KOREA FOUNDATION

Cellphone cases gleaming in shades of Goryeo celadon green look familiar and mysterious at the same time. The National Museum’s efforts to introduce cultural goods imbued with a young yet sophisticated sensibility have again met a great public reaction with the release of Goryeo celadon editions of MIMIDESIGN products, integrating traditional imagery into everyday supplies. MIMIDESIGN CEO Han Sang-mi says she dreams of popularizing and globalizing designs that use traditional Korean materials.

Development of the Goryeo Celadon series; cultural goods released by the National Museum to become the talk of the town
Sale of 20,000 pieces in two months after supplying products to the museum shop
Design of everyday goods imbued with young yet refined sensibility
Expectation of popularization and globalization of products with traditional materials and motifs

It’s great to see you. We have been very curious to know who created the Goryeo Celadon series. Did you expect the series to be this successful?
It feels almost unreal — the response was so much better than I had expected. I launched the Goryeo Celadon series in March 2020. The series entered the National Museum in the fall and gradually earned popularity as official museum merchandise. I had high hopes for the series as the crowdfunding for it had turned out well, but I never expected that it would become such a big success. Over 20,000 pieces were sold in the two months after it debuted at the museum shop, and we even had to lose sleep to meet the surging demand.

Are the products difficult to produce? What do you think is the secret behind their success?
As the colors may change due to such variables as production time, weather, and the condition of the production machines, we prevent and deal with problems through regular product testing. The original color of Goryeo celadon is extremely subtle and therefore the colors of our products are slightly different. We tried to add freshness by increasing the chroma and brightness of the celadon’s original shade. We conducted test after test to obtain colors that the young generation would find appealing. Customers seem to see our application of Goryeo celadon as refreshing and hip. One of the reasons behind our products’ popularity may also be that they are familiar and practical unlike souvenirs such as magnets and snow globes.

You are now releasing MIMIDAR brand products designed by using traditional imagery. What was your motivation to do so?
I dreamed of launching my own brand to make and sell design products when I was a member of a college club. I got the idea of using traditional imagery during a trip to Japan a few years ago. Various daily goods with traditional elements were being sold at convenience stores and neighborhood shops across Japan and I found it quite amazing and enchanting. In Korea’s case, goods with traditional imagery have only been sold as special souvenirs at popular tourist attractions, such as Insa-dong and museums.

Clockwise from left are the Goryeo Celadon cellphone case and AirPod Pro case, Dancheong umbrella, and Irworobongdo pencil case which, when unfolded, appears like a folding screen with a landscape painting of a sun, moon, and five peaks. Courtesy of MIMIDESIGN.

What trials did you have to go through to create products that were different from those already on sale in tourist spots?
Products that are being sold already usually adopt traditional imagery as it is. This is like printing the Irworobongdo directly on a name card case with no changes or adaptation. However, such products neither arouse curiosity nor attract those who have little interest in tradition. If producers of souvenir-type goods first choose the type of item and then apply traditional imagery to it, MIMIDAR works are created the opposite way. We choose the cultural assets and imagery first and then think about how we will communicate their stories and what kind of goods would be best for that. We want to rediscover traditional imagery that is not difficult — rather, that is so easy and familiar that its value has been ignored — and then convey its hidden stories to consumers.

Is that the secret behind the wonderful harmony between Goryeo celadon and the cellphone case?
I have heard that Goryeo celadon was the result of efforts to find and develop a bright, jade-like material and expression at a time when jade was very expensive and hard to acquire. I wondered what could replace earth and clay in the 21st century, how I could make a sort of unbreakable Goryeo celadon. I wanted to find something that could deliver its traditional story in the most effective way. This is why I made pencil cases with the Irworobongdo, umbrellas with dancheong, and cellphone cases with Goryeo celadon patterns.

You decided to modernize the tone of the Goryeo celadon color — it must be crucial to design for your products to not look outdated. How do you achieve that?
Our basic principle is that our products should be beautiful no matter what. We cannot be overly cautious when it comes to newly interpreting tradition. An excessive interpretation usually does harm to tradition, whereas a lack of interpretation means falling behind modern sensibility. It is always quite tricky to find the optimal middle ground. Something as small as a teeny-tiny element can determine a product being considered hip or outdated. I happen to find traditional Korean imagery beautiful as it is, but there are people who do not agree with me. Some people like strong colors like red and green, but others find them rather overbearing. People have different tastes for design and we do our utmost to listen to as many opinions as possible while being in tune with the trends.

You may see different responses to the same products from Korean and international customers. Do you have any plans for overseas sales or exports?
I often hear comments from customers who have purchased our products and given them as gifts to their foreign friends and acquaintances saying that non-Koreans love the products, too. Koreans and non-Koreans alike appreciate and find beauty in the universality and expandability of tradition. The MIMIDAR goods are being sold at the duty-free shop at Incheon International Airport and are being delivered overseas now, and we plan on raising our share of the global market in the near future. An increasing number of people are developing products using traditional Korean imagery, and I hope the KF will closely watch and help them by providing opportunities to introduce their products abroad. We will do our best to create and promote good products so that our traditional designs will become as universal and familiar as checks and polka dots around the world.