Woman’s Baeja

Choi Ji Hyung: "This project presented baeja to me. I found it quite interesting that the style and function of baeja are similar to those of a modern vest. Noting that, I tried to design baeja that would be suitable for the everyday life of modern people by adding modern elements in materials and design without losing the formative beauty of traditional baeja. The first thing that came to mind was to modernize material.
I used shrunken leather of cowhide for the outer shell and a pure silk brocade for the lining shell to create striking beauty that comes from contrast of different materials. The combination of the coarse shrunken leather outer shell and the elegantly shining blue silk lining shows contrasting harmony between traditional and modern fabrics. The contrast of black and white of the basic body imparts quite a modern sense. I also used denim, a material popular among modern people everywhere, young and old, to show an updated baeja that has a youthful sense. This piece also used a pure silk brocade in bright yellow and azalea pink for lining to show the harmony revealed by two different fabrics. Buttons made of the same yellow fabric used for the lining and seam lines are a witty touch. This piece and the rider style baeja can be worn everyday as both should match other clothes well"