“I am always inspired by Korean tradition. There are 5 colors in the traditional Korean color spectrum, also known as Obangsaek. The five Korean traditional colors are blue, red, yellow, white, and black which were represented in the garments. Each color embodies the Five Elements of traditional Korean culture. Blue means Wood, Red means Fire, Yellow means Earth, White means Metal, and lastly, Black means Water. I wanted one central color to shine over the other using mixture of fabrics” 

— DARCYGOM

“Living most of my life abroad and now reaching out to my roots, it was important for me to look into Korean culture and see what was relatable to me, and to people who live in 2020. Tradition by itself is beautiful and I have so much love for it. But to make it my own and create something that is modern with my culture in it makes my heart truly flutter. That was the common denominator for everyone who participated in this project. Several fashion-related influencers took notice of this project already. I guess I’m doing something okay. Awesome.

It is all about location, location, location. This was definitely true for this project. It all happened when Namsangol Hanok Village (@namsangol_official) opened up their venue for this team. This spurred excitement and ultimately brought the model, MUA artist, photographer, videographer, and one designer brand together. Namsangol Hanok Village is a collection of five hanoks (traditional Korean houses) from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).  The location made us reflect on Korean tradition with a fresh perspective and discover its hidden beauty. Ultimately the location made the past feel closer and more relevant. ”

— Sung Ju Beth Lee @sj.beth  

“

The Korean traditional colors are intense and elegant. It contains the sky, land, and sea evenly. In this work, I wanted the model to pose instinctively and sensuously after the animals that symbolize the sky, land, and sea. I asked the model to pose, reminiscent of a tiger in the striped pants outfit, a peacock in striped dress, and a swimming fish in the lucky-pocket black cocktail dress. This different portrayal of each animal harmoniously created the strikingly daring but yet elegant ambiance. 

— Photographer LIM Junseong @creator.danb 

“ To have something traditional and tweak it a bit in a modern way always makes fashion more interesting. In this aspect, I am always looking for different ways to encode Koreanism into my design. This time the Korean traditional multi-color striped fabric called “Saekdong” truly inspired me. It is normally used as a sleeve detail in historical outfits but I wanted to show that this fabric can be more up-to-date. Mingling different stripes together, it really had a bold look to it. I think I was able to channel a distinct but yet modern look in an unconventional non-traditional way.  ”

— darcygom