Judy Kim abandoned her successful two-decade career as a fashion industry executive to pursue a mission of introducing bojagi, Korea's traditional fabric wrapping art, to American audiences. After rising from intern to vice president at I.N.C. International Concepts, Macy's private label, Kim left her high-powered position when she became disillusioned with fast fashion's environmental and ethical costs.
Kim's transformation began during her time witnessing the pollution caused by textile manufacturing in Asian factories. "What I was doing was not a positive impact – it was actually negative. My heart was really sad," she recalled during a recent interview in San Francisco. What had started as a childhood dream inspired by her grandfather, a tailor in New York City, had gradually become hollow and meaningless.
A soul-searching trip to Korea changed everything for Kim, helping her rediscover the beauty of her heritage through bojagi – the centuries-old Korean tradition of fabric wrapping. For the first time, she truly appreciated the cultural significance of these patchwork textiles, which Koreans have used for centuries to wrap, carry, and protect everything from gifts to food and books. "When I saw so much bojagi being represented in Korea, especially during the holidays, I realized just how much meaning and history it holds. Bojagi stands for hospitality, warmth, love, respect and good fortune," she explained.
The word "bojagi" itself carries deep meaning, with "bok" signifying luck and fortune. Kim's connection to this tradition runs deep, rooted in childhood memories with her grandmother. "My earliest memory is with my grandmother, always wrapping up my lunch box – that really stuck with me," she remembered. "Or when moving houses, I remember hearing people say, 'If you're moving, you need to wrap things in bojagi.' And at weddings, I remember seeing bojagi too, thinking how pretty and precious it looked."
Unlike furoshiki, the Japanese wrapping cloth that originated from bathing traditions, bojagi has royal origins dating back to Korea's Joseon Dynasty. In royal palaces, bojagi was used in ceremonial exchanges and carried connotations of dignity and fortune. This rich historical background, combined with bojagi's environmental benefits as reusable wrapping, inspired Kim's vision to introduce this art form to the United States.
"I realized there was no brand for bojagi in America. No one was sharing this tradition, and I could be that person," Kim reflected. "This was my chance to reconnect with my heritage and also reimagine sustainability in fashion." Her personal journey also involved reconnecting with her Korean identity after years of trying to hide it in an effort to appear more American in school and corporate settings.
Since founding Bojagi studio in San Francisco in 2023, Kim has been creating what she calls "modern bojagi." While deeply rooted in Korean tradition, her pieces feature distinctive large-format geometric compositions inspired by modern art, sewn from natural fabrics like linen rather than synthetic materials like polyester. For Kim, sustainability and heritage are inseparable – she wants her bojagi to be both biodegradable and beautiful, reflecting a philosophy of zero waste in gift-giving.
Her innovative designs serve multiple purposes, functioning as door-hanging textiles, wine bags reimagined as reusable wraps, and various other applications. Each piece carries both aesthetic and symbolic value, sparking curiosity among Western consumers while rekindling nostalgia among Korean Americans who remember their grandmothers wrapping food or belongings in bojagi. However, growth has been challenging, with adoption remaining slow and most interest coming from environmentally conscious customers or Korean Americans seeking cultural reconnection.
"People often stop to admire and ask, 'What is this?'" Kim says. "But turning that curiosity into active adoption takes time. It's a long journey." Despite the challenges, she remains committed to her mission of cultural preservation and environmental sustainability.
Alongside her bojagi work, Kim founded the Mandoo Club during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering hands-on cooking workshops both virtually and in person focused on Korea's beloved dumplings. With family roots split between tailoring and cooking, she naturally inherited both crafts. The dumpling workshops began as a personal quest for comfort and connection during the lonely pandemic period.
"I felt alone and sad, and I needed comfort. Koreans say their language of comfort and love is food. When you say hello, you're really asking, 'Have you eaten?'" she explained. "Food is our love language, and I wanted to feel that connection and comfort again. So I started teaching family and friends through virtual workshops, because I missed them so much." What began as a personal act of healing in 2020 soon grew into a cultural bridge, helping others discover Korean comfort food.
Today, Mandoo Club has collaborated with major companies like Lucasfilm, where entire creative teams have bonded over folding dumplings together. For Kim, this represents a transformative approach to cultural exchange. "Teaching mandu isn't just about cooking – it's about creating community, comfort and cultural exchange," she emphasized.
Kim acknowledges that the global Korean cultural wave, propelled by K-pop, Korean dramas, and beauty products, has made her work significantly easier. Young Americans now approach her workshops with recognition, recalling bojagi scenes from historical Korean dramas, while older Korean immigrants are rediscovering an art form they thought was forgotten. "It feels like timing worked in my favor," she says. "The world is ready to embrace these traditions as both heritage and innovation."
Looking toward the future, Kim envisions bojagi expanding beyond personal use to larger applications in hotels, restaurants, and public art installations. She dreams of seeing bojagi claim a more visible place in cities worldwide, not just as a craft but as an emblem of sustainable design and Korean cultural heritage.
At its core, Kim's work blends two essential elements: comfort and connection. Whether through fabric or food, her practice focuses on healing the fractures between cultures, generations, and even individuals within themselves. "As immigrants, so many of us were taught to forget," she reflected. "Through bojagi and mandu, I am reclaiming what was hidden – and sharing it so others don't have to forget." She concluded, "I want to keep being an ambassador for bojagi culture and keeping Korean heritage alive."
