Anyone who has seen K-Pop Demon Hunters or an episode of a Korean historical drama is familiar with what a gat is. Even if you don’t know what it’s actually called, it’s pretty recognizable: the black hat with its cylindrical crown and wide, dramatic brim that sometimes hides the eyes or even the entire face. It was traditionally worn by men of high social standing during the Joseon era, serving as a marker of Confucian values, refinement, and status. It’s rarely worn now unless someone is shooting a drama or attending some sort of costume party, though the gat did have a major pop culture moment thanks to Netflix’s Kingdom, where it became instantly iconic worldwide.
The National Museum of Korea called for designers to reimagine the gat for a modern setting. Design studio TOSO created the winning entry, the Gat Umbrella, which is exactly what it sounds like. This is part of the MU (the official merchandise brand of the National Museum Foundation of Korea) competition that invites designers to reinterpret historical objects into something that can actually be used in modern times. It’s a brilliant initiative that bridges Korea’s rich cultural heritage with contemporary everyday life.
Designer: TOSO
The Gat Umbrella looks like a regular umbrella when folded, but when opened, it looks like you’re standing under a huge gat, with the added bonus of an actual canopy to keep you dry. It’s around 33 inches long and has a width of 1,050 millimeters when opened. The canopy is made from PVC with a fiberglass-reinforced frame, its tip from polypropylene, and the handle from EVA material. The deep black canopy is a direct callback to the traditional color of the gat, and the proportions of the brim have been carefully scaled to capture that wide, commanding silhouette. When held up against a grey sky, you can almost picture the Joseon-era scholar it was inspired by.
Aside from being a status symbol, the original gat was also used to protect its wearer from the sun, rain, and wind, which makes this reimagining feel even more intentional. Anyone who has watched enough K-dramas knows those dramatic scenes where characters brave storms with a gat firmly in place, rain streaming off its wide brim. So this transformation of the headwear is still a clever nod to its origins. It’s just more modern looking and has the added protection of a proper canopy, since the elements now tend to be a lot more mercurial.
What makes the Gat Umbrella especially appealing is how it straddles the line between functional product and cultural artifact. It’s not just a novelty item you display on a shelf. It’s something you actually take out on a rainy Tuesday and suddenly feel like the most stylish person on the street. There’s something deeply satisfying about a design that takes centuries of history and makes it wearable (or in this case, holdable) in the most practical way possible. And given the global reach of Korean culture right now, something tells us this won’t stay a niche item for long.
It also arrives at a moment when the global appetite for Korean culture is at an all-time high. From K-dramas to K-pop to Korean food, the world is paying attention, and the Gat Umbrella is exactly the kind of conversation starter that lets people engage with that culture in a tangible, everyday way. It’s not just merchandise; it’s a story you carry with you. The kind of thing that makes strangers stop you in the street and ask where you got it.
Whether you’re a K-culture enthusiast, a design collector, or simply someone who appreciates carrying a piece of history through a rainstorm, this is the kind of purchase that feels both indulgent and meaningful. It’s proof that heritage doesn’t have to stay locked behind glass. Sometimes, the best way to honor the past is to take it out into the rain.
The post This Umbrella Is Actually a 500-Year-Old Korean Hat in Disguise first appeared on Yanko Design.
