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 “fake” ― was immediately dismissed as low-class. This obsession with authentic designer products, however, was accompanied by a sense of snobbery, and those who found this repellent have gone the othe...

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 the goods. “What makes a luxury a luxury is the abundant value it contains and people’s respect for that value, the stories behind it,” he writes. Designer Woo Young-mi. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Hera...

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 and high social status. Hoping to become the next Bernard Arnault of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy or Francois Pinault of Kering, business tycoons and their heirs are vigorously buying up designer brands...

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, charities and local communities, helping reduce the pains of the economic meltdown and change the mindset and behavior of consumers. About fifteen years later, the grassroot movement is being revived ma...

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 September 2012 to provide better welfare and services to people at a low cost. The movement is not only aimed at helping people save money but also to solve environmental and employment problems and brin...

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, calligraphy, asset management and cookie-making are offered by practitioners eager to share their know-how and time. “What changes one’s life is not advice from famous figures on TV or somewhere else, but advi...

The sharing economy can contribute to sustainable development and has plenty of room to develop further in diverse fields of business, society and life, says Harald Heinrichs, a leading sharing economy theorist. The professor of sustainability politics at Luneburg University in Germany offered his views on a range of issues regarding the sharing economy in a recent email interview with The Korea...

Sohaengju, a family shared housing unit (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald) An upscale apartment overlooking the Hangang River in Mapo, Seoul, is home to eight women who have a special interest in films. Rent on a flat of a similar size averages 3.5 million won ($3,230) per month with a 100 million won deposit. But they pay only a fifth of the market price as they share facilities including bathro...

Family reunions are the most important part of Lunar New Year traditions. A family, donned in hanbok gowns, heads for their hometown in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, to spend the holidays with their relatives. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald) Tens of thousands of Koreans will hit the road Thursday, the official start of the Lunar New Year holidays, to head for their hometowns to spend ti...

A family gathers around a traditional breakfast table laden with special dishes to celebrate the Lunar New Year, including tteokguk. (Korea Tourism Organization) Tteokguk, that steaming bowl of hot broth studded with slices of white rice cake, is a classic Seollal staple. “In Korea, placing a bowl of tteokguk on the ancestral table for rites on Lunar New Year’s morning is tradition,” said Dadam...

A customer shops for hanbok for her children at Lotte Mart Seoul Station ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. While fewer adults wear the traditional Korean clothes, the demand for children’s hanbok continues. (Yonhap) Han Hyun-young, a 29-year-old office worker in Seoul, had a hanbok custom-made for herself when she got married in 2011. But she has worn the traditional Korean clothes only twice...

Seollal, which falls on Jan. 31 this year, involves a lot of hectic food preparations and family gatherings, but Koreans are not the only people observing it. Though practices differ, a version of Seollal is celebrated across Asia: millions of Chinese, Vietnamese and Mongolians meet families and friends on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Here in South Korea, Seollal demands intensive prepa...

Visitors tie together their talisman fortunes at Namsangol Hanok Village as part of Lunar New Year actitvities. (Korea Herald file photo) Seollal, the Lunar New Year, is one of the most celebrated holidays in Korea: It is not only a time to pay respects to one’s elders and ancestors, but is also an opportunity to spend time with family and friends to celebrate the New Year immersed in tradition...

Dokdo (Korea Coast Guard) In A.D. 512, Gen. Kim Isabu was on a mission to conquer an island country off the east coast of the peninsula. To defeat the tribesmen, who were notoriously ferocious and aggressive, the shrewd commander used a trick. He erected wooden figures of fire-breathing lions on his vessels and threatened to let the prides loose unless they surrendered. The frightened islanders ...

A statue of An Yong-bok in Busan (The Korea Herald file photo) Everything about the Dokdo islets is common knowledge among older Koreans: their history, marine life, climate, rainfall and even exact latitude and longitude coordinates, all of which are mentioned in the lyrics of a popular 30-year-old song titled “Dokdo is Our Territory.” Not simply some remote outcroppings in far-away waters, t...