[Korean Culture & Language] Designer Brand Face

Hello, this is Uptempo!


Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Dior, Celine, Balenciaga, Hermes, Saint Laurent are some of the most popular designer brands in 2022.

In Korea, popular designer brands are called ‘명품’. However, because the word ‘명품’ originally refers to ‘masterpiece’ or ‘master-work,’ some people are against using the word ‘명품’. They claim that the high price of products doesn’t always mean the company is engaged in ethical practices and they don’t deserve the term ‘명품’.

Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash

People use the word ‘명품’ to advertise their products or to describe someone’s appearance.

For example, one may say ‘김태희는 정말 명품 피부야’. It is directly translated to ‘Kim Tae-hee’s has a masterpiece skin’ and means ‘Kim Tae-hee has such a flawless skin that it’s like a masterpiece’.

Below video is titled '넷플릭스'에서 역대급 난리 났던 웰메이드 명품 드라마 1위'. It is directly translated to ‘The top luxury drama that became extremely popular on Netflix’.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsyQS3NAoI4&t=1016s


Below news article is titled ‘검정 티셔츠만 걸쳐도, 얼굴이 명품"…공유, 프랑스 파리서 근황 포착’. https://news.nate.com/view/20190624n08733?mid=e1100

It means ‘It doesn’t matter what he wears. Even though he’s only wearing a black shirt, his face is is a luxury brand. Gong Yoo was recently pictured in Paris, France’

Below article is titled ‘블랙핑크 제니, 명품 몸매 뽐낸 하와이안 핫 걸’

https://www.mk.co.kr/news/entertain/view/2022/03/226796/

It means ‘BlackPink Jennie, she shows off her luxury brand(perfect) body and wrote that she’s a Hawaiian Hot Girl’. 

What kind of ‘명품’ do you have?

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