From Dongdaemun to Bom Retiro to Jobber Market: How Korean Fashion Networks Transformed Transnational Garment Commerce, 1950s–90s

This study is part of a larger project exploring the historical trajectory of “K-beauty,” particularly through the cosmetics and textile industries, which played a crucial role in South Korea’s export-driven industrialization and economic growth in the post-WWII era. This article, which focuses on South Korea’s textile and apparel industry, explores how the production of affordable clothing—often known as bosae—in Seoul’s Dongdaemun Marketplace (now known as Dongdaemun Design Plaza) laid the foundation for the global expansion of K-fashion. This trajectory is exemplified by the rise of Forever 21, the LA-based multinational fast-fashion retailer founded in 1984 by Jin-sook Chang, a Korean American immigrant woman.

To historicize South Korea’s fashion industry, this article traces the development of Cheil Textile Inc., a pioneering textile company founded in 1954 and the parent company of Samsung, demonstrating how Korea’s textile industry transitioned from reliance on imported fabrics to domestic production of denim, cotton, Dacron, and nylon. It also examines the role of Nora Noh (1928-), a pioneering fashion designer who spearheaded Korea’s ready-to-wear clothing industry in the 1960s and 70s, highlighting the often-overlooked role of women as entrepreneurs and creative forces in shaping the industry.

Building on Christina Moon’s argument that fashion is a historical set of practices, relations, and migrant narratives, this article highlights how South Korea’s local textile and fashion industries became deeply embedded in global production and distribution networks. In tracing this trajectory, this study also incorporates the voices of Korean American immigrants who worked in LA’s Fashion District, whose labor has been central to sustaining the fast-fashion supply chain but remains underexamined in discussions of K-fashion’s globalization. By analyzing both industrial and individual (women’s) contributions, this study uncovers the overlooked historical dynamics that shaped South Korea’s fashion industry and its influence on global fast-fashion markets.