Why Koreans Are Astonished at the New School Uniform Models

official photo from Skoolooks

Skoolooks, a fashion brand specializing in school uniforms, selected fashion model Han Hyun Min and former member of the now disbanded girl group I.O.I's Jeon So-mi as their newest faces. What's interesting is that all Skoolooks models are biracial, unusual in a monoethnic Korean society.

Somi, Joo Hak Nyeon, and Han Hyun Min break boundaries in monoethnic Korean society

1. Han Hyun Min

photo from Skoolooks

Han Hyun Min was born to a Nigerian father and an English-Korean mother. Despite his black skin, he is of Korean ethnicity. He made his debut as a model at the 2016 Seoul Fashion Week, just after two weeks of signing a contract. Via Instagram, Han is one of the most popular and influential fashion models not only in Korea but also abroad. He broadens his reach in the fashion industry and was selected as one of TIME's 30 Most Influential Teens of 2017.

2. Jeon So-mi (Somi)

photo from Skoolooks

Matthew Douma, Jeon So-mi's father and a model who used to be a photographer, shared stories of his daughter subject to ridicule due to her biracial ethnicity. [MBC Every1]

Somi of JYP Entertainment is a member of now disbanded girl group I.O.I, group formed from the Mnet audition program 'Produce 101.' She joined the group in 1st place with 858,333 votes. She was born to a Canadian father and a Korean mother. Somi retains her multi-nationality, as she is yet a minor. Somi, however, needs to choose a single nationality before she becomes 22. Somi revealed that she is "Korean, Canadian, and Dutch" on the JTBC show "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator" aired in July.

3. Joo Hak Nyeon

photo from Skoolooks

Joo Hak Nyeon, member of boy group THE BOYZ was born to a Hong Kongese father and a Korean mother. He first appeared on TV via Mnet's 'Produce 101 Season 2.' THE BOYZ has 12 members, planning to make their debut in upcoming Dec. 6th. Skoolooks recently chose THE BOYZ as their main model. Selecting a newbie group who has not even made their debut yet is said to be exceptional in the field. Joo Hak Nyeon, alongside Han Hyun Min and Somi, is the new face of Skoolooks.

photo from online community

Fronting even one biracial model is unusual, let alone three. A web user showed hopes of "the Skoolooks advertisement paving way for models of diverse ethnicities."

By Gothesun and Suwon Hanvoomvoomk@gmail.com