From Cute to Practical: Must-Have Korean Stationery for the Fall Semester
Back to school season is in full swing in all parts of the world, but particularly in Korea, back to school season stands out for its aesthetic and uniquely functional back to school items. Let’s take a look at what we can find window shopping on Korean stationery store sites during back to school season.
- Storage + Bags
If you’re a fan of EXO, you’ll already be familiar with this backpack by the brand Almost Blue. The bag was popularized when EXO’s Chanyeol was seen using it while at the airport in 2018, and it still remains a trendy item within Korea and internationally. Due to the style’s popularity, it is a bit pricey, but the large size and many pockets will be able to carry all your supplies for years to come.
The brand also carries an abundance of other useful bags and storage items, such as this laptop case. Not only is it a trend on Instagram, its large size and multiple pockets can hold much more than just a laptop. This multi-functional case can transform your desk layout and your bookbag’s storage situation.
- Planners
Of course one can’t start the school year before investing in a beautiful and functional planner. Luckily, Korean stationery brands take their planning seriously, incorporating aesthetics without missing out on practicality. The key here is buying an eye-catching planner that matches your personal style, so you’ll feel more inspired to use it rather than leave it laying on a shelf collecting dust.
When buying a planner it’s also equally important to consider how well it will fit your lifestyle. Most planners will include planning pages for the year, a planning page for each month, and then weekly pages in between along with extra additions such as notes pages and to do list layouts. The size and layout of the planner will affect the amount of space you’ll have to write in your to dos. If you’re someone with a busy lifestyle it would be effective to consider a planner with a lot of planning space for each day, maybe even one with time slots for the hours in a day. Always be sure to check the contents of the planner before you buy, to assure it’ll be a perfect fit for you.
Korea not only takes its daily planning seriously, study planning is equally as important and sometimes require its own separate planner.
Study planners have been on the rise in Korea in recent years as an effective way to not only pencil in study sessions, but to track progress, goals, grades, study methods, and more. Using a study planner can be a great motivational tool because it involves more than just jotting down your homework assignments. Setting goals and tracking progress can keep you accountable for your own work, and writing down what study methods and what hours work best for your study habits can help you learn more efficiently and easily.
- Folders
Buying a folder is a quintessential staple of starting fresh for a new school year, and transparent, minimalist folders are all the rage among Korean students. If you go into any stationery store in Korea, you’ll see an abundance of transparent folders with flowers, animals, or other cute designs on them. These folders from a U.S. based seller are similar in style, and the trapper keeper functionality will keep all your loose papers intact!
- Writing + Highlighters
Creating the Instagram-worthy notes spread of your dreams starts with picking the right pen. Something that writes small, such as a sleek point 0.5 millimeter pen will get you on the right track. Going with a solid color design pen such as the ones pictured below can be a nice classic touch to your pen case.
These retro Korean felt tip pens not only look fantastic, but they can provide a wonderful pop of color when needed in your notes. They’re double-ended as well to be used as a fine tipped pen or a highlighter.
- Stickers + Decorations
Whether you’re a first time washi tape enthusiast or completely clueless where to start, some neutral animal, landscape, or floral pieces can be a great addition or start to your collection! There is also template washi tape that can be used to label the days of the week or months.
And of course no stationery decorations list would be complete without stickers! Sualitier is a sticker brand popular in Korea, and you can usually find them in any art box. Their hand-drawn style makes them unique and creates a pop of inspiration instantly.
This list is just breaking the surface of what Korean stationery has to offer. We recommend looking around on Korean sites for useful and whimsical items such as desk vacuums, mini desk trash cans, and much more. Happy shopping, and here’s to a fresh school year of beautiful study-gram posts!
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Written by Justine Shaffer
