Seoul Shopping Guide
A shortlist of brands and shops worth visiting on your next trip to Seoul, South Korea.
Seoul has quickly become one of our favorite shopping destinations. On a recent 4-day trip there, we did our best to visit as many shops as we could, but in a city with an endless array boutiques, brands, and big malls, it feels like we just barely scratched the surface. Below is a shortlist of our favorites, with a focus on the neighborhoods of Seongsu, Hannam, Gangnam, and Hongdae.
Where We Shopped
Heights
Beaker
The Hyundai Seoul
EQL Seongsu Grove
You could spend days exploring this mall, but their “Creative Ground” on level B2 is a great stop for checking out a bunch of contemporary Korean brands all in one place. Browse brands you may not have heard of, plus check out selections from brands like ThisisNeverThat, Open Yy, Stand Oil, and Heights Exchange.
This is a large multi-brand store in Seongsu with a fun selection of Korean designers. Thought they had a really fun sneaker/footwear selection and enjoyed browsing all the fun home goods and accessories.
Amomento
Low Classic
Amomento has been one of our favorite Korean brands to watch so we were looking forward to checking out their flagship store. The shop itself is airy and beautiful, & the clothes are unisex, made in delicate textiles and drapey silhouettes.
I love Low Classic for their interesting takes on classic styles and elevated basics. The clothes are utilitarian but feminine, and always styled in an effortless and cool way.
Kijun
Kuho Plus
Coor
Hatchingroom
Kevin became a fan of this brand the last time he was in Korea and we each left this trip with a few more of their pieces. They primarily focus on outerwear and make a really great selection of jacket styles, many of which come cut for both men and women.
A contemporary Korean menswear brand with a focus on non-traditional shapes and dark, muted colors. Their shop in Seongsu is minimal and sleek, featuring just a few floating racks of their latest styles.
Brownyard
Polyteru
Brownyard seems to have perfected traditional mens and womens styles. A nice coat in the perfect shade of brown—a leather jacket in just the right fit. Go here for more classic and simple styles.
Polyteru is a mens brand that seems to pull inspiration from military styles and traditional korean clothing. We love them for their looser fits and washed-out fabrics and color palettes.
Gwanjang market is a massive 450,000sqft market housing everything from korean street food stalls to clothing shops, textile vendors, souvenir stores and more. We particularly love browsing the quilts and totes from one of the textile vendors shown above .
D&Department is a brand run by mmmg, which stands for Millimeter Milligram. It’s a home goods store in Hannam that carries a curated selection of everything from vintage furniture to kitchenware to stationery.
A multi-brand store with a mix of Korean and international designers. The styling and the stores feel reminiscent of Beams which is one of our favorite places to shop in Japan, & we loved the curation of Korean brands + accessories selections.
Heights is the brick-and-mortar outpost of one of Kevin’s favorite Korean brands, LORES, but also carries other like-minded brands. Shop here for more casual clothing like tees, caps, hoodies, and some fun but affordable outerwear.
Kuho Plus is the lower range line under the parent brand “Kuho”. Both brands serve classic silhouettes but with interesting details and really nice textiles and materials. Was wishing I had more luggage space to shop their outerwear and coats.
This brand makes really playful pieces that are a sweet mix of feminine and sporty. Athletic touches mixed in with subtle girly details like cutouts or frills. Was happy to finally try some things on in person and ended up picking up a top here.
Post Poetics
Nonfiction
D&Department by mmmg
Gwangjang Market
Love the scents at nonfiction- they each feel clean, delicate, and really versatile with a unisex vibe. Kevin picked up a scent for each of us on his trip to Korea last year and enjoyed them so much we had to stop in to restock and try some new ones. Our favorites are Gentle Night and Gaiac Flower.
An independent artbook bookstore tucked away in a basement in Hannam with a wonderful selection of design, architecture, fashion, and photo books, plus some great merch. You can spend hours in here browsing all the titles.
Some others to check out:
Open Yy, Marge Sherwood, Facade Pattern, LEHA, Osoi, Hyein Seo, Insilience, After Pray, Anderson Bell, Ader Error, Musinsa Empty Apgujeong Basement, 8Division