Securing the Position of Seongsu-dong Fashion Valley

Mid-sized Fashion Companies and Musinsa Emerging Designer Brands Gradually Relocate

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Emerging designer brands and mid-sized fashion companies favored by the MZ (Millennial+Z) generation are settling in the Seongsu-dong area, transforming it into a 'fashion mecca.'

According to industry sources on the 10th, mid-sized fashion company Bocre Merchandising plans to complete its relocation to Seongsu-dong next month. Bocre Merchandising recently sold its office building located in Gildong and will move all its employees working there to Seongsu-dong. The number of employees relocating is about 80.

A representative from Bocre Merchandising said, "We are preparing to move by selling the Gildong office building and leasing a new office in Seongsu-dong. Although the schedule has not been finalized yet, we plan to complete the relocation within this year." Bocre Merchandising is a mid-sized fashion company operating leading domestic women's wear brands such as On&On, Olive des Olive, and Lapalette. It expanded its scope to fashion accessories and duty-free shops by launching overseas designer brand Joy Gryson in 2015 and L'oeuvre last year.

An employee at Gyeongseo Injehwa, located in the handmade shoe street of Seongsu-dong, is polishing handmade shoes with a heat blower. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Women’s fashion platform Hago also recently completed its move to Seongsu-dong. Hago closed its leased office in Gangnam and relocated to a building near the Seongsu-dong cafe street. Emerging designer brands that have rapidly grown in recent years have also successively settled here. Maison Min?de, the representative brand of Musinsa, Korea’s number one online fashion platform, completed its move to Seongsu-dong last May, and OiOi relocated in September last year. Other brands such as Fennec (December 2017), Excelsior (2018), and Kirsh (2015) also established their presence in Seongsu-dong early on.

As fashion companies that had been operating independently in various districts of Seoul concentrate in Seongsu-dong, the area is reemerging as a fashion mecca. Starting in the 1970s as a handmade shoe street with shoe manufacturing factories, raw material suppliers, and shops densely located, Seongsu-dong has recently attracted fashion and beauty brands opening experiential stores or relocating their headquarters.

With cafes, galleries, and select shops remodeled from old factories, Seongsu-dong has become a sanctuary for millennials. Recently, large corporations have also established offline stores here, such as Kolon Industries FnC division’s lamb leather brand Archive by Appcke’s first offline showroom and AmorePacific’s experiential store Amore Seongsu.

An industry insider said, "As many small and medium-sized fashion companies enter Seongsu-dong, the area is becoming established as a fashion city. Due to the nature of the fashion industry, which requires many office spaces such as meeting rooms, along with geographical advantages for commuting to Gangnam and favorable real estate development, these factors have contributed to this trend."