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When discussing the subject of how they joined the circles of hanbok designers, some talk about a fateful turn of events and others about an historical or national sense of mission. However, she says that her deep love of hanbok has made her what she is today. 17 years ago, Lee Hye-sun was a housewife of a four-generation family. She was satisfied with her life, except that she wanted to be engaged in social activities outside the home.
As she put it, “One day I paid a visit to Gyeonbokgung Palace. There, I happened to have a look at a collection of photos of women in hanbok. I was so fascinated by the beautiful hanbok in various shapes and lengths that I could not take my eyes off it. Thus, at the “late” age of thirty, I summoned the courage and started learning how to make hanbok.” Little did she expect that she would become a renowned hanbok designer.
People speak of the beautiful color combinations of her hanbok. But she says, “People talk about color combinations that catch their attention at the first glance, but what I care about the most is materials, and then colors. What comes next is the quality of sewing, i.e. every single stitch. You know, each type of material and the shape of the clothes has a way of sewing suited to it.”
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Concerning the public’s prejudice about hanbok being inconvenient to wear, she said, “You need to maintain a cautious attitude when in hanbok, but I don’t think it’s a garment that is inconvenient to wear. Hanbok is haute couture rather than pret-a-porte. Made-to-measure tailored hanbok by a skilled designer is never inconvenient.”
She says that recently there are many foreigners wishing to have their hanbok made to measure. They appear to pay particular attention to the process of selecting materials or fitting. A foreigner now in New York recently told her that he has no trouble at all going about everyday business in hanbok that was made to measure at her store ten years ago. She never fails to wear hanbok when visiting foreign countries and receives compliments and attention.
Sometimes, she feels sad about foreigners’ absurd misunderstanding of hanbok. Some foreigners think that hanbok chima(skirt) spreading out at the bottom has a historical background: so as to avoid being sexually assaulted when attacked by foreign troops, by looking pregnant. She painfully laments such a lack of knowledge about the country’s traditional culture.
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In 2007, she made a collection of photos of luxurious hanbok and sent it to the executive editors of various editions of Vogue with the intention to publicize the beauty of the traditional garment of Korea all over the world. It is hoped that the collection opens the eyes of many people to the beautiful colors and lines of hanbok, as her visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace did 17 years ago.
- Curriculum vitae [ Lee Hye-sun ]
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- Representative, Damyeon
- Made hanbok for local films, such as Ssanghwajeom, Scandal, Korean Peninsula, Empress Myeongseong, etc.
