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Korean designer inspired by folklore finds success in Paris

April 8, 2015
Joo Young Yoon

Joo Young Yoon says her collection is her modern interpretation of the legend and of the Yoon clan, which is said to have been prosperous through both the Koryeo and the Joseon dynasties.

By Christine Ha

A Korean fashion designer turned heads in Paris’s Première Vision earlier this year with a traditional hanbok-inspired collection.

Joo Young Yoon, 26, is a design assistant for Tory Burch.

“I was inspired by the legend of the carp that carries down with the Yoons of Papyeong,” she said.

In the legend, an ancestor of the Papyeong Yoon clan is saved by a carp.

Yoon said her collection was her modern interpretation of the legend and of the Yoon clan, which is said to have been prosperous through both the Koryeo and the Joseon dynasties.

After enrolling in the fashion design program at Duksung Women’s University, she moved to the U.S. to finish her studies at Parsons School of Design.

Her designs use the traditional Korean dress, hanbok.

Yoon said she hopes to always design clothes that have stories behind them.

(Joo Young Yoon)

(Joo Young Yoon)