South Korea’s influence on global pop culture has been so massive that there is even a word to describe it, “hallyu” also known as the Korean Wave. Since the rise of Korean films, beauty, and music Korean culture is going viral in popularity. Fashion is just another area where Korea is putting its touch on modern culture. It is no secret that Korean fashion brands have demanded international attention and with the fashion sense seeing a surge in government funding and programs such as Concept Korea, a program that gives designers opportunities to promote their brands globally. For this post, I have put together a list of six Korean fashion brands that you should be looking out for.
We11 Done is a South Korean ready-to-wear luxury it-girl brand that is determined to redefine contemporary concepts of luxury fashion. Founders Dami Kwon and Jessica Jung originally owned Korea’s popular concept boutique known as Rare Market in 2014. Kwon and Jung advanced their unique womenswear vision with a curated selection of international designers. A year later in 2015, the duo debuted their own private label We11done with a collection that included athleisure and streetwear-inspired styles. The brand has styles that are inspired by the late 1990s and early 2000s.
This brand is one of the top stand-out optical and sunglass brands in the eyewear market. Founded in Seoul, South Korea in 2011 by Hankook Kim Gentle Monster is an eyewear brand with unique and eye-catching designs and storefronts. Gentle Monster created a name for itself in the fashion industry with its unique assortment of eyewear that reimagines classic shapes with artistic designs. The brand sells the haute couture version of eyewear. Another reason the brand is popular is its store designs. The brand has a total of 35 domestic stores including seven flagship stores and 25 concessions in department stores in cities like Seoul, Daegu, and Busan. The brand also has stores in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and in 2016 created a flagship store in the United States in New York. Gentle Monster also does major brand collaborations with celebrities and other brands such as their 2020 collaboration with Blackpink’s Jennie and their latest collab with the Italian luxury fashion brand Moncler.
Minju Kim is a South Korean fashion designer who’s brand is brand is built upon artistic creativity, the art of craftsmanship, and fairy-tale imagination. Minju studied fashion at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in Belgium. After she graduated from the Samsung Art & Design Institute she went on to launch her namesake brand in 2015 after winning the H&M Awards. Minju then went on to become a semi-finalist for LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers and in 2020 became Netflix’s first winner of Next In Fashion. Minju Kim’s designs are a combination of youthfulness and avant-garde haute couture.
Independent Korean fashion designer Hye Young Shin founded WNDERKAMMER in 2010. The brand’s designs put a twist on ordinary closet staples by giving them a subtle charismatic twist. The elevated outside-the-box designs have an eco-friendly take on everyday women’s wear. The designs are made with natural materials given the brand a sustainable feel. WNDERKAMMER also works with celebrities such as Joy, from the KPOP girl group Red Velvet to create tour looks and onstage outfits.
TheOpen Product is one of Instagram’s most favorite South Korean fashion brand that was founded by the sister duo Boyoung and Jiyoung Kim. The designs are all about breaking stereotypes and challenging the norms of what women and men should or should not wear. TheOpen Product highlights the expression of individuality through its ready-to-wear collections. The brands also give basic wardrobe staples a unique twist such as their knit pieces that feature cut-outs and asymmetric constructions and trousers reveal exposed seams.
YUUL YIE is a shoe brand that was founded in 2010 by Sunyuul Yie. Yie shoes have such a unique design it looks like you are wearing art on your feet. The inspiration comes from classical art pieces and innovative sculpture designs. The brand challenges conventional methods to embrace individuality and imperfections. By creating timeless and unique designs YUUL YIE opens the way for self-expression of the individuality of contemporary femininity.