Let’s start right away with the capital of South Korea: Seoul!

Amidst skyscrapers that seem straight out of the 2070s, avant-garde subways and pop culture, the streets of Seoul are a colorful stage of bold colors and authentic street style.

The Korean capital has already been tapped by luxury brands such as Gucci, which opened its first flagship here in 1998 and last 16 May presented the Gucci Cruise 2024 collection in the ceremonial courtyard of the Gyeongbokgung Palace in the heart of the city, amidst the futuristic skyline and the silhouettes of Buddhist temples in the distance. A unique fashion show

Seoul has been in the spotlight for a while now, not only for luxury fashion, but especially for Streetwear.

Indeed, hundreds of brands populate the ranks every year, already fed by names that have earned enormous respect in the fashion industry, from 87MM Seoul to Thisisneverthat and Ader Error, via Ajobyajo to Lost Management Cities, to name but a few.

How does Korean streetwear differ from all the others?

Among the streets of Seoul, two different styles can be identified: Hongdae, characterized by oversized silhouettes, straight-cut and visibly wider pants, classic jackets paired with graphic T-shirts; and the Ewha style, influenced by the nearby Ewha Women’s University and Kyung Hee.

Here one can see College Streetwear, with Varisty jacket and Polo shirts that wink at American campus, but revisited according to Korean tailoring and rigor.

What are the emerging Korean brands to keep an eye on?

The last edition of Fashion Week FW23, gave us a lot of food for thought on the future of the industry, as well as several names of talented designers that we will certainly hear more about. These included brands such as ‘Vegan Tiger‘, which is all about championing animal rights causes and produces 100% cruelty-free garments and accessories, pledging to donate a large part of the proceeds to animal welfare and nature conservation associations in the country.

The leitmotif of the collections are eccentric patterns and prints in contrasting colors that symbolize optimism, connection with the animal kingdom and nature, optimism for a more conscious and eco-sustainable future.

Another name not to be forgotten is HOLYNUMBER7. In addition to being inspired by Ewha‘s Preppy Collegate style, the up-and-coming brand creates very special garments: each collection is inspired by a different passage from the Bible. The designers who founded it, Kyoung Ho Choi and Hyun Heui Song, believe that their designs are able to spread a message of positivity and optimism through the verses they carry. For the FW24 season, they proposed the ‘Talent‘ collection, based on the verse from Ephesians 4:7, which talks about natural gifts given by human beings; each piece experiments with a light and disengaged sportystyle, through the recycling of old university uniforms. Singular enough to leave a mark.

Finally, we would like to point out Sewing Boundaries or SWBD, a brand that takes inspiration from the globalised generation and focuses on creating garments with a strong identity. Led by designer Dong Ho Ha, SWBD often refers to Seoul’s youth subcultures, boasting collaborations with contemporary artists and emerging designers from different creative fields: art, design, music, literature.

For the latest FW23 Collection, the brand has created visually striking pieces. Extravagant, sometimes edgy designs.

How did steetwear come into being in Seoul?

South Korea started to take its cue from American streetwear with the spread of Hip Hop music: brands such as Stüssy and Supreme became very popular among the young people of Seoul, who mimicked the lifestyle and style of their favourite rappers.
Few, however, had access to this style, as sought-after as it was expensive: the government tried to curb foreign imports by all means, in order to limit competition and favour the domestic textile industry. The protectionist trade policy sets high stakes for the march to Korea from the States, with disproportionate embargo prices.

Stussy T-shirts, Levi’s denim, Nike Snekaers become unobtainable: the hype among young people is sky-high.
The situation evolves in two different directions: on the one hand, a flourishing market of parallel products is born: faithful reproductions of the best-loved models that meet the high market demand at an affordable price. On the other, young designers decide to take the field, creating American streetwear-inspired brands, revisited in the Korean way.

South Korean Streetwear Brands to Know.

On the wave of this lively creativity, streetwear brands such as 87MM Seoul and Covernat were born, and later, in the mid-2000s, brands such as Thisisneverthat, Ader Error, Ajobyajo and Lost Manaegement Cities saw the light.

 

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Un post condiviso da 87MM (@87milli_seoul)

These brands, with a clear reference to American streetwear of the 1990s, acquired their own stylistic identity over time, developing a recognisable and singular code. South Korean streetwear fashion became synonymous with sartorial mastery, high quality fabrics and rigorous style, applied to the urban attitude of Streetwear.

Discover our special selection of South Korean brands:

Thisisneverthat

Ajobyajo

Lost Manaegement Cities

Follow the next episode of Streetwear Spotlight Cities, we’ll take you to Los Angeles!