Based on principles of ephemerality, disposability and sustainability, South Korean fashion designer Sun Lee’s Consumption of Heritage collection addresses the levels of waste in the fashion industry.
“Today, we live in an overabundance of goods in our consumer society,” said Lee. “This is especially true in the fashion industry. Fast fashion brands churn out clothes made with cheap materials and persuade quick responses to their products in order to maintain rapid rates of consumption, providing immediate satisfaction at a low cost.”
“Consumption of Heritage challenges this status quo and questions the values of consumers and producers. What are we wearing? What clothes do we make? How and why are we making them,” asked Lee.
The collection is composed of six pieces of clothing that are made from Hansan mosi fabric and hanji paper.
Derived from a flowering nettle native to eastern Asia called ramie plant, Hansan mosi fabric has been weaved in Korea since the 9th century. The Hansan mosi fabric features light-weight and absorbent properties, making it suitable for hot summer days.
Located in South Korea’s South Chungcheong Province, Hansan is a region where ramie is grown. To create Hansan mosi fabric, ramie shoots are first harvested and by using specially made knives, the skins are peeled off.
The ramie fibres are then sundried and once the colour has turned from green to brown, individual fibres are laced. Finally, the ramie threads are inserted into a yard guide and brushed over with slow-burning coal fire for added strength before being weaved using back-strap and standing looms.
Known simply as Korean paper, hanji is handmade paper that is derived from a tree native to Korea called dak. To create hanji, bark from dak is harvested, skinned then sundried to form Heukpi. Next, the Heukpi is left to soak in running water for around 10 hours until becoming Baekpi.
The ashes of burned beans or buckwheat stems are then added to boil the Baekpi for roughly 5 hours. The Baekpi is then washed before being pounded on a flat stone board for an hour. For added durability, sap from abelmoschus manihot is applied to the Baekpia and stirred with a long wooden stick.
Finally, sheets of the mixture are formed and placed on a flat bamboo outline to be smoothened before being dried.
“Both mosi and hanji represent the philosophy of ephemerality—life and death,” said Lee. “Like a tree with roots deeply anchored in the soil that bring delicate leaves and beautiful flowers above the ground, mosi and hanji also embody consciousness and harmony.”
“This natural balance is realized in the clothing through a layering process, in which the combinations of and interactions between the two materials create a higher level of appreciation for quality, adaptability, and context,” added Lee. “It is a dialogue between two principles of Korean craft, and the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts, revealing a latent dimensionality in the clothing’s form and function.”
Unfortunately, the practice of creating Hansan mosi fabric and hanji paper has become scarce.
“Since the 1960’s, industrialization and globalization of the Korean fashion industry drove traditional textiles and craft out of its regional place,” explained Lee. “Due to the diminishing number of local artisans, the few master craftsmen became highly regarded artists. Craft became a fine art, instead of being a part of everyday life. She is interested in bringing back this culture of craft to our consumer society and making it relevant in our modern lifestyle.”
“I want to bring back this culture of craft to our consumer society,” added Lee. “This collection is an invitation to reflect on the current state of fashion and imagine solutions for sustainable craft.”
To shop the Consumption of Heritage collection, click the link below.
