043/ Twelve Korean Brands That Caught My Eye
From luxury wear to foundational pieces, Korean brands with something for everyone.
Y’all…shopping in Seoul is overwhelming.
(So overwhelming that, according to Substack, “this post is way too long for email”. If the newsletter gets cut short in your inbox, please go directly to the website or app!)
The countless department stores, shopping malls, flagship boutiques, multi-brand concept stores, underground shopping cities, flea markets and subway stalls, all the while keeping in mind that Seoul is a big city.
Seoul proper is 605km² (not including the surrounding metropolitan area) which is the approximate size of the five boroughs of New York City combined (for reference, Manhattan is 60km² and Paris is 105km²).
So, with shopping everywhere you turn, where does one begin?
Given the limited time I had (with kids attached to my persons 24-7), my goal was to hit the spots I thought would be most interesting and relevant to you. I certainly don’t profess to know everything about shopping in Seoul (not even close!), but I’ve been here enough over the decades to know the essential spots, and importantly — in the name of efficiency — where not to go, and where to go, but not linger.
With such a large area to cover, I kept my shopping to within the blue splotch south of the Han River (see map below), furiously weaving my way through the neighbourhoods of Jamsil, Samseong, Gangnam, Cheongdam, Apgujeong and Shinsa by car, subway and foot. It looks like a tiny area, but don’t be fooled; it takes a tremendous amount of time to shop through this relatively small slice of Seoul!
This newsletter focuses on brands based in Korea, or brands based elsewhere which are led by Korean designers (whether by nationality or by heritage), roughly moving from luxury brands towards more contemporary ones. Within each brand, I’ve also linked to pieces which piqued my interest. (My next newsletter will share the actual places I recommend to shop in Seoul, many of which carry the brands I’m covering today.)
I came across countless other Korean brands and this list could easily surpass a couple of dozen, but I wanted to focus on the brands worth checking out at first instance. Hopefully this sampling will lead you to discovering more about the wide world of Korean fashion, style and aesthetics.
For what it’s worth, as I was googling to find websites that would ship these brands to you globally, I was surprised by how many I found on SSENSE. It’s like their buyers — completely independently — did the same research and scouting I did, and came to similar conclusions as to what was worth selling on their website.
I also noticed that many of the brands on SSENSE are on super sale right now (70%); I wonder if that’s because the brands aren’t well known in the North American market, and thus people are hesitant to try them out? The good news is that with websites like SSENSE (which offers free returns), you’ll be able to try-on the clothes before you make a final decision.
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가자! (“let’s go!”)