- Seo Taiji and Boys: This K-pop group was the root of many Korean fashion trends today, and give off an appearance of the popular “too cool for school” look, which is influenced by American 80s and 90s fashion, as well as vintage fashion in general. Their influence has led to the rise of K-pop popularity and a subculture of Korean Fashion. This gives off the kind of fashion that I wish to personally dress as, and gives off a feeling of carelessness yet careful planning of what to wear to achieve this kind of look. It is very focused on silhouette and representation of oneself, which is what I want to work on as a designer.
2. Korea in the 1930s, under the Japanese rule (no credit image, could not find). Koreans were forced to dress a certain way under the Japanese rule, and higher class as well as influential people, especially government officials, were able to dress in western clothing. The access to western things were only applied towards whoever had power and money. I wanted to explore the hierarchy of fashion in western dress and how it is valued over Korean-Asian dress. This still applies to todays world in the way where people are able to wear nicer clothes, and European brands are marketed for higher prices, in comparison to things that were made by Chinese and Korean designers. I love the silhouette of the Hanbok as well as Korean 1930’s fashion.
- My mother, born in 1963. This was taken around the 1980s, in Korea. I find this interesting because its very like the way I dress, and it shows that fashion can repeat over and over again, in a cycle and recycling of ideas. This is also a sense of aestheticism I want to achieve and I love the film/picture quality of the image that gives it nostalgia.
