How the dragon symbol came back into fashion

Dragon mania is about to reach new levels.

Yes, we may be in the year of the tiger according to the Chinese zodiac, but the dragon symbol is also back in mainstream fashion, thanks to pop culture.

HBO Max’s new original show House of the Dragon-Due August 21st – is already selling a ton of merch, most recently at Comic-Con in San Diego. Just this weekend, the show’s stars spoke at a panel about filming scenes with a mechanical wheel that will represent dragons.

And as part of that game of thrones Foreshadowing the previous series, they’re selling limited-edition dragon bomber jackets in a capsule collection at the WB Shop, as well as shirts, tees and more. The limited edition bomber jacket features a series of dragons on the back and inside the jacket, as well as the show’s logo and the quote: “Dreams didn’t make us kings, dragons did.”

The show is also offering a free AR game (called House of the Dragon: DracARys) which allows fans to raise their own pet dragons, based on the lore of George RR Martin.

Dragon mania will be in full force next month, no doubt. It’s been a while. Dragon symbols were a beacon of 1990s style, from tees emblazoned with the Mortal Kombat logo — a dragon’s head — to dragon-print dresses and dragon-patterned Hawaiian shirts.

Now, celebrities are wearing more dragon-inspired symbols in fashion, like dancehall singer Shenseea who recently wore a dragon-shaped top designed by Nusi Quero on stage, or the dragon tattoos that celebrities have , as the German actress Franka Potente. , or British singer Bishop Briggs, who said in an interview that she got her traditional Chinese dragon tattoo to remind her of power. “I like the idea that dragons have this fire in their belly, but only release it in times of danger or protection,” she said. “I thought it might be a parallel to my own life – keep fire as fuel and use it wisely.”

In fact, a Seoul-based tattoo artist who is making the dragon rounds in pop culture is Yoon Choi, whose artist name is Choi Yun, and says that dragon tattoos are a symbol of success and are often used in the Japanese style of irezumi tattoos.

“Dragon tattoos have always been popular, but with House of the Dragon will be released soon, I think it will definitely gain popularity,” said Choi.

The style of Choi’s dragons is simple, cute, and is colored with a black gradation style. Some of them resemble the actual dragons we see game of thrones In fact, she’s used to customers coming in asking for the same dragon tattoo that actress Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen—the Mother of Dragons—has on her wrist.

“My first dragon tattoo artist showed me a picture of Emilia Clarke’s tattoo and said, ‘I want this kind of dragon inked, but in your style,'” she said.

Clarke’s own tattoo is inspired by the HBO series, and she had it done in 2018 by Los Angeles tattoo artist Dr. Woo. She has three dragons flying around her right wrist, and Choi’s tattoo style fits this style.

Dragon designs may look different in the east compared to the west, but they are a highly respected symbol in Asian culture. “The king of Korea wore clothes with dragons,” Choi said.

It’s called Gonryongpo, also known as a dragon robe, and there are brands in South Korea that make jumpers that can be worn every day with the Gonryongpo motif. “Famous actors and actresses who come to South Korea from abroad often receive a dragon motif as a gift, such as a dragon robe, when they come to South Korea to be a guest on a talk show,” Choi said.

“With House of Dragons, more people are booking dragon tattoo appointments and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon,” she said.