71to96 Blends Traditional Korean Designs with Modern Chic Aesthetics

This post was sponsored by 71to96.

Korean handbags have grown in popularity and now are one of the most popular K-fashion buys when visiting Seoul. There are loads of influencers going on about what the “Korean girlies are buying”, but less so when it comes to brands that are influenced by Korean culture like 71to96.

71to96 was actually founded by a mother–daughter duo—a seasoned hanbok designer born in 1971 and her creative-director daughter born in 1996. They’ve managed to merge generational design perspectives into a modern label to create products that blend heritage with urban culture. Not only do they put out designs like the Gonryongpo jumper set, hanbok fabric sweat pants, or royal embroidered hoodies, but also bags, caps and charms to complete the look or add a subtle Korean flair to another outfit.

Recently, the brand was kind enough to gift me with one of their Whidam mini bags and it is everything I had hoped it would be. It’s a stylish and versatile combination of traditional hanbok fabric and premium vegan leather. It looks so cute dressed up in a skirt or dressed down in baggy jeans making it the perfect daily bag!

The silk is delicate with a lovely traditional floral motif and the vegan leather helps it keep a nice strong structure, so I don’t feel too nervous about taking it out of the house. It also has plenty of pockets and compartments for easy access to all my little things like lip gloss, earbuds and hair ties.

While the bag comes in either black or white, a small detail that I absolutely love on both is the use of saekdong or multicolored vertical striped fabric as a strap anchor. Saekdong is a Korean aesthetic that dates all the way back to the Gojoseon dynasty, so not only does it add a nice pop of color but also a cool nod to traditional Korean textiles and design. In fact I loved it so much that I actually purchased their saekdong bow bag charm to accentuate it a bit more.

Needless to say this will probably be my go-to bag this fall/ winter. If you’re interested in getting your hands on a bag of your own or checking out some of their other designs, be sure to visit their site www.71to96.com and don’t forget to give them a follow on Instagram.