Hues adds color to Korea's sustainable fashion scene

Scrunchies and other products made from upcycled traditional fabrics / Courtesy of Hues

By Emma Juno Sparkes

The online store Hues, one of the latest additions to the sustainable fashion scene in Korea, is giving new life to old items, selling a combination of vintage clothing and fashion accessories created using upcycled fabrics. As Erin Hughes, the creator behind the store, described it in an email interview with The Korea Times, she aims to deliver items that are "colorful, joyful and unique."

Offering select vintage clothing items such as an angora wool cardigan with embroidered strawberries and retro graphic print culottes, the items that set Hues apart from other vintage outlets are the upcycled accessories created by Hughes herself, such as her selection of colorful silk scrunchies made from upcycled hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) and other fashion garments. Her latest handbags made using vintage Japanese kimono fabric have already sold out.

The motivation to pursue both avenues stems from a desire to minimize fabric waste. Explaining her process, Hughes said, "When I buy an item of used clothing, the first decision is whether I want to resell it as it is, or upcycle it into something else. If something is wearable and in good condition, I think it's wasteful to cut it up. Sometimes I just need to do minor repairs or cleaning. On the other hand, if something has damage, or if it's simply an item that is unlikely to sell, then I'll think about what else I can do with it. Perhaps I'll dye it or alter it in some other way, or perhaps I'll cut it up to make something completely new."

This push for sustainability means that the textiles used to create the items sold on Hues come from a variety of sources, including fabric remnants and offcuts donated from other makers. "I'm always looking out for other sources of textile waste that I can get creative with," she said.

Scrunchies made from upcycled hanbok fabric / Courtesy of Hues

The scrunchies came from an unfinished personal project and Hughes opted to use the materials from Japan when she discovered a lot of old, discarded kimonos and kimono fabrics in a pile of imported secondhand clothing. Regarding the find, she said, "It's unlikely that many people here would want to wear those garments, but they are too beautiful and intricate to be thrown away. A lot of traditional Japanese textiles are made with lavish ornamentation such as gold threads and hand painting, so they are really special."

Despite her appreciation for the textiles themselves, she is conscious of her use of such materials. "I worry about the cultural sensitivities of using traditional Japanese fabrics in Korea, or working with Korean fabrics as a non-Korean. My goals are to reduce waste, and also to showcase the beauty of these traditional textiles, and I hope I'm able to do that in a respectful way," she said.

Though the store itself only opened last year, it is something Hughes has been building towards indirectly over the last 10 years, most of which she has spent living in Korea. With a background in fashion and textile design, her experience working as an intern with sustainable fashion companies in the U.K., and her long-term dedication to vintage clothing and sustainable living, the pieces were already there.

A purse made from upcycled kimono fabric / Courtesy of Hues

The catalyst that caused her to finally launch Hues ― a homonym of her surname ― came after the unfortunate loss of her teaching job. "When COVID happened, I couldn't go to work anymore, so it was actually the perfect time to try doing something else," she said. "I was originally thinking about making products with my own print designs, but after struggling to find digital fabric printers with sustainable fabric options, I decided that I would just use recycled fabric instead. There's so much stuff already out there in the world, I didn't see the point in simply making more stuff. With Hues, I'm actively trying to keep waste textiles in circulation, at the same time as educating others about the environmental issues connected with the fashion industry."

In pursuit of this goal, Hughes promotes sustainable living and fashion both through Hues and outside of it. Through stories posted via the Hues Instagram account, she provides instructions on how to wash synthetic fabrics to prevent fibers entering the water system, shares information about sustainable fashion and promotes vintage markets.

Hughes also helps run the Facebook group Zero Waste and Bulk Food in Korea connecting English speakers in Korea who are interested in reducing waste. "Although there are some great things happening around Korea nowadays when it comes to sustainable living, there isn't always a lot of information in English, so I hope the group can provide that, as well as being a place where people can simply share ideas and support each other," she said.

She also just volunteered to join the Korean team representing Fashion Revolution South Korea, an organization that seeks to raise public awareness about the systemic challenges facing the global fashion industry.

With all these activities, and a resumption of her teaching career, Hughes is certainly kept busy but she has a lot of ideas when it comes to the future of Hues. "In the near future, I'm planning to produce a whole fashion collection which incorporates my own handmade items alongside selected vintage pieces," she said. With the development of her upcycled fashion offerings, Hughes said she is also hoping to "attract customers who wouldn't normally seek out vintage fashion."

"Another thing I really want to do is to teach others to make their own upcycled items," she said, expressing her desire to "inspire and enable other people to make things for themselves."

Having held her first workshop online last Saturday, she seems well on her way to achieving this goal, tying together her love of fashion, teaching and community-building.

"My dream is to open my own studio workshop and work on Hues full-time," she said, "I think that connection with other people and a sense of community are more important than simply selling things."

Visit her Naver Smartstore at smartstore.naver.com/huesseoul or follow Hues on Instagram @huesseoul.