During the Silla  Period (the ancient Kingdom of Korea, 57 bce–935 ce),

the Koreans exported  paper “as white as snow, soft as silk, tough as leather” to

China.1 In Japan, it  is said that Korean monks introduced paper made from

mulberry (Broussonetia  papyrifera) in about 610 ce.2 During the Koryo Dynasty

(918–1392) papermaking  skills were significantly improved. In 1415 the government

established Jojiseo,  the first state-run papermaking facility.3

The tradition of  making clothing from hanji has a long history in Korea. In

past centuries,  ceremonial robes and other garments worn by officials, monks,

and ordinary people  were made from hanji. Examples can be seen today in the

Paper Museum of the  Norske Skog Mill in Jeonju and at Hongik University in

Seoul.

Jeonju (population  500,000) is the capital city of Jeonbuk Province, located

200 miles southwest of  Seoul. Jeonju has been producing hanji for well over a

thousand years. Today  it has several small mills where fiber is processed, and

sheets are made by  hand, dried on hot surfaces one at a time, and sold on the

premises. The city is  also home to several larger mills where hanji is made on

machines in larger  sizes. There is a prominent business in Jeonju that spins

hanji into yarn that  is woven and used in the manufacture of cloth. Professional

designers create  exquisite and fashionable garments for everyday wear as well as

elaborate wedding  gowns in hanji, both in sheet form and woven material.

For the past several  years the city and region have made an effort to encourage

the use of hanji.  There are many new hanji shops filled with a wide array

of fascinating papers:  colored, textured, printed, sheer, opaque, soft, and stiff.

Hanji is used for  children’s clothing, blouses, skirts, wedding dresses, and accessories

such as jewelry,  purses, small bags, hats, and neckties.

Hanji Fashions:

Students Design with

Traditional Korean  Paper

marjorie a. alexander

in collaboration with

Dr. Yong-sook Kim and  Yang-bae Jeon

opposite page and  above far left: You-mi Kim, 2006 First Prize Winner, for this  spiderweb-patterned, open meshwork, quilted coat of lavender hanji with  salmon colored lining.

The tunic, trousers,  and cap are also constructed of quilted hanji. next left: Im-soon Jeng, 2006  Fourth Prize Winner, for a quilted hanji coat with computer-generated image  of the

Chartres’ Madonna and  Child stained-glass window image. two at right: Sang-hoon Han, a 2006 winner,  for a windowpane-designed ensemble with a silky gray/green hanji skirt,

knitted hanji tunic,  and quilted hanji coat with square sections of hanji, layered and sewn  together. All photos courtesy of the author.

One of the most  significant efforts that the regional government,

the schools, and the  local papermakers have established is

the annual Hanji  Fashion Design Competition. The Chonji Fashion

Association (CFA) has  guided the competition since its inception

in 1997. CFA consists  of 120 members who are primarily professional

fashion designers and  professors of design and fashion

construction programs  in South Korean universities.

Every year in March,  the CFA announces the competition’s

theme and parameters.  Design students from clothing and textile

programs at South  Korean universities and fashion institutes are

eager to submit  drawings of their designs. Acceptance to construct

their garments for the  competition can mean significant exposure,

furthering their  careers as fashion designers. In addition, for the

top three winners,  considerable monetary rewards await them.

Each year between 150  and 200 undergraduate and graduate

students from 30 to 40  universities enter. They submit renderings

of their designs,  along with written descriptions and hanji

samples, to a panel of  ten judges (professors and professionals

from universities and  the fashion industry). About 40 designs are

accepted and the  winning students are required to create their designs

within a period of 30  to 40 days.

The garments must be  made from at least 85 percent hanji.

Linings, zippers, and  Velcro are allowed, but only within the remaining

15 percent. The  students visit the local paper mills and

shops to discuss the  kinds of hanji required for their garments.

The hanji is then  colored, pleated, embossed, printed, knitted,

crocheted, woven,  laminated, cut, and sewn by the students to create

the desired effects.  All expenses in the fabrication of the garments

(hanji, dyestuffs,  thread, beads, feathers, etc.) are borne by

the students.  Professional models from Seoul wear the garments

during the competition  and the students are given exact dimensions

for proper sizing.  Professors and some professional designers

are available for  assistance. The pressure is intense as the students

sew furiously to meet  the deadline.

In 2004, Dr. Yong-sook  Kim, then-president of CFA, invited

me (as I was president  of IAPMA at the time) to assist in the judging

of the competition. I  was invited again in 2005 and 2006 to

participate in the  judging. During the three years that I have served

as a juror, I have  been extremely impressed with the creative and

beautiful designs, the  technical skill and workmanship, and the

imaginative use of  paper.

The ten judges  carefully inspect the garments that are displayed

on dress forms. Each  year the panel decides upon the judging criteria

such as creativity,  color harmony, consistency of design, and

inspired use of hanji.  From the 40 designs the judges are asked to

tentatively pick eight  to ten outstanding examples.

After making this  preliminary selection, the 40 garments are

paraded in groups of  ten on live models in front of the panel. The

students and the  models field questions from the jurors about

construction, comfort,  range of movement, and other details.

Sometimes this part of  the process leads to a modification of the

list of finalists.  Votes are cast and tabulated and the winners are

determined. However,  the students are not informed of the results

at this time.

The same evening,  generally the first night of the May Festival,

the fashion  competition takes place on an outdoor stage designed

with lights, props,  flowers, and music. The models appear in all 40

designs to a wildly  responsive audience. Eventually, the announcer

singles out the eight  finalists and their creators. Dramatically, beginning

with number eight, a  member of the fashion association

or a city official  presents the student with a bouquet of flowers and

The workroom the  evening before the show. Yang-bae Jeon advises a student.

The author with a  student examining her dress and coat.

shouting. The music  intensifies as number three is announced,

then number two, and  with the identification of number one, the

audience responds with  intense gusto. The fanfare, color, music,

beautiful models,  lighting, and the exquisite garments provide a

remarkable opening to  the entire weeklong festival.

In May 2006, I had the  opportunity to talk with several competition

students working with  their professors at Chonbuk National

University, Wonkwang  University, and Kunjang College. On

the night before the  judging took place, many students worked

through the night and  up to the time when their garments went  

before the judges.

One student, a  first-year undergraduate at Kunjang, told me

it was her first time  to enter the competition. She was working

on shoes covered with  hanji to match her garment. She was worried

that she might not  finish in time. Her garment was one of

the eight finalists  chosen by the jury. She is very encouraged to

try again next year.  Another finalist was a soldier who had left his

university to serve  his required military time. He plans to resume

with his design  studies because he “loved working with hanji.”

In interviews with  other students, I found that mentorship

was an important  element of the process. Yang-bae Jeon is a favorite

teacher with students  for his expert help as a professional

designer. I visited a  few students working with him in his very

cramped facilities in  downtown Jeonju. One of the students described

Mr. Jeon’s assistance  on the design of her garment. She

was very concerned  with the collar of her coat. It would not stand

up as she intended.  She cut and adjusted it several times during

the construction under  Mr. Jeon’s guidance. She hoped that she

could adjust it in the  few minutes before the judging.

Many students used  computerized images that they printed

on the hanji and  incorporated into their garments. This technique

has been perfected at  Kunjang College where Professor Boo-duck

Lee established a  business called ARTEX New Life Culture. One

garment, a magnificent  coat, depicted the famous Madonna and

Child stained-glass  window from Chartres Cathedral in France.

The coat, created with  Mr. Jeon’s assistance, received fourth prize.

The student, a Roman  Catholic nun, is a senior in clothing design

at Kejeon College. She  plans to continue with her work as a

designer, perhaps, as  she says, “to design new garments for her

order.” She has a  precedent for this goal since most of the ancient

garments worn by  Korean monks were made from hanji.

After the annual  Jeonju May Festival, the garments are returned

to the students. It is  the intent of the CFA to maintain a

collection of the  garments for future exhibitions. Efforts are now

in progress to find  exhibition venues in the United States. These

unique garments  deserve to be displayed to a wider audience.

___________

Notes

1. Sung-chul Lee,  Korean Traditional Hanji (Seoul: Hyunam-Sa, 2002), 13–

18.

2. Dard Hunter,  Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient

Craft. 2nd ed. (New  York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1947; New York: Dover Publications,

1978), 53.

3. Yong-sook Kim and  Joon-young Shim, “A Study of the Fashion Accessory

Product Development by  Using Korean Traditional Hanji,” Journal of Korean

Living Science 15  (forthcoming).

The top winning  student showing the open work she created for her garment.

Fourth prize winner  with her garment that incorporates the well known

Madonna and Child  stained-glass image from Chartres

Cathedral.

This sample is similar  to hanji that was developed for garments which were designed,

fabricated, and  displayed in the 2006 Hanji Fashion Design Competition. The background

paper is a thick  hanji, 100 percent mulberry. Thinner-weight hanji in many

colors were cut into 2  x inch strips and twisted by hand. These twists were scattered

on top of the  background hanji and randomly quilted with thread. Produced by Dr.

Yong-sook Kim and  Yang-bae Jeon, with assistance from their students.

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