Short introduction of Ms. Ji-hyun Oh:
Hello~^^
I am the representative of Porgabé who participated in Greenpeace volunteer service (Plastic-zero picnic; read more about this in my earlier article). I have gained a Bachelor's Degree from Kyunghee University in South Korea and Foundation Degree from University of the Arts London. Korean is my mother-tongue in which I can speak fluently, but I can also speak some English and Japanese. I am very passionate about design and art.
Interview through mail:
Q: What is the purpose and beginning of Porgabé (where and how Ms. Ji-hyun Oh became interested in plastic)?
A: I graduated from London's Central Saint Martins BA product design. When I was studying a product at my undergraduate course, I studied material, and I was especially interested in plastic.
The plastic was very attractive and one of the good materials. It is cheap and easy to change, and the variety is also varied.
Professors continued to emphasize sustainability at the faculty, and part of the sustainable log and task. In fact, when I was studying, I learned vaguely and learned theoretically.
There are many reasons for starting a business,
The reason Porgabé was born is that she started to be a brand for baby and a profit-making company that pursues the goal of preserving better values and environment when the baby grows and the generation changes.
Q: How are Porgabé products made?
A: Porgabé's baby clothes are only made for babies under 24 months of age and I design them myself.
It is also used only as certified organic cotton. Especially, we have no concern about waste water and do not dye natural dyeing.
Besides the plastic buttons that are inevitably in the product, the product itself does not use plastic. The package does not use any plastic.
So even if it is used as a baby, even if it is a piece of furniture, everyone uses plastic because of its weight, but we use wood such as wood and plywood.
We try to use materials that are easier to dispose and return to nature.
Q: How do you work for the environment while operating Porgabé?
A: We are working hard on the package. This is because the package is often used only once.
So, we put it in a cloth bag and pack it in a solid paper box if you like gift packing. We are trying to make it possible to reuse it again later.
Q: How do you take action for the environment as an individual?
A: I try to minimize the amount of waste and try to use the products I buy for as long as possible.
Q: How will Porgabé progress in the next five or ten years?
A: Porgabé will be reborn as a luxury brand company like LVMH in Korea. My goal is to create and operate luxury brands.
We will also anticipate that Porgabé's value of plastic-free will spread to all luxury brands, especially those brands that use plastic in their packaging.
Q: How will the world be in the next 5, 10 years (environmentally)?
A: With the explosion of Asia (excluding East Asia) and the South American population, environmental issues are likely to grow even more. The next five years are likely to suffer from plastic.
So many alternatives or products will come out to replace plastic.
Brand story:
Porgabé is a compound word for Premium ORGAnic BÉbé Premium Organic Bebe, which means 'to present high quality natural products to our baby'. My slogan, "My first gift," means the gift the baby has for the first time or the first gift for the baby, and will advance as a symbol of the brand.
Vincent Van Gogh was inspired by the work 'Blooming Almond Tree' which he gave to his brother Theo to bless his niece's birth. All paper packaging contains Van Gogh's work color and almond flowers.
The meaning of the almond flower is hope and the brand value of Porgabé also holds hope. To be a hopeful move for the future environment, we do not use plastics in all packaging.
Porgabé is making jewelery products that for not babies but also mothers and fathers, and clothes for babies under 24 months with only organic cotton, baby furniture utilizing birch.
Porgabé baby clothes:
Porgabé's baby clothes are newly designed every year. The collection consists of 5 sizes in total (24 months or less: 0 ~ 3m, 3m ~ 6m, 6m ~ 12m, 12m ~ 18m, 18m ~ 24m).
The children are born in spring and summer, and the children are born in autumn and winter. The size is composed of 2 sets, so you can see more than 10 items in one collection.
The theme for 2019 is the "Angel" collection.
All fabrics used by Porgabé are organic cotton. Organic cotton is made from cotton grown on land that does not contain chemical fertilizers and pesticides for a minimum of three years, and Porgabée is produced only on certified organic cotton.
Generally, after natural dyeing or chemical dyeing, preservatives are used to keep colors from falling. In most cases, chemical preservatives are used on the market, so even if natural fabrics are used, they are often filled with chemicals due to post-processing.
Porgabé uses natural fabric itself, so you can see the original color as it is natural, and the color becomes clearer after washing. Therefore, it is safe for the skin and very soft.
Conversation between Ms. Oh and I (Cherry) through mail:
for more information about Ms. Oh and her business (porgabé):