Hanbag by Mike Lee by Robert Rabinovitz

HANBAG "be proud of your country, love Korea"

S S

2 0 1 7

TR ANS FORMABLE HANBOK Mike Lee Parsons the Newschool for Design Fashion Design / Fashion Product SP17_SS2 & SP17_DS2 Robert Rabinovitz & Jennifer Belton

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about this book

INTRODUC TION ARTIS T S TATE MENT I make political statements and follow a reductionist approach to design. My work gives my customer a voice while it also teases us all with irony but compensates with functionality. The fashion products I design are meant to stop the customers and make them think about the message. The goal is to give voice to all types of consumers who identify with the design concept. My design for a garment that transforms i n t o a b a g w h i l e i t a l s o e v o ke s a traditional Korean garment (Hanbok). More than a handy garment, this piece helps preser ve Korean culture that has been weakened and threatened. I want my work to stand on its own as a decoder of culture.

Within my design aspects, I prefer to design and combine two distinct aesthetic approaches. What I interpret in the design field, is that it is intensely hard to design a whole new product. However, working across two different areas makes a new design much easier and fun. Today collaborations are trendy. Two brands coming together catches peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention. Commercial success is of great interest to me. I feel we tend to take a lot of things for granted or hesitate expressing our beliefs. My work is both a reminder and a tool of empowerment for those who wish to question, challenge, and understand culture. Social traditions, family customs, societal patterns, and controversial issues are what interests me most and I study those in history books, in conversations with elders and via personal observations. I intend the work to stand on its own and be fully understood by the customers without having to verbally explain it to them. The design should be easy to understand. When the customers see my works, I want them to think â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, this design is intended to be like this. I can tell what the designer wanted to imply. I know how would it function.â&#x20AC;?

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YOUTH =AGING = US WHAT IS FASHION PRODUCT? A subejct that satisfies con-

the consumer purchases sep-

sumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire related to

erate products when not only

fashion. What kind of fashion

thinking fashion product as

product would the consumers

a tangible product attribute,

want? Thinking it

but also considering wider

only as a combination of phys-

range of meaning associated

ical (tangible) elements, con-

to service, store, dignity, im-

sumers are likely to purchase

ages, etc.

identical products. However, 4

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INS PIRA TION how I got my ideas

For this Design Studio course, it asked me to

observation.

decode/deconstruct an existing fashion prod-

The initial criteria from the course was to solve

ucts that I use in my daily routine. I collabo-

a problem of a existing product along the re-

rated with the topic of Spec Studio which is

search and observation I was supposed to do,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;YOUTH=AGING=USâ&#x20AC;?. The course required me

however, I changed my direction slightly differ-

to explore everyday rituals from elderly loved

ent from what it should had been, and stating

ones or known elders.

that IDEAS/INSPIRATION can also come from a

I was strongly inspired by the interview that I

coincidental thought derived from the original

have done with my mother and the daily outfit

topic. 5

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INTERVIEW My mother was the closest and the only elderly I could have interviewed from my family. I asked her based on her youth and about her preferences of fashion products she had used and the styles she wore and liked. I made a questionaire sheet, shown on the next page, for her to answer the following questions. From the interview, I felt happy to know more about my mother that I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t known before. This made a deep connection in between us and I interpreted this feeling as YOUTH=AGING=US.

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1. Memorable object / prodcut from youth 2. Favorite clothes / style during childhood 3. Common / difference between her childhood fashion and modern fashion 4. Clothes that she still have until now from her youth 5. Clothes that she likes to wear thesedays

1. Skate shoes that she got from her uncle when she was 7. 2. She loved to watch hollywood movies (especially "giant",1956) and got inlfuenced by teen actors. the styles were retro, two-piece, and bell- bottom pants. 3. Back in korea, when she was young (as a student), people usually wore school uniforms mostly. as a plain clothes she wore simple t-shirts and skirts (usually long flared skirts) or jeans (wide). theseday's fashion has a strong individuality, so it is free to express one's personality and style. What she think in common is that people tend to follow other's fashion. Modern fashion is highly industrialized / mechanized, so the fashion products that are laboredly made by master craftmen / famous designers are considered valuable and expensive. 4. She haven't really kept her clothes from her youth, but she loves pajamas and she wore it for a long time (fine white silk pajamas). 5. During the summer, she loves to wear simple t-shirts and jeans. During the winter, she loves to wear cashmere knit, mink and fox fur coat / vest.

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BAENET JEOGORI A baenet jeogori is a wrap styled piece of newborn clothing. In the past or even now, mothers will hand make for their coming baby. It is then worn and kept till the child becomes an adult and get married and it will be passed on to him/her for keeping.

However, beyond her response to the interview, she suddenly showed me my baby clothing (baenet jeogori) which most Korean keep it generation by generation. The baby clothing resembles the aesthetic of Korean traditional clothing, Hanbok, and this inspired me and motivated me to develop this project with stronger concept and getting to the point of YOUTH=AGING=US.

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DAILY OUTFIT OBSERVATION

To get inspired and get ideas from the actual fashion products, I observed and analyzed my daily outfit of the day for a week. For each day, I basically started to observe and analyze the product I wore, trying to solve a problem out of them whether it is physically or functionally problematic.

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anticipation of a new design

COLL ABOR ATION HANBOK + BAG

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COM PRE HENSION research and analysis

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HANBOK "Hanbok" (also called "joseonot") is a collective term for traditional Korean clothing. Though there have been slight changes in hanbok over time in terms of material, preferred colors, and the length of the skirt or jacket, the hanbok's basic format has more or less remained the same for the past 1,600 years. Hanbok can be classified into ceremonial and everyday dress, each of which can be further classified by gender, age and season. All types of hanbok are created beautifully through combinations of straight and slightly curved lines. Women's hanbok in particular are recognized worldwide for the simple yet delightful harmony of their short jackets and full skirts. The jacket, which is put on one arm at a time, makes the upper body look very small, while the skirt worn wrapped around the waist makes the lower body look full, creating an attractive balance. The cut and drape of the clothing complements not only the Korean female physique but also flatters and fits most other body types as well.

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Hanbok, the most "Korean" dress code Having coexisted with the Korean people ever since the beginning of their history, hanbok is a beautiful cultural heritage that all Koreans should be proud of not only for its historical value but also for its uniquely Korean artistic significance. The hanbok, which changes only slightly according to the season, social status and situational context, is highly regarded for its creative design and overall elegance. Although the hanbok to some extent lost its place in Korean daily life due to the rapid inflow of Western civilization after Korea's opening to the Western world in the 19th century, it is still the most representative of Korean dress and a symbol of the identity of the Korean people.

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MODERNIZED HANBOK Modern Hanbok is a term that refers

houette, hanbok, or traditional Korean

to Korean style clothing that changed

attire, has often been regarded as one

the traditional Hanbok in the 1990s

of the most iconic aspects of Korean

to fit modern life. It maintains the

culture. The tradition of wearing the

traditional beauty of the Hanbok and

elaborate, multi-layered dress eventu-

features a modern sense of functional-

ally faded as Koreans opted for the

ity and practicality. It has become a

convenience of Western-style clothing.

daily hanbok in the sense of a type of hanbok suitable for modern peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s everyday life. With its vibrant colors and unique sil-

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REALIT Y OF

KOREA

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus er-

ror sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque

laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque

ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi

architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus

error sitexplicabo.

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Sewol Ferry Disaster On April 16, 2014, a passenger ship that departed from Incheon to Jeju Island sank in the sea near Jindo-gun, South Jeolla Province. Of the 476 passengers, 295 were killed, including students from Ansan who went on a school trip. In August 2014, the Pope Francis visited Korea and comforted his family. In the course of the investigation, the government was overwhelmed, and the Korean society suffered for a long time due to the controversy over the Special Law on Seewal. Fifteen seafarers, including Captain Lee Jun-seok, who had abandoned Seewal, were charged with murder. In the process of investigating the former SEMO group president Yoo Byung-yoon, a proprietor of the Seowalhoe, a religious group called the Christian Gospel Baptist (Salvation) has also come into the news.

It was a backward-looking accident in a country that was about to enter $ 30,000 in national income. It was revealed that Koreans who were buried at speed and ignored the principle of Korea. The government sweated in the controversy over the 'coffin + mafia' issue, which was pointed out as a cause of corruption and corruption. The search ended on November 11, 2014, but nine people were not identified.

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South Korea's Presidential Scandal South Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parliament has voted on 9 December to impeach President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal. Ms Park stepped back from her duties following the vote and her case is now being heard by the constitutional court. The scandal, which has generated huge protests, centres on her relationship with an old friend, and has brought allegations of cult activities, influencepeddling and leaks of classified

What is the relationship at the heart of the scandal? In 1974, Park Geun-hye's mother was killed

lated by the man dubbed "the Korean Ras-

by a North Korean spy who had intended to

putin".

kill Ms Park's father, then-military leader Park

By this point Ms Park was firm friends with

Chung-hee. Ms Park, then aged 22, became a

Mr Choi's daughter, Choi Soon-sil. Their crit-

stand-in first lady for her widowed father.

ics believe Ms Choi perpetuated her father's

It was then she got to know Choi Tae-min,

habits.

a pseudo-Christian leader who set up a cult called The Church of Eternal Life. He said he had been visited by the soul of Ms Park's late mother who asked him to guide her. He became Ms Park's mentor, while also amassing considerable wealth and power. When President Park senior was assassinated by his head of intelligence in 1979, there was speculation it was because the spy chief was worried the president was being manipu-

information.

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Why has the friendship become problematic? On 20 November, Ms Choi was charged with various offences, including abuse of authority, coercion, attempted coercion and attempted fraud. She is now on trial. Few claims have been off-limits in the media coverage, with some reports going as far as suggesting the president is a puppet who hosted shamanist rituals at the presidential compound. But many of the lurid claims are unsubstantiated. Ms Choi - who is in custody - is accused of using her presidential connections to pressure companies for millions of dollars in donations

to two non-profit foundations she controlled. The claims have even swept up Samsung in the investigation - the firm is one of eight that has admitted making payments to the foundation, but denies it did so in return for any favours. President Park is alleged to have been personally involved, instructing Ms Choi and two presidential aides to collect money for the launch of Ms Choi's foundations, according to prosecution documents

submitted to the court. Ms Choi is also accused of having received large numbers of confidential government documents from Ms Park, via an aide. These allegedly included information about ministerial candidates and North Korea. There are even claims Ms Choi took advantage of the president's wardrobe budget - buying cheap outfits and keeping

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Ignorance of Korean History and Running out of Patriotism It has become ingorant of knowing the Korean history today, esepcially for the current and

the younger generation. The Korean Education Office have removed the learning of Korean history from a mandatory to an optional education. Since history classes were not a popular class to take, a lot of students omitted to learn the history of Korea. I've made a questionaire aiming to collect a statistic report from my atcual surroundings of how much Korean are ignorant about ourhistory and to prove that we actually are running out of patriotism due to the weakened and threatened Korean culture.

1. What is your age? 18 to 24 ◻ 25 to 34 ◻ 35 to 44 ◻ 45 to 54 ◻ 55 to 64 ◻ 65 to 74 ◻ 75 or older

2. What is your gender? ◻ Female ◻ Male

3. How familiar are you with the Korean history? ◻ None ◻ A little ◻ A lot

4. Write 1 historical event or 3 historical figures from the Korean history. (No searching or asking)

5. Are you proud to be a Korean? ◻ NO ◻ Hm....I don’t know ◻ YES! 22

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Results

I have collected the information from a range of age 18~54. Age of 18~24 took the most part of the result and this shows the majority of younger and current generation. 62.07% of female and 37.93% of male. According to the questions number 3 and 4, 3 tells that there are a little more than half people answering that they are erudite of Korean history, however, from number 4 it shows that most of the poeple havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fully or properly answered the question. This proves that many people are ignorant about the history of Korea. It was quite shocking that there was one person who answered NO to the last question. In ratio, this means there are about 3 people who do not feel proud of themself being as Korean. 23

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INTENTION designer’s message

THE HANBOK S TRE NGTHE N PATRIOTIS M & PROMOTE KORE A

“The Hanbok” aspires to bring ageless wisdom of our traditions to the world, seamless translation of natural beauty of life into the dress. Uniquely situated in the city with multi-

The purpose of my product is to strengthen Korean’s weakened patriotism and at the same time to promote Korea world wide. The intention of my design and the concept is to visually alert and awaken other Korean to think about their country once more. Reinforcing their self-awareness that the fact as being Korean is never changing. HANBAG itself reveals the strong image of Korea from the aesthetic of hanbok, which is the most representative image of Korea and I wanted to popularlize this idea by making the garment transformable and accessorize it which can also be turned into a daily tote bag. 24

cultural influence, our client will experience the distinctiveness and exceptional styles that only “The Hanbok” can provide in bringing excitement and pleasure to any occasions and events. “The Hanbok” will ensure that each and every design are individually tailored and mastered offering our client to discover the natural beauty and elegance of these magnificent dresses. We hope that “The Hanbok” can be the ambassador in delivering knowledge, tradition and culture to the main stream.

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3 DESIGNERS These 3 fashion designers carry similar purpose as mine. The HANBOK and Lee Young Hee are hanbok designers who aspire to spread the beauty of Korea over the world, Also, Lie Sangbong successfully promoted Korea world wide by designing a collection utilizing Korean alaphabets on the garments.

LIE SANGBONG In 2007, he created the Cyon Shine Mobile Phone by LIE SANGBONG with LG Electronics. One of the first limited-edition cell phones to be designed by a fashion designer, it features a modernized pattern of Hangul characters etched into the casing. Continuing his exploration of Hangul

LEE YOU NG HEE Lee Yong hee, present the beauty of Korea over the world, Also she represent the emotion of Korea. Not only because of her background that she was from Korean dress designer but also her basic emotion is from the root of Koreanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cultures. With her mind upon the Buddhism, She has created and developed the natural

characters, he also designed several porcelain pieces with Haengnam Porcelain Company which later became part of the permanent collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Among his numerous other accomplishments, he has also created uniforms for the A1 Grand Prix Korean national team (2008) and designed an exhibit to celebrate the first anniversary of the Korean Cultural Center in London, later displayed in Trafalgar Square (2009).

dyes with her a Buddhist peiest which give marvelous impression to over the world. Her team is consisted of Buddhism, Buddhist temple, and a Buddhist priest. 25

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DESIGN PROCES designing and developing ideas

My design process starts with the initial design concept, br

sible ideas. Then I move to the developing stage where I de

the idea from the initial stage or change to whole design co

ment the problems coming from them and finalize my des

such as embroideries, fabric manipulations, trims, etc., to st

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N SS

rainstorming and branching out pos-

ecide whether to focus and enhance

oncept. With prototypes, I suppli-

sign. Then I add detailed elements,

trehgnthen the design.

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INITIAL DES IGN CONCEPT Brainstorming ideas At first, I brainstormed some ideas in

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d decided to remove jeans from it, be-

terms of form, materiality, collabora-

cause I wanted to focus on the Korean

tion, function and aesthetics.

aesthetic.

What I wanted my prodcut to be look

I was also considering embroideries, in

like was a daily tote bag that has a aes-

order to emphasize more of the beauty

thetic of Hanbok. It is simple, minimal,

of Korea.

yet pointing out. I was initially thinking about collaborating my design with jeans, however

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Sketching

Korean traditional embroidery and the patchwork, Pojagi, beautifully and smoothly combine each other within the designs. Also visually giving the mood and emphasizing the look of Korean traditional culture.

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Prototyping A scaled prototype to visualize my design idea 3 dimensionally . The overall look did turned out to be what I had imagined, however the outcome was way too simple and it seemed to be too literal that of putting the aesthetic of Hanbok right on the front of the bag.

Developing So I have developed the idea from not just being a bag itself, but a transformable Hanbok clothing that can turn into a bag, or can go either way.

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Sketching

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Prototyping

In order to make the garment transformable into a bag, I had to think about about the closure when it truns into a bag and I decided that trims such like push buttons would close the bottom opening well enough. Here is the scaled prototype with push buttons at the bottom opening of the body. First you snap all the inner buttons then you snap the rest outside of the garment so that objects wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fall out from the first snap closures.

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In the middle of my developing process, I made a oversize fitted real size prototype. As a garment, I wanted it to be as a gown-like jacket so that the user can wear it on any type of clothings inside this piece. However, I immediately figured out that the size was too big to transform as a bag. Since the fabric was not stiff enough to maintain its shape, I decided to stick with a fitted size and crop length body. In addition, the metal trims and large push buttons that I were planning to use would mess up the garment, make the garment heavy and look excessive.

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Refining design sketches

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FINAL DESIGNS

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I finalized my designs into two at

a zipper closure at the bottom so

last. I stayed simple and classic to

it is easier to close than snapping

the design, yet functional and easily

bunch of push buttons. Instead of

transforming from a garment to a

using four straps on the shoulder

bag. It was complicated with my

for the handle strap, I realized us-

previous idea which I had to snap

ing one sided-two straps can also

all the push buttons to enclose the

work and be carriable as a normal

opened bottom and make ring holes

shoulder bag unlike my previous

on the center line and tying it up

idea which I connected four seper-

with the center straps. The final de-

ate straps on both of top back and

sign on the left side of the page has

front shoulder.

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Final fabric

-grey wool satin (base) -white thin chambray (top collar) The reason why I chose the color grey as the main fabric is because grey gives a modern and refined image and arrange other color very well. It generally represents shady and color fading image but as time goes by it also gives off a luxurious and calm mood. It's a suitable and reasonable color to use for my HANBAG.

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Embroidery ideas

These images are the most representative icons of Korea that I have collected to set them as an option of embroidery on the garment. These representative embroideries emphasize the image of Korea and visually approach more ahead to people who see it.

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Final product - garment

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Final product - bag

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Embroideries

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NAMING AND LOGO branding

HANBOK is a combination of two words, Hanbok and Bag. Han (한, 韓) as a single word itself indwells Korea. HANBAG is an approaching name especially to Korean because the pernounciation is similar to the word Hanbok. With the word Bag combined with Han, people would immediately understand that HANBAG is a brand that designs bag.

HANbag HANBAG HANbag HANbag HANbag HANbag HANbag

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Logo designs

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VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHS

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Special thanks to Robert Rabinovitz Jennifer Belton Heui Ae Kim Jun Park Suzy Kwon Jenna Kim

HANBAG Phone +1 9173769082 leem780@newschool.edu www.instagram.com/minhari93 44-41 Purves street Long Island City New York, NY 11101