fashion
It’s not too far-fetched to assume that Korea is the land of fashion. As early as the 50s and 60’s the country began to take an interest in popular western clothing. The preference for traditional Korean clothing slowly slid down while the need for modern fashion rose up.
A few decades in the making, this idea of bridging the old and new gave rise to new ideas. Tons of fashion designers started propping up in the ’80s and ’90s. They took center stage at many fashion events worldwide. This Korean government started to take notice and encourage fashion designers. This only inspired more and more people to become full-fledged designers.
Soon, South Korea became a rising capital of the fashion world. Big events like Seoul Fashion Week and the first international fashion show took place in the country. It attracted hundreds of worldwide brands and designers to make their homestay in the country.
The Second Wave
Clearly, South Korea reigned true over the fashion world. But while it was respected among the fashion community, it didn’t really have a big reach for the common person. At least, not for a while.
It was until the 2000s that the country experienced its second spike in fashion and cultural trends. The rise of K-Pop groups, Korean dramas, and Korean culture, in general, kicked off heavily. This time not only inspiring the fashion industry but also millions of fans around the world.
The unique and trendy style of modern-day South Korea is something that’s widely sought after. And it has become a gateway for the country to export it its ideas and culture to the western world.
Rise of K-Pop
Current Korean fashion trends can be boiled down to one major factor: K-Pop. Almost anyone that knows a thing or two about Korea will almost always point to it as part of their influence.
The music of K-Pop is generally enjoyed by tons of people around the world. Whether it’s the fresh musical styles, the live performances, or the intricate dancing choreography, it reaches far. And that’s part of what fans get enamored by.
Groups like BTS made K-Pop a household name in just about every place on earth. Not only do fans want to listen to their music, but they’re also inspired by their personalities. They want to get the same haircuts, they want the same accessories, and of course, they want the same clothes.
Major clothing brands will release entire clothing lines dedicated to what the popular K-Pop artists or groups are wearing. What’s more, a lot of K-Pop groups sell their own merchandise in the form of clothes and accessories. Thousands of dedicated fans will gladly pay top dollar to help support their favorite groups and look like them.
Vehicle for Expression
At first glance, it’s easy to peg Korean fashion as something that’s just hip and trendy. But the connection goes much deeper than that. It formed as a result of inspiration and expression from the designer’s part.
See, while the rest of the world was being influenced by the west, so was Korea. The only difference was that it was also searching for its own unique cultural identity. This resulted in an incubation that merged the two together. The West helped kickstart the East. And the East helped invigorate the West.
Korean fashion wasn’t just an afterthought, it was an extension of the culture and thought process. Most early K-Pop artists started out by making unconventional blends of the music genres they were inspired by. Western genres like R&B, hip hop, rock, and electronic music were mixed with their own flair to make K-Pop.
This creative expression quickly spread to what they wore. Their fashion choices became just as zany and creative as their musical ones. The mixed and matched elements of their fashion gave way to the kind of way they wanted to portray themselves.
Western fans can understand and appreciate this on a basic level. After all, what you wear is your own personal choice. Why not use it to reflect how you really feel? If a standard t-shirt and jeans combo isn’t doing it for you, then you can have the vast freedom that the K-Pop world offers.
Streetwear Revamped
Streetwear has stood firm as one of the essential forms of clothes to wear. Throughout history, it’s become a staple for the younger generation to stand out amongst the crowd. Whether it’s been the hip-hop generation of the 90s or the skateboarding era of the early 2000s, streetwear has remained dominant.
But it also has undergone changes to suit the generation that’s been it has been used by. Small changes here and there are what separate streetwear of the 80s from streetwear of the 2000s. It shows an evolution of culture and influence.
In the world today, brands have taken to make streetwear feel more fashionable and premium than it ever was. Brands like SuperDry, OffWhite, and Supreme take that idea to heart by putting out clothing and accessory lines to capitalize on it.
But the biggest streetwear revolution doesn’t come from the West. In fact, it was cultivated smack dab in Korea itself. The country’s top designers took to using the Western influence and using it to create something truly unique. Korean streetwear became an in-vogue way of being fashionable while trying to stay minimal. Clean design was paired alongside eye-popping colors, unusual textures, mismatched accessories, and much more. It instantly captured the hearts and minds of the Western world.
A Fresh Take
Arguably the biggest success of Korean fashion has been its ability to introduce something that hasn’t been seen before. In the fast-moving world of fashion, this is something that really matters for sustainability.
Western fashion from the US and greater Europe already had its time in the sun several decades ago. And it became old rather quick. There was also a brief taste of the East from countries like Japan.
But no country has truly offered something to the world of fashion quite like Korea. See, Korean fashion is all about being yourself by using the tools you have available to you. It’s not about introducing its own culture or reinventing the wheel. But rather it’s about taking parts from other cultures to represent your own.
That’s something that has never before been seen in the fashion industry. We’ve all seen new trends or old trends revived as new trends. But we’ve never seen those trends being filtered through another set of eyes and sent back to us. It’s like looking in a mirror. Except it’s a mirror that shows you how others see you. That’s why Korean fashion is such a hot topic in the Western world. The heart of it exposes something that isn’t too commonplace. It’s not just mentality, either. The trend itself feels long overdue. It’s fresh. It feels new enough to survive in the modern world.
The Center Stage
It’s not easy for a country like Korea to break out of the Western image of generalized East Asia. What would’ve been misinformation or plain ignorance is now a mutual understanding and respect for foreign cultures.
Today, you can say the word Kimchi to a Westerner and not get a quizzical look in return. That’s not always easy. Especially for a country like Korea that spent a better part of its history being geographically and politically sandwiched between big countries like China and Japan.
If you think about all the cultural revolutions throughout the decades, they’ve all been founded on something historical. Whether it’s the culture and traditions of the people, their cuisine, their arts, and much more.
Yet, despite all this, it was the fashion industry that gave Korea its national identity. A fashion industry that was crafted by borrowing and blending influences wherever it was possible. The fact that something like this can become a unique identity is an incredible thing on its own.
It’s what helped it reach the outside world in a way that other countries seldom do. And it’s what helped expose and popularize its culture. That’s how it will be able to spread the country’s influence and ideas to the West and beyond.
References:
https://www.hostelbookers.com/blog/travel/fashion-trends/
https://blog.streetwearjobs.com/south-korean-streetwear
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion_in_Korea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Wave
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1870798/fuelled-fashion-korean-wave-taking-world-storm
https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/hallyu-how-south-korea-using-fashion-influence-western-society
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b050418b660640fab1f9918eb4b4ac6c
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/asia-pacific/south-korea-finding-its-place-on-the-world-stage