• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.195-205
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• 2013

Eco T-shirts have become a part of environmental campaigns following social trends toward eco-friendly designs. With the demand for such designs expected to grow, there has arisen a need for higher product variety. In the past, eco T-shirts were designed to convey messages about the protection of nature through the use of environmentally friendly text or images. However, in order to respond to the preferences and emotional needs of Koreans, designs should cater to their characteristics and tastes. To this end, this study used a Whan-ki Kim-inspired motif to develop an eco-friendly design tailored to Korean perspectives. It is believed that this process can not only result in a distinctive eco T-shirt design, but also make it globally competitive. With regard to research methodology, a total of 41 paintings of Whan-ki Kim were analyzed and classified into four major themes or key values expressed in modern eco-friendly fashion designs: naturalness, indigenousness, harmony between nature and man, and harmony between natural and artificial beauty. Employing a wide range of CAD techniques and varying forms, the themes were developed into 28 T-shirt designs after their forms, tones, and textures were fully explored. This study demonstrates the possibility of designing creative, aesthetic, and high value-added eco T-shirts through motif development. In addition, it successfully integrates Korean paintings in the development of T-shirt designs aimed at communicating environmentally friendly messages.