Hybrid Hanbok + Batik = Hantik or Babok or Hanba?

Does this work for you?

Sorry to both the Koreans and Indonesians but I couldn't resist playing around with the names in the title for this posting. Just like the cross between the lion and tiger to get... was it the liger?... , two fashion designers  were given the challenge of coming up with hybrid designs which would incorporate elements of  the hanbok and batik.

Shin Sook-young, a designer associated with Sookhyun Hanbok said in an interview, ''I was asked to design six different pieces of the Korean traditional costume Hanbok with fabric used for making Indonesia's Batik.''
One wonders if that was really all she had to say or if she was being diplomatic and refrained from making any subjective comments.

I'd also like to know what the Indonesian designer, Oscar Lawalata,  felt about seeing his beloved batiks used as part of the skirt or chima in the hanbok. This young man, who has taken part in many fashion shows around the region,  is keen to promote Indonesian textiles but was he happy seeing them used for hanboks? How did the Koreans feel about their national dress made of batik appearing on the runway?

Hanbok with batik skirts worn by models on the right side

Some lucky Indonesians in Jakarta enjoyed the privilege of deciding such questions for themselves when they saw first-hand the results of that collaboration in a Hanbok-Batik fashion show. The opening event for the South Korea-Indonesia Week celebrations was hosted by the Council of Nation Branding  at the Ritz-Carlton ballroom on Monday 11th October.

One of Oscar Lawalata's creations has some Chinese influence as well

In addition to tranditional Hanbok and Lawalata's own designs, hanbok made from batik, and costumes from Korean TV dramas like Daejanggeum were also featured on the runway. Have tried to look for reviews of the show but have not found anything as yet. Personally, I'm not comfortable with the results - the earthiness of batik doesn't quite suit the hanbok which has to convey a sense of lightness and ethereal delicacy given its already puffed-up outlines. But then again, I shouldn't comment on the basis of two pictures. If anyone out there did take pics of the show please post them somewhere on the Net and send me the links so that I can get a closer look and make a more informed decision.

Check out Oscar Lawalata's website. I'd do the same for Ms Shin except that I couldn't find on her on the Net, believe it or not!

For another posting on another Korean designer, click here.

sources:
http://www.korea.net/detail.do?guid=50539
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_photo_detail.htm?No=15463
http://berita.liputan6.com/sosbud/201010/300800/Festival.Korea.Kedua.Digelar
http://koreaindonesiaweek.com/
http://iheartme.onsugar.com/fashion-week-Oscar-Lawalata-2951812
http://www.oscarlawalata.net/philosophy.html
http://www.arirang.co.kr/Player/Player_Script.asp?vSeq=55968&code=News

Andre Kim's Lessons On Personal Branding

Call him  weird-looking, eccentric or that odd man obsessed with "white spacesuits" or as Le Figaro put it, "the magician from fairyland"; call his clothes over-the top flights of fantasy or  romantic expressions of the Korean aesthetic- however you choose to label the late Andre Kim and his creations, there's one thing you gotta give the man.

R.I.P. Andre Kim ( 12th August, 2010)

He knew how to brand himself. He cut an indelible, if somewhat ridiculous figure,  on the runway with his mascara-lined scalp and white clothes; apparently Korean comedians love to mimic his dramatic flourishes and he knew how to leverage on his social network.



There's not much info on his own "rags to riches" story or in his case, how he rose from obscurity and  transformed himself from Kim Bong Nam, son of a farmer to become Andre Kim, Korea's first male designer.

Andre Kim in the 1960s - before he redesigned his own image.

His brand name soon became associated with " luxury and romanticism" and he was the first designer to have a fashion show in front of the pyramids of Egypt and the man who turned down Michael Jackson's invitation to be his personal designer.  ( For a list of other 'firsts' and feathers in his cap, click here)



He was open to the suggestion of a diplomat from the French Embassy to adopt  an “easy foreign name” as the first step towards becoming a world-class designer. He seemed to have done a fair bit of networking with the expat community and the diplomatic corps, learning more about the world through his contacts as well as taking the opportunity to share with foreigners his pride in his own culture.

For Hallyuwood stars, like Choi Ji-woo and Lee Young-ae, invitations to appear in his fashion shows became a yardstick of their own popularity. His commercial savvy prompted him to let his name be linked to other products like Samsung washing machines, Hankook Chinaware and wallpaper. It would be interesting to know how well his company has been doing actually, in terms of domestic and international sales,  who his main customers are and more importantly, what direction his company will take after his demise.



Here's what Andre Kim once said in an interview with the Chosun Ilbo:

" During the Japanese colonization and right after the Korean War, my village in the countryside was very poor. Yet a new bride wore new clothes for a year. Though it was economically difficult, people were always clean, neat and beautiful. The kitchen was gleaming, and my mother always wiped the floor clean. When I see today's well-off people with their dirty houses, I get really annoyed. Even when we were poor, our food, clothes, and houses were clean and aesthetic. We are people with a high taste for culture."


I very much doubt I'll ever wear any of his creations but here's what I will remember the man for:

• his incredible work ethic - did you know he taught himself English and took pride in his ability to use Queen's English? He woke up at 5:30 a.m. every day and read 17 newspapers to keep himself updated and in touch with events.
• He personally made Christmas trees and had them delivered in style to his  friends. That puts me to shame when I'm so bad at even sending out Christmas cards.

sources:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hEawusZ9yZM_kQZS8okDk6odMkrA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Kim
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/08/113_71362.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VydypYHRtRE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZanqu27kWI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlk2SRcoqvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAHV6VzOj4M&feature=related
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/08/113_71362.html
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/08/13/2010081300532.html
http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?sec=8&id=4459
http://en.akihabaranews.com/9568/misc/samsung-does-tuning-for-washing-machines
http://www.korea4expats.com/news-Andre-Kim.html
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/07/13/2007071361019.html
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/11/20/2009112000316.html