Felix Hanbok Wave Role Confirmed for 2026 Global Hanbok Promotion

Stray Kids member Felix has been selected as the Korean Wave cultural artist for the 2026 Hanbok Wave project, a government-backed initiative designed to promote Korean hanbok brands through collaboration with a high-profile cultural figure. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the selection on June 17, 2026, saying the project will connect Felix with domestic hanbok companies to develop and publicize new designs for overseas audiences. ¹

The Felix Hanbok Wave project will be carried out by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft and Design Foundation. The program centers on recruiting hanbok companies, developing collaborative products, and using the finished works in promotional materials aimed at raising the visibility of Korean hanbok brands. ¹

Felix Hanbok Wave Project Opens Company Recruitment

The 2026 Hanbok Wave project is now entering its company selection phase. Hanbok companies that will plan and develop products with Felix are being recruited from June 17 to July 10, 2026. The selected companies will create designs that reflect Felix’s image and symbolism while presenting the appeal of hanbok in a contemporary cultural setting. ²

Reports based on the announcement say five Korean hanbok brands will be chosen for the collaboration. Each selected company is expected to develop 10 hanbok pieces, creating a total output structured around both product development and promotional use. ³

The selection process is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises in the hanbok field. The Ministry and the Korea Craft and Design Foundation plan to evaluate applicants based on factors including expertise, distinctiveness, feasibility, and potential impact. ⁴

The recruitment and production structure shows that the project is not limited to a single campaign image. It is built around a development process in which selected brands produce tangible hanbok works, with those works later used in public-facing content across multiple markets.

How the Finished Hanbok Designs Will Be Promoted

After the selected companies complete their designs, the finished hanbok pieces are scheduled to appear in fashion pictorials and promotional content for audiences in Korea and abroad. The works are also planned for display on billboards in Seoul, New York, Paris, and Milan, giving the campaign a visible presence in major fashion and cultural cities. ³

The project’s stated purpose is to support overseas expansion by Korean hanbok brands through collaboration with a Korean Wave artist. YTN reported that Felix will work with five domestic hanbok brands to introduce the beauty of hanbok globally, while the broader program aims to support brand promotion and international market development. ⁵

E-daily also reported that the completed works will be used in fashion pictorials and major-city billboard content, reinforcing the project’s dual focus on product development and global publicity. ⁶

This approach places hanbok within the same communication channels commonly used for fashion and entertainment promotion: editorial-style images, branded content, and high-traffic outdoor media. The available source material does not specify the exact release dates for the pictorials, the billboard schedule, or the names of the five companies that will be selected.

Official Framing and Industry Context

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism presented the 2026 Hanbok Wave project as part of a wider effort to introduce the varied appeal of hanbok to global audiences. The official announcement identified Felix as the project’s Korean Wave cultural artist, while linked reports described him as the model or participant for the 2026 campaign. ¹

Jung Hyang-mi, Director General of the Ministry’s Culture and Arts Policy Office, said that “international interest in hanbok is hotter than ever,” according to News1’s report on the announcement. ³ E-daily separately quoted Jung as saying the project could become an opportunity to imprint hanbok as “appealing content that people want to wear.” ⁶

The source material does not provide further comments from Felix, Stray Kids, or the selected companies. It also does not list specific design concepts, fabrics, pricing, sales plans, or retail availability. What is confirmed is the official selection, the recruitment window, the planned number of participating companies, the production scale per company, and the promotional destinations named in the announcement and related coverage.

The 2026 Felix Hanbok Wave campaign will proceed through company recruitment, selection, design development, and promotion across fashion and public media channels. With five hanbok companies set to participate and completed works planned for exposure in Seoul, New York, Paris, and Milan, the project frames hanbok as both a cultural heritage garment and a contemporary export-facing fashion product.

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Cloi Lee

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