Abstract:
In today’s fasts moving society that is dynamic and characterized by intense competition in all fields and dimension of human life, there is more changes to several aspects. These aspects of societal changes have gradually evolved from traditional forms to global perception of civilization. Some of this are; eating habits, communication styles and dressing fashion that have all undergone a rapid evolution.
In this regard, dressing designs that have been exhibited on the world history has a distinctive dimension of origin. Therefore, it is with this insight that this paper purposes to examine the Korean traditional costume “hanbok” using internet sources and justifying the validity of the sources in this project.
Introduction
Amongst the Korean people they use “bot”e which implies that clothing. In this respect, there traditional clothing is referred to as “hanbok” which is the abbreviation of the Korean attire term Han-guk pokshik. In this regard, hanbok is apparel of the Caftan type-a style of attire which is primarily found in Asia. Mostly is predominant in Korea[1]. This is one of the categories of fashion design that is recognized globally. However its continuity and classification for the most designers is still a major challenge.
On the historical perspective flash back, styles of traditional attire are diverse. This was based on the basis of the distinction in terms of social dimension. These distinct social dimensions are religion, language and cultural patterns such as aesthetics, dance, housing and food that apparently played a vital role in the preservation and expression of cultural identity. Contrary to this social diversity expectations and perceptions, Korean community is almost occupied with one single ethnic group.
Therefore no much diversity witnessed in case of Korea[2]; thus hanbok widely used as community identity dress. Before identifying whether it is a traditional dress, regional dress, national dress, world dress or ethnic dress; it shall be a point of worthy in academic studies to examine the terms so that the most appropriate be used in relation to the Korean hanbok dress.
Definition of Terms
The terms that are going to be defined in this section are relative terms to the society and the dressing culture that has been exhibited in the man’s history. Therefore, according to their definition it will enhance which one amongst these terms comprises of the most appropriate to describe this Korean attire.
National dress
The national dress is attire that expresses an identity through a costume which usually relates to a geographic area or period of time in history or a geopolitical area. On the extreme conditions of a national dress can indicate a religious, marital and social status in the society. Despite the society considered in design, the national based costume usually falls into two categories. These two categories are for formal functions in the regional calendar of festivals and formal wear, while the second category is that which concerns the everyday occasions.
In this perspective of a national costume, when it is used in a geopolitical dimension it is referred to as national dress. When used in geographical area dimension it is a regional costume or folk costume. For example, national costumes or dress for the Arab world is Fez, Keffiyeh, Hijab; Vietnam – Áo dài for women and Áo gấm for men; England – Pearly Kings and Queens, Morris dancer costumes; West Africa – Dashiki, Kufi; United States – Blue Jeans, t-shirt[3].
Non-western dress
In classification of the fashion, non- western dress is a transformation from an independent dress system to dress systems that evolved relative to the western dress fashions. In this perspective the non-western dress system is a dress category that occurs outside west fashion. The classification of this category of the as a non – west costume is purely on the basis of the power of relation between fashion and ant- fashion of west perspective. Therefore non- west dress usually refers to Asian category, which has a Sui generic.
World dress
In perspective of a world dress, usually implies to the most important accessories of the all types of uniforms and it is the symbol of civilized culture world wide[4]. For this case dress pants which are also known as trousers and they are the main accessories of all the attire that serves as world dress. Dress pants are modified version of pantaloons and this part of the attire is used all over the world like suits. To emphasize the importance of the dress pants as world dress, some states usually passes legislations regarding the same. Example of this states are Louisiana and Virginia.
Traditional, ethnic and Indigenous dresses
The indigenous dress or costume usually refers to the attire that is original to that country social aspect of civilization. In this case, it refers to native to the region which has never been introduced in the history of the community by any foreigner. While closely relate term is the traditional dress, that refers to the attire design Motifs and styles handed down from one generation to another.
Ethnic dress refers to the costume attire that in its pattern and design is greatly influenced by foreign cultures and totally assimilated by the host culture as their dress. In this perspective it differs from indigenous and traditional in the sense that it is assimilation from other cultures.
Assessment of the Hanbok
In relation to the above defined terms it appears evident that Korean costume of the hanbok fits into four categories of classification according to the origin despite design modifications nowadays. These categories are; non-western dress, traditional, indigenous and at the same time is a regional or folk or national dress.
It is a non –western dress simply because it does not fall within the western fashion designs. But rather the Eastern fashion in the relative power fashion and anti-fashion of the western view[5]. In the first place the design of the hanbok is not western based[6], evident in its simple lines without pockets. Hanbok is apparel of the Caftan type-a style of attire which is primarily found in Asia.
With women’s hanbok comprising of a wrap skirt and a bolero-like jacket, whereas men’s roomy pants bound at the ankles and a short jacket. It has been worn by Korean since the reign of a Korean founding kingdom Koguryo. Till the opening of western culture to Korea that was fuled by coup d’etat of 1884 and the Kabo Reform of 1894. Therefore it was symbolic to the national or regional or folk identity of Korean people.
On the other hand is traditional and indigenous since it has been worn ever since the Korean society civilization history. Though today there are changes to its use as traditional attire. In this regard, Hanbok are worn by Koreans of all ages, particularly on traditional holidays and when attending social affairs. This satisfies the saying of Boran-Lee, Crystal S. & Yan-Hee, N. 2007; that Beautiful Hanbok: Pride of the Korean People.
Internet Sources Used for Research
In an attempt to uncover the real academic material used for the research, the uses of various internet sources were used to facilitate the research. This owes to the fact that with advancing and ever growing technology of internet various academic materials are available on a wide scope of discipline subjects including fashion and designing. In that regard, the following were dominantly used than others. These are; htp/www.fst.uha.fr written by Pascal Volino and Fredric Corder, htp/www.vrsj.org. done by Boran-Lee, Crystal S. oH and Yan-Hee Nam and thirdly is htp/www.cadanda.com work done by Marzia Fratuna and Umbeto Cugiri. The details of the site and their usefulness in the study are given below in the table;
Table1. Three main internet sources used in the research
Website
Authors (who)
Content (what)
Period (when)
Theme (why)
htp/www.fst.uha.fs
Pascal Volino Fredric Corder
From early hanbok virtual garment simulation to interactive fashion design.
2005
Virtual design that fits the world of garment industry.
htp/www.vrsj.org
Boran-Lee Crystal S. oH Yan-Hee Nam
Knowledge based modeling of virtual hanbok costume.
2007
Understanding hanbok specific shaping methods through knowledge based approach.
htp/www.cadanda.com
Marzia Fratuna Umbeto Cugiri
Feature based garment assembling.
2008
Connection of garment assembling techniques to enhance fashion in garment industry
Evaluating the Validity and Appropriateness of Website for academic research
The use of the above sources does not precede their relevancy in enhancing quality work for academic research purposes. In this case the steps followed also do matter at a greater deal. The first initial step used to research this essay on the web was to do a link by searching in Yahoo and Google search engine. Then copied the URL of the page of Hanbok (Korea traditional costume) using command (Ctrl+C in Windows). Then next I typed link in the search box. After the engine search the titles and their respective publisher comes up. This demonstrates the entire searching process employed.
However since the Internet has brought to so much of society is the ability for people to express themselves, find one another, exchange ideas, discover possible peers worldwide. There is need to evaluate the academic content of the sources. The simple criteria used to measure the credibility are as follows: Authorship (academic qualifications)[7], Publishing body (recognized academic institution or authority), Point of view or bias (relevancy), Referral to other sources (citations to other sources), Verifiability (links to the author), Currency (date of publication). Additionally, the materials should be accurate, objective and cover[8] the work being researched on as instructed.
Conclusion
Hanbok is a costume that is peculiar to the Korean people by virtue of origin and make, not by assimilation or imported design. Therefore, traditional, regional and an indigenous attire. However, there have been changes in hanbok design from the past to the present parallel the nation’s historical development. But this does not imply hanbok non-Korean by origin. Moreover, hanbok’s form, materials and designs provide a glimpse into the Korean lifestyle, while its colors indicate the values and world view of the Korean people. Thus, it satisfies the saying by Boran-Lee, Crystal S. & Yan-Hee, N. 2007; that Beautiful Hanbok: Pride of the Korean People.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Boran-Lee, Crystal S. & Yan-Hee, N. 2007. Knowledge based modeling of virtual hanbok costume; available at htp/www.vrsj.org.
Kang, S. J. 2008, “hanbok intended for women in their twenties,” Journal of Korean Society of Costume, vol.43, pp. 234
Kapoun, J. 2007. Teaching Undergrads WEB Evaluation. New York, Routledge.
Lee, C. W. 2004. The making of Korean hanbok, Kyungchoon publishing co.
Marzia, F. & Umbeto, C. 2008. Feature based garment assembling; available at htp/www.cadanda.com. Retrieved on 20th august, 2008.
Pascal, V. & Fredric, C. 2005. From early hanbok virtual garment simulation to interactive fashion design. Available at htp/www.fst.uha.fs; retrieved on 18th September 2008.
[1] Boran-Lee, Crystal S. & Yan-Hee, N. 2007. Knowledge based modeling of virtual hanbok costume; available at htp/www.vrsj.org.
[2] Lee, C. W. 2004. The making of Korean hanbok, pp. 213
[3] Marzia, F. & Umbeto, C. 2008. Feature based garment assembling; available at htp/www.cadanda.com.
[4] Pascal, V. & Fredric, C. 2005. From early hanbok virtual garment simulation to interactive fashion design. Available at htp/www.fst.uha.fs
[5] Marzia, F. & Umbeto, C. 2008. Feature based garment assembling; available at htp/www.cadanda.com.
[6] Kang, S. J. 2008, “hanbok intended for women in their twenties,” Journal of Korean Society of Costume, vol.43, pp. 234
[7] Kapoun, J. 2007. Teaching Undergrads WEB Evaluation. Pp. 196
[8] Ibid. pp. 198
