Working on Repurposing old 저고리 for my 하와이 Trip!

One of my many works in progress!  I've been taking 저고리 that I previously made, but they didn't fit properly. So, I've been taking them apart, altering them, and making them fit.

Alright, so my daughter is graduating from Hawaii Pacific University on May 6.  I'm excited and overwhelmed at the same time.  Excited because my daughter is opening up a new chapter, and it looks like she will be staying in Honolulu for awhile.  She has a boyfriend there who is Chinese, Japanese, and Fillipino.  Full disclosure, I'm white, my daughter is Native American, and her tribe is Navajo.

Finished alteration

I'm overwhelmed because I'm in my 3rd year of being an entrepreneur in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA; and it hasn't been immediately profitable.  (The movies lied to me, ㅎㅎㅎ).  So, after going to Hawaii 7 times prior to this current trip, this will be the first time I am going on an extremely low budget.  You seriously don't want to know.  You'll be mortified on my behalf.  So, I've been hustling.  At home, here in Albuquerque, I've been doing Uber Deliveries to not only knock out my bills so I don't have to worry about them during my trip, I have also been doing Uber Deliveries for Hawaii money.  Additionally, the last pop up I did on April 15th, the advertising for it was abysmal.  So, I learned the hard way that I cannot depend on anyone else to help my business succeed.  I must depend on myself.  So, starting this morning, I've been making one post a day on Instagram, talking about what I will be selling, and how anyone who wants to talk about Korean, Chinese, and Mongol History should come by my booth and keep me company!

Lastly, you're probably wondering: What the hell does this have to do with Re-purposing your old 저고리? I'm so glad you asked!  The last two times I've been to Hawaii, but especially during my most recent trip where I was dressed in full (modern) 한복 everyday, I was constantly approached by many highly enthusiastic Korean women and men who wanted to know where the hell I got these outfits.  They were quite impressed when I told them that I made these myself.  Well, I have gotten the most positive responses to my clothes in Hawaii, and I'm currently low on money.  I've improved a lot on my 한복 making since my last trip to Hawaii, so the current 한복 I had in my wardrobe just weren't going to work.  I also didn't have enough money to buy brand new Hawaii relevant fabric.  (It was my Hawaiian Print 한복 wardrobe that generated so much enthusiasm last time, that I admittedly got a little overwhelmed, as I wasn't prepared for it.  Actually, I was expecting people to be horrified instead of impressed, ㅎㅎㅎ). So, I've been going through my wardrobe, and re-doing the old 저고리 that I royally screwed up during my first days of 한복 making.  Some did not improve, and are forever destined to be scrap fabric, but others have turned out very nicely, and I got a nice crash course in alterations!

On my website, my 한복 selection is currently a little low, as most of them are now in a retail space.  However, if you have a specific pattern, or color combination in mind, you can message me here, or Instagram, my website, or Kakao Story, and I can help you.  Don't worry about the language barrier.  What Google translate can't cover, I know some Native Korean Speakers from my Kendo class who can help. Don't even worry about it!  Heck, I have a friend who is a Native Mandarin and Hokkien speaker, so again DON'T WORRY!

Go ahead and view my designs that are currently for sale here:https://www.sageukparadise.com/sageuk-paradise/fashion-hanbok

Sageuk Shop —Sageuk Paradise