The Korea Herald

[Weekender] Eco-goods carve out niche

Arts&DesignFeb 28, 2014

Fashion items made of recycled materials are on display at an exhibition organized by the Korea Upcycle Design Association in Seoul last year. (Korea Upcycle Design Association) In line with global ...
[Weekender] Consumers to drive green market

NationalFeb 28, 2014

Consumer pressure will mean that designers who incorporate green ideas into the way products are conceived, produced and consumed will prevail in future, according to Kim Dae-ho, author of bestseller...
[Weekender] Sustainable design gaining traction

NationalFeb 28, 2014

The concept of eco-design, adding environmental value to design or vice versa, is taking root in Korea as people open their eyes to the importance of the environment and eschew instant gratification ...
[Weekender] Biomimicry: Seeking answers from nature

ScienceFeb 21, 2014

The scene of a blind man walking along a street using a white cane may be a familiar sight, but these days his cane might have a secret edge ― an advantage made possible by a process that took place ...
[Weekender] Learning through imitation

ScienceFeb 21, 2014

Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train (123rf) Explanations of biomimicry often begin with the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan. The train was successfully rocketing along at record speeds. But there was ...
[Weekender] Saving our blue planet

ScienceFeb 21, 2014

Every day, thousands of factories gush smoke into the air and millions of cars gulp gasoline, with billions of people exhausting the limited resources on the solitary blue planet. Traditionally, hum...
[Weekender] The natural look

ScienceFeb 21, 2014

The Menelaus Blue Morpho. (123rf) The Menelaus Blue Morpho is a curious creature. A butterfly of Central and South America, its wings have no pigment, but they shine in a brilliant, iridescent blue....
[Weekender] Sejong: A city built in nature’s image

ScienceFeb 21, 2014

Cities and nature are often considered worlds apart. The former is the epitome of man’s desire to conquer the latter, using concrete and steel to build a world unintended by Mother Earth. Nonethele...
[Weekender] Luxury refashioned

IndustryFeb 14, 2014

Graphic by Nam Kyung-don In the 1990s, the nation’s surging middle class wanted to show off its wealth and started indulging in foreign luxury brands. These were the years when Louis Vuitton’s Speed...
[Weekender] Classic designer brands make room for ‘swag-fake’

IndustryFeb 14, 2014

Graphic by Nam Kyung-don The fashion industry has long been dominated by a black-and-white theory that only genuine articles from classic designer brands have value. Anything that’s a knockoff ― a “...
[Weekender] Woo Young-mi seeks homegrown fashion in Paris

FashionFeb 14, 2014

What makes luxury goods stand out among fashionable items? What makes a luxury a luxury? Chinese fashion columnist Wang Er Song says in his book “Luxury Attitude” that it is the buyers’ respect for ...
[Weekender] Conglomerates foster own luxury brands

FashionFeb 14, 2014

O’2nd collection (SK Networks) Korean conglomerates are gearing up to nurture the future Louis Vuitton or Chanel, which will not only secure them with profits but also a luxurious corporate image an...
[Weekender] Rise of sharing economy

Social affairsFeb 7, 2014

In the wake of the financial crisis in 1997, a frugality campaign swept the country under the motto of “anabana,” or “save, share, swap and reuse goods.” The movement spread through flea markets, cha...
[Weekender] Seoul eyes shareable metropolis

Social affairsFeb 7, 2014

More and more Seoul citizens are engaging in a new lifestyle by sharing everything from their talent to parking lots to houses. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon introduced the “Share Seoul” project in Sept...
[Weekender] Social media network boosts knowledge exchange

Social affairsFeb 7, 2014

On Wisdome, a social networking site, people can open offline classes to provide their knowledge, experience and skills for a small fee. Lectures on a range of topics like overseas travel, calligraph...