South Korea's Purple Island To Play Integral Part In Paris Fashion Week

Some of the island's most breathtaking places of interest have been incorporated into a runway by South Korean designer Yang Hae-il.

Purple Island in Sinan, South Jeolla Province will be featured in the forthcoming 2022 fall-winter Paris Fashion Week, starting virtually next week.

Two islets, Banwol and Bakji, named Purple Island off the south-western coast of Korea are connected by the iconic Cheonsa Bridge. The 1.4-kilometre purple bridge has been turned into a runway in a recent film as part of the Paris fashion show.

Yang Hae-il runs his own brand, HEILL, and has been in the global fashion industry since 2017.

“Sinan’s Purple Island is a perfect location to present my new clothing line. I hope the violet tint from the island’s various structures and natural environment will leave global fashion aficionados entranced,” he said.

Before the transformation, the place’s main income came from farming. But since 2015, locals have been struggling because of a rapidly ageing population and a lagging economy. Local government has tried to attract investment by painting every inch of the town different shades of purple (around 400 buildings) and growing purple flowers such as lavender, and vegetables such as kohlrabi and beets.

Lately it has become one of the most popular places to visit in South Korea: the number of tourists to the beautiful island reached 200,000 in October 2021 despite the pandemic.

The UN World Tourism Organisation held the Best Tourism Village award ceremony at the general assembly held on 2 December last year and named Sinan County’s Purple Island one of the world’s best tourism villages.