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East meets West on the runway
By Lucy-Claire Saunders
An increasing number of Korean immigrants have brought their culture to Vancouver — the food, as well as various products — but traditional clothing is still largely unknown to the public . . . up until now that is.
Cindy Yi has fashioned the hanbok (“traditional clothing”) for the new millennium. By adding a V-shape neckline and bright colours, Yi has transformed the Josean Dynasty-styled dress for Korean women into a new creation modern enough to wear to parties or to weddings.
The fourth year Kwantlen University College student will be presenting her new line, JUJUBE designs at Apparition, the annual Kwantlen graduation fashion show at the River Rock Casino in Richmond.
Yi, who is from Kwang Ju in South Korea, says she was inspired to blend western styles with her traditional Korean roots when she moved to Canada three years ago.
Increasingly, fashion designers around the world are focusing on mismatching fashions from different cultures to create unique apparel.
However Yi says Canadian designers still have a lot of catching up to. While clothing companies like Plenty offer styles borrowed from Asian cultures, the majority tend to stick with the familiar — what’s comfortable.
“Many women here are generally happy to wear very sporty clothes like yoga pants,” she said. “I think sports are more popular here but in Korea, shopping is more popular.”
Canadians are also less likely to judge others by their appearance, she added, so fashion suffers as a result.
The main difference between Korean clothes for women and their Canadian counterpart is the separation of formal and casual wear. Yi explained that in Korea, women will always look very put together and fashionable, whether they’re going to work, eating out with friends or just popping by the market.
Canadian women, on the other hand, are content to wear ughs and sweat pants on a Saturday afternoon to get a latte but will drastically change their appearance and get all dolled up to go out that night.
“In Korea, everyday people wear special clothing, which is very expensive but at the same time, we don’t really have party dresses,” she said.
For JUJUBE Designs Yi uses fabric from Korea because the silk and hemp are less expensive there and of better quality.
“All of my fabric is 100 per cent silk or hemp,” she said, “which looks and feels better.”
She has also added vibrant colours to her dresses because in Korea it’s quite trendy. Many girls are also wearing sequins and neon colours, where as as girls in Vancouver are more inclined to stick with just one colour or keep it to the classic black and white, she said.
The Apparition fashion show will feature a variety of marketing and productions skills aimed at a potential niche market in Vancouver, including Yi’s Korean-Canadian style.
You can catch the fashion show today at the River Rock Casino in Richmond. Tickets are $15 for the the 1 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. show and $30 for the main event at 7:30 p.m. Contact Mary Bonni for tickets at [email protected].
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