Suspicion of 'Tag Switching' at Famous Brands in Musinsa and The Hyundai
"Accessory Materials Are Difficult to Produce in Small Quantities"
"Proposal Received from Sourcing Company," Firm Explains
A netizen raised suspicions that a famous domestic brand engaged in 'taekgari' (label switching). [Photo source=Online community capture]
A well-known domestic brand in Korea has been caught up in a 'tag switching controversy.' Allegations have arisen that the brand sold products at higher prices by simply changing the tags on other companies' products.
Recently, a post titled "A Brand - Tag Switching Incident" was uploaded on an online community. The author began by saying, "I really don't understand why Korean domestic brands are like this these days."
He claimed, "A Brand was caught selling a necklace on AliExpress for a few thousand won at 50,000 won and immediately took it down," and shared several photos. The attached photos show that the same necklace sold by A Brand is available elsewhere at a much cheaper price.
The author described the brand as "once a cost-effective brand that frequently appeared in fashion YouTubers' videos," adding, "I briefly took an interest but lost it immediately after seeing the clothes, which seemed roughly made. This became a good opportunity to turn my indifference into a firm decision never to buy from them."
A netizen raised suspicions that a famous domestic brand engaged in 'taekgari' (label switching). [Photo source=Online community capture]
As the controversy spread, the company quickly issued a statement. The company explained, "For accessory materials, which are not direct materials used in clothing and are difficult to produce in small quantities, we sometimes receive proposals from sourcing suppliers. Through customer inquiries after release, we became aware that accessory materials with the same design as other companies were used."
They continued, "Upon checking, we were surprised to find that our cost was higher than the other company's selling price, but to prevent damage to our image, we promptly suspended sales today. For orders that were sold and shipped, we decided to inform customers of the situation, send the products, and cancel the payment." A Brand apologized, saying, "We are sorry for unintentionally causing controversy," and concluded the statement with, "We will always strive to show better and improving appearances to our members."
Netizens responded critically to the controversy, saying things like, "It's shocking that A Brand is doing something that usually happens in unbranded markets," "It's supposed to be a brand product, so buying it expensive, but this is a bit much," "I used to frequent this brand but I'm disappointed," and "I'll just buy from unbranded markets now." Meanwhile, some defended A Brand. One netizen commented, "Even bigger brands don't produce such accessory materials themselves. Except for the price, I don't think this is a big issue."
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