[News Terms] 'Hangeul Fashion', Hangeul on Gucci Clothes

Global Designers Continue Their Love for Hangul
"Geometric Patterns... A Kind of Cubism" Praised

Photo by Gucci website

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Recently, the Italian fashion brand Gucci unveiled a limited edition 'Korea Exclusive Collection' ahead of the Korean Lunar New Year. Among the new collection, a zip-up hoodie priced at 3.2 million won features the orange English phrase 'GOOD LUCK' along with the green Korean word 'Gucci' written in Hangul. This has been recognized by the fashion industry and the public as Gucci's 'Hangul fashion.'

Hangul fashion refers to fashion that incorporates Hangul, the Korean alphabet, into foreign brand clothing. Karl Lagerfeld, the chief designer of Chanel, showcased his signature tweed jackets at the 2015 'Chanel Cruise Show' held in Seoul, weaving the words 'Korea,' 'Seoul,' 'Coco,' and 'Chanel' into the fabric. He once praised, "I love Hangul. I also like the way Hangul is written. It’s a kind of Cubism." Cubism is a style of Western art expression that emerged in early 20th century France.

A notable example of Hangul fashion making a strong impression on the public was the 2018 Spring/Summer collection presented by Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons. Raf Simons, former artistic director of Christian Dior, has his own independent brand named Raf Simons and has served as the creative director of Calvin Klein. At that time, he revealed a T-shirt with 'America' written in Hangul, and used bojagi fabric featuring Hangul phrases such as 'Nature-made Sangju Gotgam' and 'Samdo Nonghyup' as accents on collaborative sneakers and bags made with Adidas, drawing significant attention.

In 2019, the Italian luxury menswear brand Ermenegildo Zegna introduced jumpers and knits printed with 'Ermenegildo Zegna' in Hangul as part of their fall/winter collection. They also selected models wearing Hangul clothing for their lookbook. A Zegna headquarters official explained to a media outlet, "We decided to use Hangul because its geometric patterns stand out as decorative elements that express a unique presence," providing background on the choice.