Hanbok brands head to Milan, Paris fashion weeks in global push

Five Korean labels will showcase contemporary hanbok in Milan, with two advancing to Paris to pursue global retail ties.

Poster for the hanbok overseas promotional project held in Milan, Italy MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM

Hanbok, Korea's elegant traditional dress, is headed to Milan and Paris fashion weeks this fall.

Co-organized by the Korea Craft and Design Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the inaugural promotional project, "Contemporary Korean Heritage — Hanbok Collective," will take place in Milan and Paris from Tuesday to Oct. 6. It will showcase Korean hanbok brands that reinterpret the traditional attire with contemporary designs and connect them with local fashion and retail industry professionals.

Five hanbok brands were selected for the project: Leesle, Mooroots, Ondata, Sheen:Seoul and Happly.

Each brand will have its own booth to display its products and designs, along with a presentation on its philosophy and concept. Networking events will also be held to connect participating brands with local fashion and retail industry professionals.

The Milan edition will be held at the Palazzo Isimbardi and the Studio Zeta Showroom.

The event coincides with Milan Fashion Week, one of the world’s four major fashion weeks, which will kick off on Tuesday and run through Sept. 28. The Culture Ministry believes that it will offer Korean hanbok brands an opportunity to connect directly with key figures in the global fashion industry and showcase hanbok’s design and commercial potential.

Following the Milan event, the project will move to Paris, where a showroom will operate at Hôtel Marcel-Dassault from Oct. 1 to 6.

Actor Kim Tae-ri wearing the newly designed hanbok from this year's Culture Ministry's ″Hanbok Wave″ project MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM

Among the five selected hanbok brands at the Milan event, only two will be chosen for the Paris edition based on their performance in Milan and potential for overseas expansion. The initiative aims to carry business opportunities developed in Milan into Paris and help the brands build a sustained foothold in overseas markets, according to the Culture Ministry.

“Hanbok is a leading form of K-content that preserves the beauty of Korean tradition while combining it with contemporary design, which shows new potential in the global fashion market,” said Jung Hyang-mi, culture policy director-general at the Culture Ministry.

“We hope this event will help hanbok establish itself as competitive content in the global fashion market and provide an opportunity for Korean hanbok brands to build lasting business relationships with specialized overseas distributors and expand into global markets.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]