Three Kingdoms (57 BC to 668 AD)
The earliest visual evidence of hanbok comes from tomb murals of Goguryeo, one of the three Korean kingdoms. Figures wear a short jacket tied at the front and loose trousers (for men) or wide skirts (for women). Patterns are simple, mostly stripes and circles.
The Goguryeo silhouette already shows the core hanbok shape: jeogori top + chima or baji bottom. The design language is 1,600 years old.
Unified Silla and Goryeo (668 to 1392)
As Korea unified under Silla and later Goryeo, hanbok absorbed influences from Tang China. The skirt rose to under the bust. Sleeves widened. Court robes for officials grew ornate, with rank-based color codes and embroidered chest panels.
Buddhism shaped religious dress in this period; many monastic robes still echo Goryeo silhouettes today.
Joseon (1392 to 1897)
The era most people picture when they hear “hanbok.” The chima rose higher, the jeogori shortened until it sat at the bottom of the rib cage, and color blocking between the two pieces became the visual signature. Confucian social codes drove a clear vocabulary: brighter colors for the unmarried, muted for the married, white for daily wear, red and blue for ceremonies.
Court hanbok grew elaborate. The bridal wonsam, the king’s gonryongpo, and the scholar-official’s simui all date from this period and survive in modern ceremonial use today.
The Japanese occupation (1910 to 1945)
A near-death moment for hanbok as daily wear. Japanese colonial policy actively suppressed Korean cultural expression, including traditional dress. Western suits and Japanese uniforms replaced hanbok in offices and schools.
By 1945, hanbok had been pushed to ceremonial use only. The textile knowledge, dyeing techniques, and hand-stitching trades shrank.
Late 20th century
Through the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, hanbok was largely a wedding-day and holiday-only garment for most Koreans. Daily life was Western. The textile traditions survived in a small number of family workshops and master artisans, but barely.
The modern revival (2000s onward)
Through the 2000s and 2010s, a wave of younger Korean designers began rethinking hanbok. Lee Young-hee and others showed hanbok at international fashion weeks. Independent ateliers in Seoul, Insadong, and Jeonju started cutting hanbok for everyday wear: lower waistlines, washable fabrics, cleaner silhouettes.
The Hanbok Advancement Center, a Korean government initiative, has supported small designers since 2014. K-drama and K-pop pulled hanbok into global fashion conversations. The 2020s have seen the strongest sustained hanbok revival in 70 years.
The diaspora’s role
Korean-Americans, Korean-Canadians, Korean Europeans, and Korean diaspora populations elsewhere have become a significant part of modern hanbok’s audience. The diaspora keeps demand for hanbok alive even when daily-wear adoption inside Korea fluctuates. See how Korean-Americans are keeping hanbok alive.
Where The Korean In Me fits
Eric works with a handful of Seoul ateliers in this revival generation. Some make ceremonial hanbok for weddings and dol; others make daily hanbok in cotton and linen. Every piece is inspected in San Mateo before it ships. Read the studio story.
Talk to Eric
Looking for hanbok that carries the history forward? Eric at The Korean In Me sources authentic hanbok personally from Seoul, inspects every piece in San Mateo, and works with each customer on sizing and color. Contact Eric to inquire →