Major Department Stores in Korea Simultaneously Reveal Christmas Exteriors and Light Up
Months to a Year of TF Efforts Complete Year-End Decorations
Shinsegae Installs 1.5 Times Larger Full-Screen Than Last Year... 3.5 Million LED Chips Sparkle
Lotte Department Store Main Branch Builds 3-Story Facade "Gorgeous Displays in Every Show Window"
Hyundai Department Store Creates 'H Village' Featuring 'Grandfather and Teddy Bear Harry' Story
"Wishing All Passersby a 'Magically Beautiful Year-End'"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] A crowd gathers, all eyes fixed on one spot. As dazzling lights burst forth from the building across the street, the eyes of the onlookers simultaneously reflect Christmas trees, decorations, and gift boxes. Faces warmed by blowing on their hands to fend off the cold break into smiles. It is Christmas season once again.
As the year-end season fully sets in, major department stores across the country have simultaneously unveiled their Christmas exterior decorations and begun lighting displays. Last year, the Shinsegae Department Store main branch’s media facade received immense love, prompting each company to dedicate significant effort?forming task forces (TF) for several months to up to a year?to complete their year-end department store decorations.
According to the distribution industry on the 22nd, Shinsegae Department Store started its Christmas season lighting on the 19th. Despite the lack of large-scale promotion, crowds filled the area opposite the main building on the first weekend of the lighting, showing its popularity. Shinsegae explained that the exterior decorations carry a message wishing that all citizens passing by experience a 'magically beautiful year-end.' The facade video, lasting about 3 minutes, depicts a party unfolding at a magical castle reached by riding a Christmas train over a beautiful snowy landscape.
The media facade exterior design has also changed for the first time in three years. Inspired by the glass walls of the Mus?e d'Orsay in Paris, the steel structure reinterprets the design reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower. Shinsegae used more than 3.5 million LED chips for finer visual quality?2.1 million more than last year. This year, the video is displayed on a single large screen, 1.5 times bigger than last year’s, enhancing immersion. Special emphasis was placed on safety accident prevention. Shinsegae stated, "We installed a 340-meter fence around the main building and the opposite building and deployed about 50 safety and traffic personnel." The Shinsegae Department Store media facade can be viewed daily from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM.
Lotte Department Store began its Christmas lighting at the main branch on the 15th. This result was prepared for about a year from early this year under the leadership of Visual Director Jeong Ui-jeong, who joined Lotte Department Store this year. The theme is 'Christmas Dream Moments,' expressing a Christmas everyone might have dreamed of with an analog sensibility. A new 100-meter-long facade, three stories high, was built on the main branch’s exterior wall, decorated entirely with Christmas trees and lights to evoke the feeling of walking through a Christmas street in a fairy tale. The facade’s show windows and the Young Plaza media facade welcome customers with a stop-motion animation produced by Lotte Department Store for this Christmas, featuring 'Ttonttu,' the three-dimensional Christmas gift elf from Finnish folklore.
At the main entrance, a large red curtain creates a dramatic welcome space. On the first floor, a 'Concierge Desk' signals the dreamy start of Christmas, and on the basement level 1, a 'Christmas Garden' where elves play was installed. Artist Daria Song expressed illustrations of the main branch’s exterior facade and the Jamsil branch’s Christmas garden in line drawings, which were applied inside the store, on gift bags, mobile cards, and beauty advent calendars. On the 10th, the lighting began at the Lotte World Tower World Park lawn, where a giant Christmas garden was created, including an 18-meter-high 'Big Wish Tree,' a maze garden, and a carousel. Lotte Department Store also flexibly deploys more than 30 personnel for pedestrian flow and opposite areas to manage safety and traffic control.
Hyundai Department Store was the earliest among major domestic department stores, creating 'H Village' on the 5th floor Sounds Forest of The Hyundai Seoul and the Trade Center branch’s main entrance plaza on the 27th of last month. The village features a large Christmas tree, cabin houses (log cabins), and lights, telling a warm story of a grandfather and bear Harry who, despite a blizzard and lack of food, share grains with villagers so everyone can be happy.
The H Village at The Hyundai Seoul Sounds Forest covers about 3,300㎡ (approximately 1,000 pyeong) and is designed as a Christmas village concept with a 13-meter Christmas tree, about 120 trees of various sizes, 11 cabin houses, and over 6,000 lights. At the Trade Center branch’s main entrance plaza, a cabin house with a grain warehouse concept is exhibited, featuring a large Christmas tree, media facade, and photo zones. Hyundai Department Store also presents a lighting show using the installed lights at The Hyundai Seoul H Village, held three times daily during the exhibition period. Hyundai Department Store formed a Christmas TF composed of professional designers in March, who took charge of concept development, production, and installation. The department store emphasized, "We focused on creating a space where customers can stay, enjoy, and experience, rather than just a simple exhibition."
Galleria Department Store presented a luxury Christmas tree and exterior decorations this year in collaboration with the Italian luxury fashion brand 'Bottega Veneta.' This project marked the first anniversary of the renewal opening of the integrated men's and women's Bottega Veneta store at Galleria Luxury Hall. The Galleria Luxury Hall Christmas tree has been showcased since 2016 in partnership with luxury brands such as Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Dior.
Galleria Luxury Hall, Christmas tree and exterior decorations decorated with 'Bottega Veneta' (Photo by Galleria Department Store).
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