Cover The entrance to Gentle Monster (Photo: Gentle Monster/Facebook)
The entrance to Gentle Monster (Photo: Gentle Monster/Facebook)
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South Koreans have perfected the art of creating avant-garde shopping spaces
If you’ve ever ventured into a Gentle Monster store in Singapore, you’ve probably stopped to admire the avant-garde installations curiously occupying the entrance. A South Korean cult favourite, Gentle Monster’s interiors are even more outlandish back in its hometown. Staying true to their aesthetic, South Koreans know how to pull out all the stops when it comes to concocting the most stylish fashion concept stores.
Regular is boring, so check out these modish stores on your next visit to Seoul.
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1. Ader Error
Think futuristic space vibes—that’s exactly the design theme of Ader Error. This unisex fashion brand promises to be your ticket to the future, welcoming you with glossy chrome silver sculptures of space-inspired objects, including a very compelling spaceship with oars. Take a journey through the doors to find the label’s clothing artfully displayed around the space.
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82 Seongsui-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
2. Supy
For retro fans, Supy has got you covered. Hidden within the facade of an unassuming industrial building, simply step through the revolving door to gain entry into the snazzy store. Reminiscent of an old school (cool kid) hangout, you’ll find an endless array of nostalgic streetwear pieces in store. With splashy neon signs, graffiti-covered walls and evocative vintage lamps, Supy is definitely not your average brick-and-mortar store.
71 Seongsui-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
3. Gentle Monster
Above (Photo: Gentle Monster/Facebook)
Above (Photo: Gentle Monster/Facebook)
(Photo: Gentle Monster/Facebook)
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Take a walk along the streets of Sinsa-dong and you’ll encounter the mammoth Gentle Monster flagship store. It’s played host to countless of the brand’s celebrity collaboration events, including with Jennie of Blackpink and footballer Son Heung-min. With the theme ‘Time-sleep’, the utopian store is stylish and picture-perfect, furnished with a variety of fantastical elements. Try on chic eyewear in the company of experimental sculptures and imaginative mechanic installations.
23 Apgujeong-ro 10-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
4. Boon the Shop
(Photo: Boon the Shop)
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Designed by American architect Peter Marino, Boon the Shop boasts an ultra-modern interior complete with clean and crisp lines. Step into a portal of minimalistic fashion as the brand confidently presents its clothes among stunning artworks, set against black metal and concrete walls.
Boon the Shop is famed among Koreans for housing an amalgamation of international designer brands, in addition to their namesake collection.
21 Apgujeong-ro 60-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
5. Acne Studios
(Photo: Sophie Hicks Architects)
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Sci-fi themed buildings are always popular in Seoul. The Acne Studios boutique in Cheongdam sits on the winding streets of Gangnam, commanding attention in the form of an iconic translucent light box. Enter the store to be greeted with imposing yet strangely calming concrete walls. Often said to evoke the feeling of shopping in a display case, the store is otherworldly—bask in a combination of natural light and bare fluorescents overhead as you peruse the goods on offer.
Cheongdam, 27-2, Seolleung-ro 162-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
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