"Do you take your bride to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health till death do you part?" The bridegroom says "yes" and he exchanges wedding bands with the bride. The bride wears a beautiful long white dress. The whole wedding hall is decorated with artificial flowers. Do you know how much CO2 an average wedding dives off? The average wedding produces 14.5 tons of carbon in just one day. Designer Lee Kyoung-jae is against the current form of wedding ceremonies and she tries to let people know about eco(green) wedding. What kind of concept does the Designer Lee Kyoung-jae intent to make?
Initially, I was a dress Designer with an interest in fashion, trends, and color. Later, I came to change my way of thinking after I experienced the wilds of Kangwon-do. When I went to SBS Artech, my father was sick and he moved to Kangwon-do. I went there every weekend to see my father and worked hard. At that time, I felt more comfortable in the countryside. I was fascinated by the world of nature. So, I quit my job and lived in Kangwon-do for a while. I thought about how to combine my professional interests and ecology, so I started to study ecological(green)design in graduate school at Kookmin University. Since then, I have tried to become an Eco-Designer.
Greed design sounds new to us. What exactly is green design?
At graduate school I met Professor Yoon Ho-seob, who influenced me a lot. He always made us answer question. His wav of lecturing made me think seriously about the right way of design. Green design puts more emphasis on environment than on design itself. We learned about the meanings and the relations of environment, ecology, and sociology. Actually, green design is not easy to define as a fixed field of art. It is just a consciousness of our responsibility to the Earth. I think green design should be regarded as the base for every design. A real responsible and conscious designer should consider the whole production process in accordance with our nature.
Why did you start doing eco-weddings?
One day, I saw on the news that one famous star wore an expensive wedding dress and had a magnificent wedding ceremony. I did not understand why it became such big news. It made me think about the problems of our wedding culture. There are so many problems in our weddings. Today's wedding culture is too commercialized, requires overconsumption and causes serious environmental contamination despite its original purpose of being beautiful and sacred. I tried to find an alternative way to popular wedding ceremonies. Finally, I launched an eco-friendly wedding project, including eco-wedding dress design.
What are the differences between existing wedding dresses and eco-friendly wedding dresses?
Previously wedding dresses were made with polyester or silk, which is expensive and has a bad effect on our environment. Moreover, many people only wear it during wedding a ceremony, so it is just a one-time thing. Unlike most wedding dresses, the alternative wedding dress is produced using eco-friendly fabric and material. It is made from naturally decomposable cornstarch fabric and dyed with natural material. Also, it is custom-tailored. I can mend it into an ordinary dress for daily life after the wedding ceremony if the customer wants.
What other things can we find in an eco-wedding?
I make wedding invitation cards created entirely from recycled material and printed in soy-based ink. These can be recycled as picture frames. Moreover, I do not use rootless plant in bouquet design and I decorate wedding halls using living plants instead of cut flowers. Therefore, decorated plants can be used as presents for wedding guests. This is one way to deliver the meaning of an eco-wedding ceremony. Also, I recommend that people sever organic food and buy fair-trade rings or wood rings instead of diamond rings. My eco-wedding project is constantly developing and progressing.
Have you ever made other eco-design besides wedding materials?
I was asked to make clothes for a hospital, so I made them for the patients. I was surprised that patients' clothes were not made from 100% cotton. They were made with chemical fabrics, bleached cotton, and fluorescent materials. I thought patients' clothes be made of mare natural materials and I made them with eco-friendly fabrics. Also, I made some kids' clothes and couple T-shirts for returning customers. I try hard to provide products and solutions for eco-living.
What exactly does "eco" or "green" mean?
It is somewhat hard to say what is ecological or not. However, I think the prefix eco- is the consideration of the environmental and social impacts of an occasion. The rise of the factory system during the Industrial Revolution brought mass production and commercialization. Many people still think a good product is the best-selling product. However, I do not agree with that. The most important thing is what it is made from. We should do something to preserve environment in our daily life. Everyone knows how to product our environment, but what is sad is that they do not have the will to act.
What is your future goal?
I want to design clothing for the soil. That is why I named my company Sewing for the Soil. The soil symbolizes the Earth, mother, and all of nature. I hope my design to contribute to our lives, environment and the Earth. These days, more and more people recognize eco-weddings. I wish I could change their thoughts about the environment. Recently, my little dream is to publish a book about eco-life. I want to help more people to learn about eco-wedding and life. We have to be concerned about green lifestyle to improve the condition of the environment.
Please give us some advices.
When I was a college student, my motto was enjoying life as a university student. "I am a college student." This sentence is used like a membership card in our society. You can have many privileges as a university student. You should use them as much as possible. Also, it is good for you to have many experiences in Life. Lastly, I want you to become warm-hearted people.
By Cha Yoon-jae CP Reporter
Vukixiah@cnu.ac.kr