Have you ever searched for special presents for the precious people in your life? Would you make and present it to him or her? DO IT YOURSELF(DIY). This means that you make it yourself, and it is a one of a kind item. Please present a unique gift to the most precious people in the world. -Ed.

How did DIY start?
   DIY is a product that consumers make themselves as they wish. Consumers buy raw or half-finished goods and make them as their own things. Consumers can have fun while making the complete products and have a unique gift in the world.
   DIY originated from the social movement, ‘I must do my work myself.’ This was due to a manpower shortage and a shortage of materials in the UK after the Second World War. ‘DIY’ goods have been sold from 1950s to the present in the US. They were first released in 1988 in Korea. However, DIY didn’t take center stage. By the middle of the 2000s, B&Q, the specialty store of DIY in the UK, came to Korea but pulled out of Korea after only two years. In this atmosphere of society, DIY was regarded as a hobby of very few people.
   Recently, DIY has been a trend toward main consumption. According to the survey of LG economy researcher called ‘2011 Life Style of the Consumer’, 20% of people aged 20~30 said, “I use DIY furniture by myself.” Also, 26% of people aged 10~30 said, “After buying the products, I change their design or performance to fitting their taste.”

 
What are the different kinds of DIY?
   DIY embraces all fields. In small fields, it is the production of household items and the reparation of homes. In large fields, it is the production of clothes and baby products and the remodeling of cars.
   Among those, DIY knitting, DIY foods and DIY furniture are the most popular. DIY knitting makes mufflers, gloves and caps. The way to enjoy it is simple. Buy knitting tread and a needle in an open market, a specialized site of DIY knitting or a knitting store. At the same time, buy instructions of the items you want, or search for them on the Internet. Then, do the knitting while looking at the instructions. If these steps are carried out, you will complete a special item in the world.
   DIY food is prevalent on Valentine’s Day and Pepero Day. People easily make hand-made chocolate or pepero without special tools. The way to make chocolate or pepero is simple. Like DIY knitting, buy chocolate, plastic frames and wrapping papers in an open market, a specialized site of DIY food or a store of DIY food. Melt the solid chocolate in hot water, pour it in a plastic frame, and solidify it. Lastly, decorate the chocolate and pack it up. In a similar way, pepero is also made easily. Melt the solid chocolate in hot water, coat confectionery bars with melted chocolate and decorate them.
   Lastly, DIY furniture is one of the most popular DIYs. Buy some processed pieces of wood and assemble them as you like. The reason for the popularity of DIY furniture is that it’s much more economical than other furniture. It will cost 500,000 won to buy a desk in a famous furniture store. However, if you make yourself a desk out of processed wood, it can cost less than half that price.
   Other than these, many new DIYs are appearing these days. They are DIY baby products, DIY cars, DIY motorcycles and DIY bathrooms. As the number of parents who have one or two children is increasing, they put most of their focus onto their children. DIY cars and DIY motorcycles are also in a similar situation. Not only products but accessories to easily remodel cars or motorcycles are appearing, which reflects on the desire that people have to remodel their vehicles.

 
What is the appeal of DIY?
   Most of the people who enjoy DIY say, “I love DIY. I can make my special things.” DIY items aren’t completed products but are raw or half-finished. People have the same materials, but they create different things with their manufacturing methods.
   Kim In-hye(a person who enjoys DIY) said, “I like to make and decorate things, so I started doing DIY. I am pleased to make special things. In addition, making something in person is more economical than buying completed products. Lastly, the products made by hand give the receivers more appreciation than mass-produced purchases.”
   Lee Chang-kwon(the owner of a DIY furniture store) said, “I own a DIY furniture store. The reason why I chose it is that it differentiates itself from other stores, and I like to make the furniture. Recently, many people have visited DIY furniture stores. Anyone who has experience using DIY furniture falls for the charm of making furniture. Also, groups in schools and companies often visit our store. Groups from schools experience it as an after-school activity, and groups from companies personally make furniture and donate those to charity. Various people search for DIY with various purposes.”
   This trend is reflected in marketing, so marketing has changed greatly. A handmade cake store is one of the new DIY trends. People choose bread, put a fresh cream on it and decorate it. A bathroom specialty company is searching for new ways of doing business for the average consumers by getting out of the traditional ways of construction companies or interior decorating companies. The companies make exhibition centers to experience bathroom products and open convenient restaurants to visit.
   The new trend, DIY, stemmed from two reasons. One is the desire that consumers want to make special things. The other is the economic conditions that made people more and more thrifty. If you don’t have the things you want or are tired of the completed products, do it yourself. You will have unique items for you or your precious loved one.

By Lee Jeong-hae

ljh32@cbnu.ac.kr