World of Fashion
Trending: Hallyu [한류] – The Korean wave
by Yvonne Heinen-Foudeh, Senior International Correspondent
From technology to K-fashion, from pop music to art movies, and food, the world has fallen in love with everything South Korean. Insights and background on a global cultural mega trend.
The wave started rolling with the phenomenon of Korean popular music – considered to be one of the most influential cultural movements of the 21st century. The origin of K-Pop can be rightfully attributed to Lee Soo-man. In the ’80s after a brief career as a singer and disc jockey, he went to the USA to study computer engineering and returned to Seoul with the dream of globalizing Korean music. By founding SM Entertainment along with its partners, they started to create a cultural universe. Instead of a worldview interpreted as a symbol or a metaphor, they created storytelling content that contains a completely new and very attractive character, and Lee believed that this story is an essential element for expressing artists and music. It certainly is an essential element of success.
Culture before commerceAnd Lee Soo-man’s dream came true. K-pop idols conquered first the Asian charts, and then the global charts. Seoul-based rapper Psy’s Gangnam Style went viral. His 2012 track video – a parody of the rich socialites living in the Gangnam area in central Seoul – was the first ever to break a billion views on YouTube. New members of boy bands and girl bands, aged 11 and upwards, are recruited by SMCU (SM Cultural Universe) and by now other studios each year.
And, as it goes with subcultures when hitting the nerve for a (re-growing) generation's attitude to life and burgeoning resistance to social role assignment and taboos the influence on Korean fashion trends formed the next hype.
The idols of K-Pop became fashion icons through their music and perfect dance performances. Gender-fluid looks are typical. Korean coolness sets fashion trends with looks designed for (real or virtual) stages, always created with a whole story around them.
Commitment to the digital futureAs of 2010 South Korean government committed to the country’s fully digital future, supported by a multibillion-dollar public-private investment fund to promote Korean creative industries and individuals. Today the nation maintains the fastest and most developed broadband network worldwide with more than 90% of households having access to high-speed internet connections.
Two sides of the same coin: true-to-life simulated virtual worlds
For the good or the bad, it was that program to also heavily push technology developments, and start-up initiatives for all kinds of virtual interactivity, while diluting the boundary between the real and Metaverse-like gamification worlds: More and more individuals of Korean society escaping into parallel worlds to an ongoing and wide extent in the interim had been recognized as alarming.
On the credit side of the Korean boost to technology development: congenial 3D simulations of even moving images, with absolutely realistic true-to-life renderings and AI-based plug-in options to virtual presentations including augmented reality address exactly the needs of the consumer goods industry and thus in particular of the fashion industry on the journey to digital transformation – in product development as well as multi-channel marketing. 3D platforms with all their features available and in the pipeline maintained out of Korea, are thus opening up completely new dimensions and worlds.
[See also a related article in this issue: z-emotion – Setting off from Seoul into the world: On the Holistic Path to Digitalization]
Background lectureKorean-American journalist Euny Hong’s book “The Birth of Korean Cool – How One Country Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture” – published by Simon & Schuster out of the UK.
Illustrated book to the unfortunately already ended special exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: Hallyu! The Korean Wave.
Cultural subversion? Despite the ban on all outside media, K-pop tracks seem to have found their way to North Korea via CDs and hard drives smuggled across the border. Not least because of rumors that caught smugglers of 'subversive' South Korean cultural artifacts were executed by the Pyongyang regime, an export not recommended for imitation.
Recommendations for South Korean filmsIn the past decade, Korean cinema experienced its breakthrough in the Western Hemisphere and received the admiration of international audiences at film festivals in Europe and the USA. Movies from “Parasite”, “Train to Busan”, and “Burning and Decision to Leave” also captivated international cinema and streaming audiences.
2023 is racking up to be another great year for K-content fans. Standing out in our opinion is “Return to Seoul” among new productions, exploring the lives of Korean women from across the globe. We especially want to recommend to our readers a film set to launch in Europe in September of this year, which we had the pleasure of enjoying in a preview: “Past Lives”, directed by Celine Song.
The plot: When Nora’s (Greta Lee) family moves to Canada from South Korea, she drifts apart from her childhood best friend Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). Two decades later, fate plays cupid, and the duo can reunite for a week in New York. Will this chance encounter bring up all their long-buried feelings for each other?
The title of the movie refers to the Korean belief in past lives, summarized with all its facettes (facets) under the term “In-Yun” and with the story spinning around that provides an understanding of the emotional world and attitude to life by Korean people. Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah
The title of the movie refers to the Korean belief in past lives, summarized with all its facettes (facets) under the term “In-Yun” and with the story spinning around that provides an understanding of the emotional world and attitude to life by Korean people. Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah
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K-Poppers BTS represent the biggest-selling band in the world in recent years: The Mural at his hometown Goyang celebrates lead singer RM. Photo: Lee Yae-Won/Aflo/Rex-Shutterstock
Korean rapper PSY performs Gangnam style and impacts fashion trends: The track video was the first ever to break a billion views on YouTube. Photo: Courtesy of Jason Decrow/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Lee Youngii: K-entertainer and ambassador to Coach Luxury Brand. © Coach
ImagDiscovered in Paris on a warm October day: Korean singer Kim Tae-yeon in a vest and miniskirt for an elevated yet weather-friendly outfit. Having debuted with girl group Girls’ Generation she is among the best-selling artists in South Korea and stands for one of the most popular K-pop groups worldwide. e caption
Presented at this year's Cannes Film Festival, David Chou's must-see film "Return to Seoul" gives a perfect insight into the attitudes of the younger generation in this East Asian country on the Korean peninsula. © Aurora Films