Korea's Traditional Fabric, Hansan Ramie
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Korean Hansan ramie, or mosi in Korean, is beginning to rise as a world-class luxury item.
Fashion designer Lee Young-hee showcased her line of hanbok and dresses made with Hansan ramie during the 2010 Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.
[Interview : Lee Young-hee, Fashion designer] "The reaction to my designs was explosive. I realized then that hanbok made with Hansan ramie can be globalized".
Representatives from the fashion industry praised her collection, saying that seeing her ramie designs was like witnessing a dreamlike scene.
[Interview : Lee Young-hee, Fashion designer] "After the fashion show was over, all of my ramie dresses were sold out. Parisians really loved them. Even people from Switzerland ordered them".
The Hansan Ramie Festival took place on June 4 for three days in Seocheon county. The festival first took place in 1989, and opens every year in June.
[Interview : Seo Nam-ok, Eco-tourism team chief Seocheon County Office] "We host this annual festival to keep the sprit of Hansan ramie alive and to promote its excellence and traditional roots within and outside of Korea".
As an event that is recognized intertationally, this year's festival displays a wider variety of ramie creations.
[Interview : PD] "Is it difficult[Interview : Park So-mi, Visitor] "No, it's fun".
[Interview : Lee Yong-gyeong, Visitor] "Now that the children have woven ramie with their own hands, I think they will remember about it for a long time".
[Interview : Kim Yun-hui, Visitor] "I think ramie fabric makes for great summer clothes. With different dyes, people can wear it in everyday life".
With a history that goes back 1,500 years, Hansan ramie was made an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1967. Hansan ramie was used as gifts for kings, and it was exported during the Goryeo Dynasty.
[Interview : Ko Ha-ja, Visitor] "People who know the value of Hansan ramie should wear it".
[Interview : Kim Seon-hui, Visitor] "Ramie is also called the wings of dragonflies. Its translucent properties make it stand out".
This year's Hansan Ramie Festival featured designs that were widely acclaimed overseas. The festival is a fashion show that highlights Hansan ramie's luxuriousness, utility and artistic value.
[Interview : Lee Young-hee, Fashion designer] "For every fashion show season, I made vests, jackets, dresses and other clothes with Hansan ramie".
The fashion show's objective is to change the preconception that ramie is synonymous with old, worn out clothes.
[Interview : Lee Young-hee, Fashion designer] "Aren't clothes made with Hansan ramie really beautiful
[Interview : Jeong Han-sol, Fashion model] "Clothes made with ramie fabric are cool and comfortable, and they feel great".
Ramie fabric comes from the plant of the same name which grows natively in East and Southeast Asia.
The inner layer of the ramie plant is sun-dried.
Then it is torn with teeth and lips to create ramie yarn of equal thickness.
[Interview : Lee Jae-bok, Ramie weaver] "When tearing the ramie apart, the yarn must be made wet because holding them in the lips hurts. I've been weaving ramie since I was young".
The yarn is woven with a technique called baeteuli, and a sheet of ramie fabric is completed. Making a roll of ramie takes 4 days.
[Interview : Yun Seok-ok, Visitor] "I am amazed at how yarn is made from a plant every time I see Hansan ramie being made".
Hansan ramie fabric is sold at the Hansan ramie market, which opens on the 1st and 6th of every month. The fabric's thickness and quality determine the price.
[Interview : Jo Min-ja, Hansan ramie manufacturer] "The price is around US$920, and can go up all the way to $2,800".
[Interview : Park Jeong-suk, Hansan ramie dealer] "This one is strong, yet light, and clothes made with this will turn out to be beautiful.
Try buying some ramie clothes!"
One can easily see why ramie is a great material for summer clothes through a test. In the test, a man quickly raises his body temperature,
and takes 2 10-minute breaks wearing cotton clothes and ramie clothes respectively.
Infrared rays show that he cooled down much quicker in ramie clothes than he did while wearing cotton clothes.
[Interview : Kim Min-ju, Medical doctor] "Wearing ramie clothes during summer is a good way to cool down thanks to the ramie's excellent heat conductivity and airing capability. Ramie also helps solve insomnia due to hot tropical nights".
There are many ramie clothes stores in Seoul Gwangjang Market.
As the weather suddenly became very hot, many are seeking Hansan ramie clothes.
[Interview : Ahn Seon-nyeo, Vendor] "Many ramie clothes these days are modern and trendy, so people regardless of age and gender seek them out".
Many foreign visitors buy Hansan ramie clothes as there is a growing interest in them around the world.
[Interview : Elena Marchnco, Student Russia] "This is my last semester here, and I'm supposed to go home. I stayed in Korea for more than two years. I want to buy something, some presents and traditional clothes, of course. I heard from friends that ramie is the name of the Korean dress for summer time".
How does our foreign guest feel wearing a modern summer hanbok made with Hansan ramie[Interview : Elena Marchnco, Student
Russia] "I feel fresh and that in hot weather, it will feel really cool. It's not hot. So today is hot weather but I feel so comfortable in this dress. It's very comfortable, and I like the color, the white. Innocent color".
Korean Hansan ramie is the result of the sweat and dedication of ramie weaving masters. It is bound to be no longer just an aspect of Korean culture, but a world-class luxury item.
[STUDIO]
Sometimes it is a bit difficult to go to sleep when it's so hot.
PJs made out of mosi sound great.
It's made with a lot of workmanship and passion isn't it Oh. Is it You feel the breeze go right through.
Fashion designer Lee Young-hee showcased her line of hanbok and dresses made with Hansan ramie during the 2010 Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.
[Interview : Lee Young-hee, Fashion designer] "The reaction to my designs was explosive. I realized then that hanbok made with Hansan ramie can be globalized".
Representatives from the fashion industry praised her collection, saying that seeing her ramie designs was like witnessing a dreamlike scene.
[Interview : Lee Young-hee, Fashion designer] "After the fashion show was over, all of my ramie dresses were sold out. Parisians really loved them. Even people from Switzerland ordered them".
The Hansan Ramie Festival took place on June 4 for three days in Seocheon county. The festival first took place in 1989, and opens every year in June.
[Interview : Seo Nam-ok, Eco-tourism team chief Seocheon County Office] "We host this annual festival to keep the sprit of Hansan ramie alive and to promote its excellence and traditional roots within and outside of Korea".
As an event that is recognized intertationally, this year's festival displays a wider variety of ramie creations.
[Interview : PD] "Is it difficult[Interview : Park So-mi, Visitor] "No, it's fun".
[Interview : Lee Yong-gyeong, Visitor] "Now that the children have woven ramie with their own hands, I think they will remember about it for a long time".
[Interview : Kim Yun-hui, Visitor] "I think ramie fabric makes for great summer clothes. With different dyes, people can wear it in everyday life".
With a history that goes back 1,500 years, Hansan ramie was made an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1967. Hansan ramie was used as gifts for kings, and it was exported during the Goryeo Dynasty.
[Interview : Ko Ha-ja, Visitor] "People who know the value of Hansan ramie should wear it".
[Interview : Kim Seon-hui, Visitor] "Ramie is also called the wings of dragonflies. Its translucent properties make it stand out".
This year's Hansan Ramie Festival featured designs that were widely acclaimed overseas. The festival is a fashion show that highlights Hansan ramie's luxuriousness, utility and artistic value.
[Interview : Lee Young-hee, Fashion designer] "For every fashion show season, I made vests, jackets, dresses and other clothes with Hansan ramie".
The fashion show's objective is to change the preconception that ramie is synonymous with old, worn out clothes.
[Interview : Lee Young-hee, Fashion designer] "Aren't clothes made with Hansan ramie really beautiful
[Interview : Jeong Han-sol, Fashion model] "Clothes made with ramie fabric are cool and comfortable, and they feel great".
Ramie fabric comes from the plant of the same name which grows natively in East and Southeast Asia.
The inner layer of the ramie plant is sun-dried.
Then it is torn with teeth and lips to create ramie yarn of equal thickness.
[Interview : Lee Jae-bok, Ramie weaver] "When tearing the ramie apart, the yarn must be made wet because holding them in the lips hurts. I've been weaving ramie since I was young".
The yarn is woven with a technique called baeteuli, and a sheet of ramie fabric is completed. Making a roll of ramie takes 4 days.
[Interview : Yun Seok-ok, Visitor] "I am amazed at how yarn is made from a plant every time I see Hansan ramie being made".
Hansan ramie fabric is sold at the Hansan ramie market, which opens on the 1st and 6th of every month. The fabric's thickness and quality determine the price.
[Interview : Jo Min-ja, Hansan ramie manufacturer] "The price is around US$920, and can go up all the way to $2,800".
[Interview : Park Jeong-suk, Hansan ramie dealer] "This one is strong, yet light, and clothes made with this will turn out to be beautiful.
Try buying some ramie clothes!"
One can easily see why ramie is a great material for summer clothes through a test. In the test, a man quickly raises his body temperature,
and takes 2 10-minute breaks wearing cotton clothes and ramie clothes respectively.
Infrared rays show that he cooled down much quicker in ramie clothes than he did while wearing cotton clothes.
[Interview : Kim Min-ju, Medical doctor] "Wearing ramie clothes during summer is a good way to cool down thanks to the ramie's excellent heat conductivity and airing capability. Ramie also helps solve insomnia due to hot tropical nights".
There are many ramie clothes stores in Seoul Gwangjang Market.
As the weather suddenly became very hot, many are seeking Hansan ramie clothes.
[Interview : Ahn Seon-nyeo, Vendor] "Many ramie clothes these days are modern and trendy, so people regardless of age and gender seek them out".
Many foreign visitors buy Hansan ramie clothes as there is a growing interest in them around the world.
[Interview : Elena Marchnco, Student Russia] "This is my last semester here, and I'm supposed to go home. I stayed in Korea for more than two years. I want to buy something, some presents and traditional clothes, of course. I heard from friends that ramie is the name of the Korean dress for summer time".
How does our foreign guest feel wearing a modern summer hanbok made with Hansan ramie[Interview : Elena Marchnco, Student
Russia] "I feel fresh and that in hot weather, it will feel really cool. It's not hot. So today is hot weather but I feel so comfortable in this dress. It's very comfortable, and I like the color, the white. Innocent color".
Korean Hansan ramie is the result of the sweat and dedication of ramie weaving masters. It is bound to be no longer just an aspect of Korean culture, but a world-class luxury item.
[STUDIO]
Sometimes it is a bit difficult to go to sleep when it's so hot.
PJs made out of mosi sound great.
It's made with a lot of workmanship and passion isn't it Oh. Is it You feel the breeze go right through.
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