KOREA FOUNDATION

COVER STORY

Written by_Baek Jin-ju, CEO of Studio di Perla

In Korea, the national dress, hanbok, is redesigned and sold in line with the newest fashion trends. It is also worn by famous designers and artists onstage. There are many examples of ASEAN countries that have similarly streamlined their traditional clothing to keep up with contemporary lifestyles.

The first country to introduce is Viet Nam. Vietnamese designer Minh Hạnh pays close attention to her country’s national dress, the áo dài and other traditional materials. She transforms traditional fashion, textiles materials, handicrafts, and patterns into modern creations.

We can also take a look at Thailand’s national clothing, the chut thai. This one-piece, formal dress is often worn at weddings. The women’s version sometimes exposes the shoulders to accentuate femininity, and the waist is often fastened with a golden belt. Nowadays, chut thai are also transformed into various modern designs which are frequently worn by Thais as part of their daily apparel.

The barong tagalog, referred to by locals as simply barong, is a traditional shirt worn by men in the Philippines. Filipinos men commonly wear barong on important occasions. Despite the changes over four centuries, the garment still retains its original features, such as its thin, semi-transparent fabric that is perfect for the hot climate of the Philippines. A backlash against the legacy of Spanish colonialism led to adding a variety of decorations that didn’t exist in earlier, Spanish-designed barong. Today, they are worn in a wide array of styles.

Clearly, many countries in ASEAN have not only preserved their tradtitional national dress, but continue to evolve them through fusion with contemporary fashion trends. Beyond the present applications, traditional heritage has infinite potential to be developed in countless new directions long into the future.

The contents of all articles may differ from the editorial direction of the KF ASEAN Culture House Monthly.