From designer hats, stylish shoes and interesting books to fancy umbrellas and traditional costumes, various personal items dating back from the 1910s to 1980s have been donated by Sohn Kyung-ja, costume designer and scholar, to the National Folk Museum of Korea.
Her donation, comprising 550 pieces from her collection, is not made up of just objects but of memories connecting her with her parents and her past prime as a young trendsetter. Despite much attachment to the items, she contributed gladly to the museum to share them and her life with others.
“This museum is one of the best in the nation. It has a good collection of exhibits and a lot of visitors, especially foreigners. So I was very happy to donate the old items to the museum,” Sohn said in an interview with The Korea Times. The 81-year-old is a retired professor who taught students in the home economics department and specialized in costumes studies at Sejong University from 1959 to 1995.
“The objects in my donation were used by me and my parents. I didn’t throw anything away because I consider all of them precious. So I have kept all the antique items until now,” she said.