Amplify Voices | Julia Han
It's the Year of the Tiger, symbolizing confidence, strength, and courage. For the latest amplify voices series, we spoke to Julia Han, Associate Designer at Banana Republic, about her personal experiences celebrating Lunar New Year and her original concept for this festive collection. Read on below:
Tell us your name, role and how you identify?
Julia Han, Associate Designer for Men’s Knits, She/Her & Korean-American
Tell us about this Lunar New Year project and where the concept originated?
This project originated from my experience as a designer when I first joined the company. [In 2019] we were designing into the Year of the Rat with graphic tees, and I remember thinking “I would never wear that”. It got me thinking about what I, and other people who celebrate this holiday, would actually want to wear and gift to others. The market is so saturated in zodiac animal merchandise, which can easily get very kitschy. I really felt that so many brands that were offering products for Lunar New Year weren’t doing it in an elevated way that lived in their wardrobe beyond the holiday. I knew BR had the potential to offer that to our customers, so that’s when this project took off.
What does Lunar New Year mean to you?
Lunar New Year is always rooted in connection for me. Connection to my heritage and my family overseas. It’s one of the few times a year we braved the international phone fees to call our relatives (before the age of Facetime, Kakao Talk, and WhatsApp!).
What is your first memory of Lunar New Year?
My first memory of Lunar New Year was when I was four or five in Korea. I remember being confused that there were two new years (solar & lunar calendar) that we would celebrate. We would always dress up in our color traditional Korean Hanbok and bow to my grandparents, who would then give us money in pretty envelopes. My parents usually held on to it for “safekeeping”. To this day, I’m not sure where all that money went…
In a few words, why do you celebrate the holiday?
I celebrate Lunar New Year to celebrate my Korean-American heritage. I immigrated to the U.S. at a very early age, and this holiday has evolved into a different experience for me as I grew up in Texas. Since my grandparents passed away years ago, my family always does a Jaesa Sang (ceremonial food offering) during this holiday. I think we’re one of the few families who keep this tradition alive, and I find it to be so beautiful.
This is the year of the Tiger, which symbolizes strength, vitality & growth. What do these words mean to you as you think about the year ahead?
These words really ground me in what it means to be Asian during the pandemic as we start the new year. Through all that has happened to our communities, we’ve been able to find strength and resilience in ourselves to help others. We’ve grown and adapted our lives in ways that weren’t imaginable before.
What are your favorite pieces from our collection? Why?
For others, I love the red cashmere crewneck sweater and the logo scarf. Both are beautiful, iconic BR pieces that are perfect for gifting to my family members. I can also see them wearing these items beyond Lunar New Year.
For myself, I am obsessed with the Italian wool blazer and wide leg pant in red! It’s a stunning outfit for a Lunar New Year dinner party in a beautiful fabric. I love that these pieces can be worn separately for any occasion, and that the pants really elongate the legs.
It's the Year of the Tiger, symbolizing confidence, strength, and courage. For the latest amplify voices series, we spoke to Julia Han, Associate Designer at Banana Republic, about her personal experiences celebrating Lunar New Year and her original concept for this festive collection. Read on below:
Tell us your name, role and how you identify?
Julia Han, Associate Designer for Men’s Knits, She/Her & Korean-American
Tell us about this Lunar New Year project and where the concept originated?
This project originated from my experience as a designer when I first joined the company. [In 2019] we were designing into the Year of the Rat with graphic tees, and I remember thinking “I would never wear that”. It got me thinking about what I, and other people who celebrate this holiday, would actually want to wear and gift to others. The market is so saturated in zodiac animal merchandise, which can easily get very kitschy. I really felt that so many brands that were offering products for Lunar New Year weren’t doing it in an elevated way that lived in their wardrobe beyond the holiday. I knew BR had the potential to offer that to our customers, so that’s when this project took off.
What does Lunar New Year mean to you?
Lunar New Year is always rooted in connection for me. Connection to my heritage and my family overseas. It’s one of the few times a year we braved the international phone fees to call our relatives (before the age of Facetime, Kakao Talk, and WhatsApp!).
What is your first memory of Lunar New Year?
My first memory of Lunar New Year was when I was four or five in Korea. I remember being confused that there were two new years (solar & lunar calendar) that we would celebrate. We would always dress up in our color traditional Korean Hanbok and bow to my grandparents, who would then give us money in pretty envelopes. My parents usually held on to it for “safekeeping”. To this day, I’m not sure where all that money went…
In a few words, why do you celebrate the holiday?
I celebrate Lunar New Year to celebrate my Korean-American heritage. I immigrated to the U.S. at a very early age, and this holiday has evolved into a different experience for me as I grew up in Texas. Since my grandparents passed away years ago, my family always does a Jaesa Sang (ceremonial food offering) during this holiday. I think we’re one of the few families who keep this tradition alive, and I find it to be so beautiful.
This is the year of the Tiger, which symbolizes strength, vitality & growth. What do these words mean to you as you think about the year ahead?
These words really ground me in what it means to be Asian during the pandemic as we start the new year. Through all that has happened to our communities, we’ve been able to find strength and resilience in ourselves to help others. We’ve grown and adapted our lives in ways that weren’t imaginable before.
What are your favorite pieces from our collection? Why?
For others, I love the red cashmere crewneck sweater and the logo scarf. Both are beautiful, iconic BR pieces that are perfect for gifting to my family members. I can also see them wearing these items beyond Lunar New Year.
For myself, I am obsessed with the Italian wool blazer and wide leg pant in red! It’s a stunning outfit for a Lunar New Year dinner party in a beautiful fabric. I love that these pieces can be worn separately for any occasion, and that the pants really elongate the legs.
