Baeja

Park Hwan Sung: "When we talk about the functionality of things of contemporary times, from a cutting-edge instrument to a piece of clothing, we could come up with the term ‘multi’. This refers to multi-functional aspects (of a thing) capable of serving a number of different functions rather than one function inherent to the thing. I thought hard about the design of the work to be presented in this exhibition, and I came up with a concept of multi-functionality, by which a thing could be transformed for different purposes at any time. I received inspiration from the movie ‘Transformers’ for my design, the basic concept of which is traditional baeja. I imagined that traditional baeja could be transformed from a clutch bag to a vest. This witty idea was materialized in my works.

Using simple straight lines and geometrical figures such as a square, I expressed the overall simple form and silhouette, and at the same time, matched eye catching pop-up colors such as fluorescent yellow and vivid red as point colors. I used fabrics for sportswear such as polyester and nylon, breaking away from the rather static nature of traditional clothing, to express dynamic and futurist design. By using rather bold colors and materials, I intended to emphasize the functionality and individuality of modern clothing while maintaining the sense of proportions and form of traditional baeja."