Hangul metal movable type has become T-shirts and caps, while the clouds and fairies of a classic novel have been reborn as new graphics.
Fashion brand Matin Kim has teamed up with MU, the National Museum Foundation of Korea’s museum goods brand, to launch the “Matin Kim Hangul Artifacts Collection” in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the designation of Hangul Day.
Inspired by Hangul metal movable type held by the National Museum of Korea and the classic novel The Cloud Dream and its illustrated counterpart, Guunmongdo, the collection reinterprets the visual beauty and stories of Korean cultural heritage through Matin Kim’s signature wit. It comprises 12 color and design options across T-shirts, baseball caps, tote bags, pouches and key rings.
A Little Character Wearing a Gat
The first item to catch the eye is the Gat Fur Key Ring, a reinterpretation of a figure wearing a traditional gat hat. Fluffy white faux fur, round bead details and a face bearing the Matin Kim logo come together to turn the traditional motif into a cute, playful character.
It comes in black and green, each priced at 38,000 won.
Graphics That Capture a Dream
The classic novel The Cloud Dream and Guunmongdo, which depicts it in pictures, provide another starting point for the collaboration. Motifs from the works, including clouds and fairies, have been reimagined as contemporary drawings on charcoal and white T-shirts.
The charcoal T-shirt freely arranges clouds, animals and moons like doodles for a cheerful feel. The white T-shirt delicately depicts mountains, bridges and figures inspired by traditional painting. Each presents the world of the works in a different way, and both are priced at 78,000 won.
Hangul Metal Movable Type Becomes New Typography
The Hangul metal movable type series puts the shapes, arrangement and rough texture of the type at the heart of designs that reinterpret the Matin Kim logo. The white T-shirt uses a graphic grouping multiple Hangul characters to showcase the beauty of the letters themselves, while the black T-shirt features a logo design inspired by the type prominently on its front.
Though both draw on Hangul metal movable type, the white shirt focuses on a traditional arrangement of type and the black one on a modern logo graphic. Each costs 58,000 won.
The type-inspired design extends to baseball caps. Combining irregular letterforms with the Matin Kim logo, the ivory and black caps bring Hangul’s visual appeal to an everyday accessory. Each costs 58,000 won.
Museum Artifacts Brought into Everyday Life
The tote bags express two subjects, Hangul metal movable type and The Cloud Dream, through distinct graphics. The ivory Hangul metal movable type tote bag features an unusual arrangement of old characters across the front and costs 48,000 won.
The black Cloud Dream Big Tote Bag, meanwhile, depicts motifs from the work, including clouds, butterflies and moons, through drawings and typography for a free-spirited feel. It costs 78,000 won.
The accompanying Cloud Dream pouch pairs dreamlike graphics with a glossy material and metal ring details. It comes in black and silver, each priced at 35,000 won.
From Museum to Fashion
The collection will be sold through Matin Kim’s official online store, six offline locations—including its flagship stores in Myeong-dong, Hannam, Dosan and Seongsu, as well as Lotte World Mall and The Hyundai Seoul—and the National Museum of Korea’s museum shop.
From arrangements of Hangul metal movable type and painterly scenes from a classic novel to the distinctive shape of a traditional gat, the collaboration does more than put cultural heritage on clothing. It gives people a new way to experience that heritage in everyday life through Matin Kim’s own design language.
