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Meet the foreign talent sewing global ties for Hansae

Published: 17 Jun. 2025, 13:34 Updated: 17 Jun. 2025, 16:46

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

Hansae employees Provy Maduka, left, and Alice Won, center, pose for a photo with CEO Kim Kyung during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on May 30. [PARK SANG-MOON]

While shopping for global brands, it’s not unusual to find clothes made by Korean apparel original design manufacturers (ODMs).

Hansae is one such company, supplying clothing to over 30 global brands, including GAP, MUJI and Zara, as well as major retailers such as Kohl’s and Walmart.

As its overseas business expands, there’s another key trend: growing demand to hire foreign talent.

In addition to being export-focused, Hansae operates 29 production plants and seven offices in 10 countries — including Vietnam, Indonesia and Spain — as well as a design center in New York. The company frequently opens opportunities for foreign nationals in Korea.

In 2024, there were two recruitment rounds that hired foreign nationals, mostly in overseas sales. The level of competition varies with each round, but the second-half recruitment saw a ratio of 70:1.

Hansae is planning to open another foreigner recruitment round later this year, hiring not only for overseas sales but also for positions in design, management support and production subsidiary management.

With many overseas offices and the need for cross-border communication, the company values strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.

“There are various qualities we look for at Hansae, but we especially value people who can build strong relationships — with co-workers, our manufacturing staff and our clients,” said Kim Kyung, CEO of Hansae. “That can mean having a warm demeanor, a positive mindset or an open attitude. Ultimately, we want someone who can connect and socialize well.”

“A big part of our business is done abroad, and employees need to build relationships in different countries and environments — that’s what matters most to us.”

Hansae CEO Kim Kyung pose for a photo during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on May 30. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Another key quality Hansae values: someone who is global.

“We emphasize that having a global mindset is essential, especially since our employees work with people all over the world,” said Chung Kyu-kwang, vice president of strategy and planning at Hansae. “Also, while we’re a fashion company, our core strength is manufacturing — and our employees must bridge the gap between the brands they represent and our manufacturing personnel.”

Many Hansae employees already bring this global experience.

Provy Maduka, who joined Hansae in 2023, is one of 12 international employees at the company’s headquarters in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. Including those based at overseas offices, Hansae employs 13 more foreign nationals.

“I had experience working at another company abroad, so I wasn’t afraid of working in a global environment,” said Maduka. “That experience also broadened my cultural understanding, which I think helped when I applied to Hansae.”

Maduka, who is from Nigeria, earned her master’s in international business in Korea. She first encountered Hansae at the 2023 Job Fair for International Students and now works in overseas sales as part of the Europe business team.

She is responsible for sourcing and ordering subsidiary materials for apparel to be supplied to Primark, preparing clothing samples and shipping them to buyers.

When reviewing her application, CEO Kim said Maduka stood out partly because Hansae had not received many applications from Nigerian nationals before.

“We don’t focus on nationality during our biannual recruitment rounds, but if a certain country was heavily represented previously, we try to broaden the mix,” said Kim. “Our goal is to hire foreign employees from as many countries as possible.”

Alice Won, a Vietnamese national, is another international employee at the Seoul headquarters. She is currently in her 14th year at Hansae.

After completing a master’s degree in business in Korea, she began her career at Hansae in overseas sales. She has worked on sourcing products for Kohl’s, and recently transitioned to the team handling Dick’s Sporting Goods, which Hansae began supplying in 2023.

“Before coming to Korea, I worked for a Korean company for just over two years,” said Won. “That experience, along with my Korean language degree from Vietnam, made working here much easier.”

The C&T Vina office in Vietnam, Hansae's subsidiary that manufactures and dyes textiles. [HANSAE]

Though Korean is often required, communication with overseas clients can be conducted in English or other languages — and support is available for international staff.

“One positive aspect of working at Hansae is that colleagues help with basic industry terminology,” said Won. “We also have a sample room on the third floor, where technicians help you learn hands-on — and you naturally pick up textile terms through experience.”

Hansae also hosts quarterly language classes, helping staff learn Indonesian, Spanish or Vietnamese.

Interviews are another stage the candidates have to pass, although Hansae's approach is slightly different from those of other companies.

After the document screening stage, Hansae typically requires three interviews. The first is done by junior-level employees that the applicant could work with. The second is done by the team lead, and the last is done by executives such as the CEO.

Junior-level employees are invited to the interview as they might catch things that senior-level employees might not, with each interview given the same weight to ensure transparency.

"Interviews with team leads and team members assess a candidate’s suitability for the role based on their academic background, work experience and understanding of the company," said a spokesperson for Hansae. "The executive-level interview evaluates the candidate’s personality and attitude to determine how well they align with the company’s core values and culture."

"A positive personality and a solid understanding of the fashion industry are some of the factors we look for, and sharing experiences that reflect experience abroad or adaptability to diverse cultures can leave a positive impression."

Most new hires begin as employment-linked interns, working for six months before being considered for full-time roles. Interns undergo a performance review at the three-month mark and again at the end of the program.

While two evaluations may sound tough, Hansae says around 90 percent of interns are offered full-time positions.
The remaining 10 percent includes those who chose other paths, with only a few rejected due to performance or difficulty adjusting to the role.

Though the recruitment process is competitive, Hansae offers attractive benefits.

One of the most popular perks is a one-week trip to New York for top-performing employees.

Hansae employees pose for a photo during their visit to New York. [HANSAE]

“Visiting New York was wonderful,” said Won. “We got to visit the company's office in New York and also tour the city, and it was a great experience because we could also visit stores of brands that we supplied to and see how our work meets the customers."

New hires also visit Vietnam for four days to see overseas offices and production plants. Hansae offers mentoring programs to help international employees settle in, as well as fun workshops like wine tasting and personal color analysis.

As Hansae continues to expand globally, it remains committed to hiring international talent.

"It's not just because of language abilities that we feel the need for foreign talent," said CEO Kim. "The world is our market because Hansae's key business is focused on exports, and we needed to globalize our company because having only Korean employees isn't enough to do business with the world."

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]