Modern Korean Fashion has a great impact not only on the Asian industry, but on the world itself. I even find myself browsing through Korean fashion icons and brands on Instagram and admiring how aesthetically satisfying their outfits are. However, In order to reach this peak of cultural influence, Korea itself was once invaded by the influences of Japan and western civilizations. Prior to the Korean War, Korean fashion was like most nations. They had clothing that represented the wearer’s profession, class, and even their age! The hanbok, written as “한복”, also known as “Korean clothing”, was the standard norms of traditional clothing before the intrusion of western influences that occurred after the Korean War. The most colorful and ornate articles of these clothes would be worn by the higher class, with special designs across it. On the other hand, lower class citizens would wear ones of plain colors. After the Korean war, the hanbok fell out of fashion and was only integrated into special occasions such as wedding ceremonies.
The modernization of South Korea occurred during the Korean War. At this time, South Korea’s culture was undergoing reformation, trying to overcome the years of Japanese influence since the late 1800s. The Japanese encouraged the modernization of Korean fashion because they viewed it to be out of date. This led the Japanese people to forcefully push the adoption of short hair styles and the purchase of manufactured clothing. It was difficult for many people to assimilate this new trend of fashion, due to its cost and it was something the Korean people were unaccustomed to. Many people protested this urgence of the Japanese to intrude on their culture. They did this by wearing their traditional clothing in the streets. During the Korean War, American soldiers were stationed in Korea, and their customs of clothing also began to influence Korean culture.
Western Clothing began to be most accustomed to and well accepted, since it did not label the citizens of their social position. Since many people could only afford a few garments, they often mixed traditional clothing with western ones. Something to take note of is that women often tried to replicate western fashion. This rose controversy because it began the shift of conservative fashion to one that was more revealing and sexualized. All because western clothing allowed more exposure of the skin.
As the Korean War came to an end, Korea’s fashion trend was well established and mirrored most similarly to western civilizations. Korea would continue to remodel their fashion as the years went on, to now, where they are among the top influencers in fashion trends across the globe. The emergence of Korean Pop (KPOP) bands renovated fashion trends in Korea and led them to become a leader in the fashion industry with the introduction of unique and flashy styles!
