Haenyeo: Korea’s Women of the Sea

For centuries, on South Korea’s Jeju Island, women have sustained their lives by harvesting seafood from the ocean floor with their bare hands. Diving without oxygen tanks, they have endured the depths with remarkable physical and mental resilience.

Tired, yet unyielding. Breathless, yet determined. Mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers—fighting in the depths to secure their children’s future.

“We enter another world to earn a living, then return to the surface to save our children.” — A Haenyeo

Les Benjamins draws inspiration from these fearless women and the raw, mystical nature of Jeju. Earth tones, ocean depths, the quiet simplicity of diving, and the texture of traditional Korean garments are reimagined in this collection.

A story of heritage, resistance, and sisterhood.

Haenyeo: A symbol of strength written in water.