''Garot'' () or ''galjungi'' () is a variety of

hanbok The hanbok () is the traditional clothing of the Koreans, Korean people. The term ''hanbok'' is primarily used by South Koreans; North Koreans refer to the clothes as (). The clothes are also worn in the Korean diaspora. Koryo-saram—ethnic Ko ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n traditional

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

, which has been worn by locals of

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

as a working clothes and everyday dress. Although there is no historical record on its origin, it is known that Jeju farmers and fishermen have worn it for a long time. According to a research on Jeju traditional tools, about 700 years ago Jeju people used fishing lines which were dyed by unripe persimmons., because it was much stronger than undyed one. They might have come up with the idea that persimmon dying could make cotton stronger, so they might have started to dye it. ''Gal'' (갈) comes from ''gam'' (감) which means

persimmon The persimmon () is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus '' Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Chinese and Japanese kaki persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki''. In 2022, China produced 77% of the world's p ...

in Korean, and ''ot'' (옷) means clothes in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

. Therefore, ''garot'' refers to clothes dyed by persimmons, especially unripe persimmons.

Making garot

According to ''Natural coloring that we have to know'', various tones of black or brown colors can be obtained from dye made by unripe persimmon. To make high-quality ''garot'', much time and effort is required. First, hard unripe persimmons should be cleaned and smashed using a wooden mortar. Next, fabric should be soaked evenly in unripe persimmon pulp, and it is then massaged in the juice of unripe persimmons. Then, after removing down small fragments of persimmon, the fabric should be laid on the grass and dried under the sun without wrinkles, otherwise the color will be uneven. It is turned over to allow the opposite side to dry. After that, it should be soaked in water and be dried again under the sun. It needs to be dried and soaked in water twice a day for 7 to 10 days. The longer it stays in the sun, the deeper the color it has. This procedure will give a dark brown color. If the color should be lighter than brown, it is better to add some water in persimmon juice and soak the fabric in it at first time. If the color should be dark and thick brown, it can be soaked in a light solution of persimmon at second time instead of water. Or it can get black color if it is soaked in iron oxide solution for a second time. So the color of ''garot'' depends on the catalyzer—limewater, iron oxide solution, vinegar—, water, and the amount of sunshine.

Advantages of garot

''Garot'' has come into the spotlight as healthful and convenient clothing. It has moth proof, waterproof, antimicrobial properties. Also Gal-ot prevents putrefaction, so it doesn't rot if stored in damp conditions. The thick, dense wave can help protect against sharp environmental hazards, such as splinters or thorns. Furthermore, it has been regarded as the best work clothing by residents of Jeju. In addition, even though Jeju's weather in summer is very humid, hot, and rainy, ''garot'' doesn't cling to the body when wet. Therefore, approximately 85% of the islanders wear ''garot'' in summer work conditions. Due to antimicrobial properties, detergent is not needed when washing. In addition, it doesn't wrinkle easily, so it is regarded as "wash and wear" clothing.Yi, Wha Young. "Research on function of Galot". A thesis for a doctorate. Graduate School of

Kyunghee University Kyung Hee University (KHU; ) is a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. It was founded in 1949. Kyung Hee University is part of the Kyung Hee University System, which offers comprehensive education from kind ...

. 1998.

Gallery

Image:Korea-Hanbok-Galot-01.jpg Image:Korea-Jeju-Museum-05.jpg Image:Korea-Jeju-Museum-03.jpg Image:Korea-Jeju-Museum-04.jpg

References

*Yun, Seong Hee. "Research on 'Jeju Galot' Photography: For 'MongSaengYi' Editorial Fashion Photo". A master's thesis. Graduate School of Art and Design of Sangmyeong University. 2004 (P6) *

External links

{{Commons category, Garot Korean clothing Culture of Jeju Province