“The traditional arts will always be successful,” said Kang Keum Seong, a handicraft designer at ViiN Collection. She makes bedding, clothes and craftworks using the traditional jogakbo patchwork quilting method.

“Compared with the intangible cultural assets and the masters who have been creating their works by toiling for many years, I am still a beginner,” said Kang. She began to make jogakbo quilted products after becoming an adult.



“Jogakbo is a gift inherited from the spirit of Korean women, the joys and sorrows of the commoners and the spirit of integrity upheld by the seonbi, traditional Confucian scholars, during hard times,” she said in regard to the jogakbo style of quilting, which shows traditional patterns and vivid colors.

“In past times of scarcity, our ancestors collected small pieces of cloth and stitched them together to make new things. Jogakboretains that spirit of our ancestors,” Kang explained as she talked about the meaning of the traditional patchwork cloths.



When she was little, Kang was raised by three grandmothers in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province). She grew up surrounded by sewing and clothes.

“I saw my maternal grandmother make Hanbok, the traditional Korean garb, and raise silkworms when she lived at her cousin’s house. I began to make jogakbo bedding and my handmade silkworm pillows were really popular in Japan,” said Kang.



Kang’s jogakbo works were not solely bedclothes. Having thought about how to keep and harmonize jogakbo with modern society, she happened upon an answer when former Minister of Gender Equality & Family Cho Yoonsun asked her to make a special jogakbo scarf prior to IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde’s visit to Korea. The French professor Guy Sorman praised the scarf, saying, “It is hard to see such a variety of colors in any civilization. Korea well-preserves one of the finest traditional cultures and fashion scenes in Asia.”

Jogakbo can be used to make various clothing items, too, not just scarves. It can be used to make a range of textile goods, from shawls, scarves and blankets made from cashmere to clothing items, socks and hats for babies. Jogakbo-decorated scarves were worn by leaders and their spouses at the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in late 2014.



“When looking at jogakbo patterns, it reminds me of the furrows of the past,” says Kang, adding that she even has global fans visit her shop in Insa-dong, Jongno-gu (district), where several international guests visit every day. Kang has many stories about her customers. One of her fans is a German regular who told her that the jogakbo blanket purchased from the shop was really popular back home in Germany. A Singaporean customer bought a large number of comforters, contacting the shop via email after going back home. A customer from Hong Kong even visited Kang’s workshop after looking at various jogakbo handicrafts.

The pinwheel-shaped patterns of jogakbo represent the hope that a person’s life can proceed smoothly. "Though it is not easy work, as each of the patterns holds a specific meaning and each creation requires a lot of labor, I will keep working with jogakbo,” says Kang with a smile.

Article·photos by Jeon Han
Korea.net Staff Writer
hanjeon@korea.kr