Or Design House, Maker of BLACKPINK Hanbok, Recognized as an Excellent Youth Enterprise

Or Design House Receives Ministry of Culture Award for Traditional Startup Today
"Inspired by Tradition and Beauty... Developing Modern Pattern Designs"

Or Design House (Jang Ha-eun), which created hanbok costumes for the K-pop group BLACKPINK, will receive the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award. The award ceremony will be held on the 19th at Culture Station Seoul 284 during the '2023 Today’s Traditional Startup Awards,' hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft & Design Foundation. Among ten outstanding young companies (under 39 years old and within three years of establishment), Or Design House received the highest evaluation.

Last year, Or Design House developed fashion products by modernly interpreting traditional patterns and engaged in various collaborations. Their most impressive achievement was producing hanbok stage costumes. BLACKPINK wore these costumes at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the largest music festival in North America, attracting significant attention. Recognized for their originality, they also produced merchandise for BLACKPINK’s world tour in Seoul. Jung Hyang-mi, Director of Cultural Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "They developed pattern designs inspired by Korea’s tradition and beauty, adding modern and new interpretations," and praised them for "integrating these into various lifestyle objects to enhance business competitiveness."

The Korea Craft & Design Foundation President’s Award went to Bipa Sunset (Kim Ju-young), Waenji (Hwang Su-jeong), and Hanbok Saenghwal (Shin Jun-young). The Startup Planner (AC) Representative Award was given to Kim Byeol-hee (Kim Byeol-hee), The Barun Company (Jeon Myung-joon), Sogussi (So Hye-jung), May’s Bell (Lee Ji-yoon), Onnubi (Kim Eun-joo), and Piaz (Jeon Bo-kyung). All recipients will receive up to 100 million KRW in commercialization funds and specialized startup incubation support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for up to three years.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft & Design Foundation also awarded winners of the Youth Startup Idea Contest, which provides commercialization funds. Thirty-six teams were selected after practical training such as the Today’s Traditional Pre-Startup Academy. The grand prize went to Kang Min-ji for "Capturing the Scent of Korea, K-Incense Ceramic Brand," and the excellence award was given to Kim Eok-gu for "Packaging All the World’s Products with Natural Veneer Lacquer in Guguham." Director Jung said, "Seeing the outstanding skills and infinite potential of young entrepreneurs and prospective founders, we could confirm the future of the traditional culture industry," adding, "We will support them to pursue their businesses stably and grow."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.