South Korea news and archive

Fashion courts K-Pop and its fans at Milan catwalk shows

Milan - Milan's catwalks may be the epicentre of global fashion this week, but it's Seoul and K-Pop fans who are front and centre in the battle for new luxury customers. Outside Prada's fashion show on Thursday, the biggest squeals of excitement came from fans of Jeon Somi, South Korea's blonde singer with 16.6 million Instagram followers. The...

Feb 23, 2023

Business

Thom Browne to take over Korean business via new company

American luxury brand Thom Browne has announced that it will be taking over its South Korean subsidiary, which is set to be directly operated through a newly created and fully owned company, Thom Browne Korea. It comes as the label ended its partnership with Samsung C&T Corporation, which had operated the business in Korea for 12-years. Through...

Jan 26, 2023

People

BTS members appointed brand ambassadors for Dior and Valentino

Two members of popular K-Pop group BTS have been named as the new faces of luxury brands Dior and Valentino. Jimin, one of the group’s singers, dancers and songwriters, was first revealed to be Dior’s new global ambassador, in what the French brand said sealed “his friendship with the house” and its creative director Kim Jones. The label...

Jan 17, 2023

Business

Gucci cancels Seoul show in light of Halloween weekend tragedy

Gucci is among the many brands, companies and organisations cancelling and postponing events in South Korea after a crowd surge over the weekend left 154 people dead. On October 29, party-goers took to the streets of the country’s capital Seoul to celebrate their first Halloween weekend since the lifting of pandemic restrictions. According to...

Oct 31, 2022

Business

Vestiaire Collective starts localised service in South Korea

French secondhand fashion retailer Verstiaire Collective is now offering secondhand fashion items to customers in South Korea via a new, fully localised service, which is the fourth of its kind, following successful launches in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong. This move allows South Korean consumers to buy from the existing global catalog...

Jul 27, 2022

Retail

Nike debuts new Nike Style retail concept in Seoul

Sportswear giant Nike has revealed a new store concept in Seoul, South Korea, that is set to expand internationally. Opened July 15, the ‘Nike Style’ concept looks to “expand the definition of sport”, the brand said in a release, blurring the lines between physical and digital. A highlight of the concept is the retailer’s gender-agnostic zones...

Jul 15, 2022

Business

ABG names LF Corp as Reebok’s strategic partner for South Korea

Authentic Brands Group (ABG) has continued with its strategy of establishing global partnerships for Reebok, announcing that it has signed a new long-term agreement with LF Corp, in South Korea. The partnership will allow LF the exclusive rights to distribute and sell Reebok apparel and footwear through wholesale, e-commerce and branded retail...

Apr 22, 2022

Business

Hallyu 2.0 and the Korean Influence on Western European Luxury

Hallyu is a Chinese term that translates to the ‘Korean Wave’ and it refers the transcendence and increasing popularity of South Korean cultural exports such as South Korean TV dramas and pop music. The movement started in Asian countries such as China and Japan from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, and now the second wave - or ‘Hallyu 2.0’ - is...

Oct 8, 2021

Business

Musinsa to invest 12 million dollars in fashion startups in South Korea

The Korea Herald has reported that online fashion retailer Musinsa would be investing 12 million dollars in fashion startups through its venture capital Musinsa Partners. Musina Partners was established in 2018 as a joint venture capital firm that invests in small- and medium-sized businesses in the fashion industry. The company is currently...

Aug 6, 2021

Podcast

Podcast: The Popularity of Athleisure and Leggings in South Korea

Athleisure, which blurs the bounds between casual and sportswear, has been a well-known trend in the fashion world for some time. South Korea is one of the countries leading this trend, boosted by the sales of leggings. Leggings in South Korea posted a retail value of 0.6 Billion US dollars in 2018, ranking third below the USA and Japan. Global...

Aug 20, 2019

Fashion

Vintage fashion: senior models bridge S. Korea's age divide

Aged 70 she was working 20 hours a day in a hospital just to make ends meet. Now at 75, Choi Soon-hwa is an unlikely fashion star and model in South Korea, one of a handful of seniors who have become social media and fashion celebrities in a country where intergenerational conflict is mounting as the population ages. "I think of having this job...

Jul 9, 2019

Report

Safilo signs JV with Parma to expand distribution in South Korea

Safilo Group has entered into a joint venture agreement in South Korea with Parma International, an experienced local player active in the eyewear and sporting goods sectors, which Safilo said, will favour the development of new distribution channels in the market together with marketing and digital communication services. The company added that...

Apr 29, 2019