Creative Design: Professional

Resonant Traditions: Reconceptualizing Heritage through Cross-Cultural Collaboration

---

Abstract

This design explores cross-cultural collaboration as a catalyst for rediscovery of Korean traditional design practices. Grounded in Bhabha's theory of the "third space," it addresses a gap in scholarship by demonstrating how intercultural and intra-cultural dialogue activate heritage as a site of sustainable innovation. The collaboration involved a Western designer and a Korean designer co-creating a Hanbok using zero-waste patterning, laser etching, and 3D printing. A rare Andong Mosi (모시) textile anchors the design, providing historical resonance. Through iterative processes -draping, machine knitting, and digital fabrication- the garment integrates traditional forms with contemporary materials and techniques. Aesthetic strategies include combining softness with structure and integrating a 3D-printed norigae and laser-etched traditional motives. The project highlights how heritage-based design can be activated through relational and methodological hybridity, offering a model for cross-cultural innovation and sustainable practice in contemporary fashion. This work contributes to scholarship on cultural continuity and cross-cultural collaborative design.

Keywords: Zero-Waste Design, Cross-Cultural Collaboration, Korean Hanbok, Mosi Textiles, Heritage Reinterpretation, Digital Fabrication in Fashion, Cultural Hybridity

How to Cite:

Bernardoni, J. M. & Gam, H., (2025) “Resonant Traditions: Reconceptualizing Heritage through Cross-Cultural Collaboration”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 82(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.21929