Traditional Korean wrapping cloth 'bojagi' wins over younger generations

Traditional Korean bojagi is experiencing a resurgence around Chuseok gift sets, especially among younger consumers drawn to fashionable, eco-friendly packaging. The cloth is being used by coffee brands, dessert shops and other gift products instead of dated gold satin wrapping. The trend is linked to traditional-core aesthetics and renewed appreciation of bojagi as refined Korean heritage.

Bojagi is a square piece of fabric used to wrap, store or transport items.

Lee Hyo-jae said bojagi has moved from symbolizing hardship in older generations to representing beauty and sophistication as art today.

The article says bojagi can be reused, which makes it fit the growing eco-friendly trend.

At a wedding in France last October, gifts wrapped in white silk bojagi drew considerable attention.

Among bojagi types, jogakbo, a patchwork cloth made from fabric scraps, is especially popular for curtains and decorative items.

Published Sep 26, 2026 11:06 am KST

A noticeable change has emerged among the gift sets flooding the market around Chuseok holidays: a sharp increase in traditional "bojagi" wrapping.

From trendy coffee brands and fruit-filled rice cakes popular among the MZ Generation — a term encompassing Millennials and Generation Z — to renowned dessert shops, a growing range of fashionable products is being wrapped in bojagi, a traditional Korean wrapping cloth. Gone is the dated look of the gold-colored satin cloth that once accompanied holiday gift sets. Instead, a variety of materials and contemporary color palettes have helped shed the cloth's old-fashioned image.

Bojagi refers to a square piece of fabric used to wrap, store or transport items. At a time when bags, plastic packaging and cardboard boxes were uncommon, bojagi was an essential household item. But as Korea modernized, it seemed destined to become a relic of the past. More recently, it was largely reserved for formal occasions, such as weddings and holiday gift-giving, thanks to its symbolism of conveying good fortune.

The resurgence of bojagi wrapping is largely attributed to the traditional-core trend, which reinterprets traditional culture in a contemporary, fashionable way, as well as a renewed appreciation of bojagi as an elegant and refined aspect of Korean heritage.

Lee Hyo-jae, an artist known as Korea's first bojagi artist, said, "In our parents' generation, bojagi symbolized hardship — carrying belongings on their heads and backs while fleeing as refugees. But today, it has taken on beauty and sophistication as a form of art."

Unlike paper boxes and plastic packaging, bojagi can also be reused, making it a good fit for the growing eco-friendly trend.

Overseas, bojagi is gaining recognition under its Korean name, spelled phonetically in English. At a wedding held in France last October by Sean Taffin de Givenchy, the nephew of the founder of luxury fashion house Givenchy, and his Korean bride, Jung Da-hye, gifts wrapped in white silk bojagi drew considerable attention.

Among the various types of bojagi, "jogakbo" — a patchwork cloth made by stitching together fabric scraps — is particularly popular for curtains and decorative items because of its resemblance to Western patchwork.

However, bojagi remains less widely known internationally than "furoshiki," Japan's traditional wrapping cloth, and the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably overseas.

In Japan, furoshiki has continued to be used relatively consistently in everyday life, including for wrapping lunch boxes. In Korea, by contrast, bojagi has only recently begun to attract renewed attention.

Lee Yun-young, chairwoman of the Korea Bojagi Art Association, said, "I hope more people will recognize the beauty of bojagi itself and use it more often."

Wine bottles wrapped with "bojagi," traditional Korean wrapping cloth / Courtesy of Lee Yun-young

Although bojagi is gaining attention as an eco-friendly packaging material, its environmental benefits depend on how often it is reused.

Many people are still familiar only with the basic knot: spreading the cloth out in a diamond shape, placing an item in the center and gathering the corners to tie them together. In addition, despite its versatility, bojagi is most commonly used to wrap square boxes or fruit baskets.

Yet a simple square piece of cloth offers virtually endless possibilities. Depending on the technique, it can be fashioned into elaborate designs resembling flowers or butterflies, and even objects with unusual shapes can be wrapped with ease.

The chairwoman of the Korea Bojagi Art Association shares a wrapping technique for wine bottles. The method can also be used for other glass bottles or when repurposing a wine bottle as a vase.

How to wrap wine bottles

1. Spread the bojagi out in a diamond shape.

2. Place the wine bottle or glass bottle upright in the center of the cloth, making sure it is properly aligned.

3. Lift the top and bottom corners of the cloth and bring them together around the neck of the bottle.

4. Bring the left and right corners toward the center, wrapping them around the bottle. Neatly fold any excess fabric along the sides inward, smoothing it to follow the shape of the bottle.

5. Once all four corners meet naturally around the neck of the bottle, secure them with a rubber band.

6. Smooth out the folds of the cloth around the bottle. Arrange the four corners extending above the neck into a natural shape, then decorate by tying a cord or ribbon around them.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

韩国传统包袱布（bojagi）在秋夕礼品套装中重新流行起来，尤其受到追求时尚环保包装的年轻消费者的青睐。咖啡品牌、甜品店和其他礼品店纷纷用这种布料代替过时的金丝缎包装。这一趋势与传统美学以及人们对包袱布作为精致韩国文化遗产的重新认识密切相关。

Bojagi 是一种方形布料，用于包裹、存放或运输物品。

李孝宰表示，包袱布已经从老一辈人眼中象征艰辛，转变为如今代表美丽和精致的艺术。

文章指出，bojagi 可以重复使用，这使其符合日益增长的环保趋势。

去年十月在法国举行的一场婚礼上，用白色丝绸包裹的礼物引起了人们的极大关注。

在各种布扎布中，用碎布制成的拼布“jogakbo”尤其受窗帘和装饰品的欢迎。

发布于2026年9月26日上午11:06（韩国标准时间）

中秋节期间，市场上涌现出大量礼品套装，其中出现了一个明显的变化：采用传统“包袱布”包装的礼品套装数量急剧增加。

从深受千禧一代和Z世代（MZ世代指涵盖千禧一代和Z世代的群体）喜爱的潮流咖啡品牌和水果年糕，到知名甜品店，越来越多的时尚产品都开始使用韩国传统包装布——包袱布（bojagi）进行包装。曾经用于节日礼盒的金色缎面包袱布早已过时。取而代之的是，各种材质和现代色彩的运用，使包袱布摆脱了老气的形象。

包袱布（Bojagi）指的是一块方形的布料，用于包裹、存放或运输物品。在袋子、塑料包装和纸箱并不普及的年代，包袱布是家庭必备用品。但随着韩国的现代化进程，它似乎注定要成为历史的遗物。近年来，由于其象征着好运，包袱布主要用于婚礼和节日送礼等正式场合。

包袱布的复兴很大程度上归功于传统核心潮流，它以现代时尚的方式重新诠释了传统文化，同时也体现了人们对包袱布作为韩国传统中优雅精致的方面的重新认识。

被誉为韩国首位包袱布艺术家的李孝宰表示：“在我们父母那一代，包袱布象征着艰辛——难民们头顶背负着行李逃亡。但如今，它已发展成为一种美丽而精致的艺术形式。”

与纸盒和塑料包装不同，bojagi 还可以重复使用，因此非常适合日益增长的环保趋势。

在海外，包袱布（bojagi）以其韩语名称（英文音译）逐渐为人所知。去年十月，奢侈时尚品牌纪梵希创始人的侄子肖恩·塔芬·德·纪梵希与他的韩国新娘郑多惠在法国举行婚礼，婚礼上用白色丝绸包袱布包裹的礼物吸引了众多目光。

在各种类型的拼布中，“jogakbo”（一种用碎布缝制而成的拼布）因其与西方拼布的相似性而特别受窗帘和装饰品的欢迎。

然而，与日本传统包袱布“風呂敷”相比，bojagi 在国际上的知名度仍然较低，这两个词在海外有时被互换使用。

在日本，風呂敷在日常生活中一直被相对频繁地使用，包括用来包裹便当盒。相比之下，在韩国，包袱布直到最近才开始重新受到关注。

韩国宝札吉艺术协会会长李允英表示：“我希望更多的人能够认识到宝札吉本身的美，并更频繁地使用它。”

用韩国传统包装布“包纱吉”包裹的葡萄酒瓶 / 图片由李允英提供

虽然bojagi作为一种环保包装材料越来越受到关注，但其环境效益取决于其重复使用的频率。

许多人仍然只熟悉最基本的打结方法：将布料展开成菱形，把物品放在中心，然后将四个角收拢打结。此外，尽管包袱布用途广泛，但它最常见的用途还是用来包裹方形盒子或水果篮。

然而，一块简单的方形布料却能带来几乎无限的可能性。根据不同的技法，它可以被制成精美的图案，例如花朵或蝴蝶，甚至形状奇特的物品也能轻松包裹。

韩国宝札记艺术协会会长分享了一种葡萄酒瓶的包装技法。这种方法也适用于其他玻璃瓶，或者将葡萄酒瓶改造成花瓶时使用。

如何包装葡萄酒瓶

1. 将包子摊成菱形。

2. 将酒瓶或玻璃瓶直立放置在布料中央，确保其摆放正确。

3. 提起布料的上下两角，将它们拢到瓶颈处。

4. 将左右两角向中心折叠，包裹住瓶子。将两侧多余的布料整齐地向内折叠，抚平使其贴合瓶子的形状。

5. 当四个角自然地在瓶颈周围汇合后，用橡皮筋固定。

6. 将瓶子周围的布料褶皱抚平。将瓶颈上方延伸出的四个角整理成自然的形状，然后用绳子或丝带系起来装饰。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。