moyo shirt jacket weaves korean hanbok silhouette with east african kitenge textile

the moyo shirt jacket brings together two distinct cultural aesthetics, reinterpreting the traditional korean hanbok's silhouette using kitenge, a signature east african textile.

JERRYBAG edited by christina vergopoulou October 15, 2026 2 min

HANBOK SILHOUETTES meet EAST AFRICAN KITENGE TEXTILES in MOYO

The MOYO shirt jacket, developed by design-focused social enterprise Jerrybag in collaboration with designer Hyunah Kim of ili studio, combines the structural silhouette of the Korean Hanbok with East African Kitenge textiles. Named after the Swahili word for ‘heart,’ the garment translates the layered construction, wrapping technique, and relaxed proportions of traditional Korean dress into a modern shirt jacket format.

The design pairs the understated geometry of the Hanbok with the high-contrast colors and dynamic patterns of Kitenge fabric, bridging Asian and African design languages. The familiar shirt jacket format serves as an accessible entry point for consumers in both regions to engage with cross-cultural aesthetic elements.

moyo shirt jacket weaves korean hanbok silhouette with east african kitenge textile - 1 — all images ©JERRYBAG, ili studio

FROM KAMPALA TO SEOUL: SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION

Production of the MOYO jacket takes place in Kampala, Uganda, through a local women’s cooperative trained at Jerrybag’s Sustainable Design Center, an initiative established in 2024 via the KOICA Inclusive Business Program to support skill-building and entrepreneurship. Hyunah Kim, drawing from her experience living in Rwanda, developed the concept to explore shared design possibilities between Korea and East Africa. The shirt jacket is distributed through AFRO LOOM, a lifestyle design retail platform operating in Seoul and Kampala.

moyo shirt jacket weaves korean hanbok silhouette with east african kitenge textile - 2 — high-contrast East African Kitenge fabric highlights the structural seam lines of the jacket

moyo shirt jacket weaves korean hanbok silhouette with east african kitenge textile - 3 — the garment translates the flowing, layered construction of the traditional Korean Hanbok into a contemporary outer layer

moyo-shirt-jacket-jerrybag-hyunah-kim-ili-studio-korean-hanbok-east-african-kitenge-textiles-designboom-1800-2 — subtle wrapping techniques draw direct inspiration from historical Korean garment construction

moyo shirt jacket weaves korean hanbok silhouette with east african kitenge textile - 4 — a local women’s cooperative trained at Jerrybag’s Sustainable Design Center

this image was created using generative AI this image was created using generative AI this image was created using generative AI this image was created using generative AI this image was created using generative AI work order for MOYO shirt jacket

project info:

name: MOYO shirt jacket
designer: JERRYBAG | @jerrybag.official, ili studio | @ili._studio

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