There is a strange little area of Seoul called Seongsu-dong, sliced off from both Gangbok and Gangnam by the Han River, where few travelers go.There is a strange little area of Seoul called Seongsu-dong, sliced off from both Gangbok and Gangnam by the Han River, where few travelers go. It is quiet, populated by a handful of family-owned factories and chic cement-lined cafés set in former warehouse spaces. The neighborhood feels worlds away from the chaos of Dongdaemun, the district more often associated with the country’s fashion industry. Seoul Fashion Week takes place there each season at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and a great deal of production occurs in the market across the street, between stalls hawking bootleg sweatshirts and skewers of fishcake. While international coverage of Korean fashion is usually focused on the clothing labels that show in Dongdaemun, Seongsu-dong has lately become its own fashion hub. It is the birthplace of Seoul’s footwear revolution, where some of the most clever and coveted Korean creations are being made by a small collective of groundbreaking shoe designers. This new chapter of modern shoe design can be traced back to 2010 when three ambitious brands launched in tandem: Reike Nen, Yuul Yie, and Flat Apartment. Together, as close friends, they carved out a unique design identity in an uncharted field. “There are a lot of new shoe brands now,” Yuul Yie founder Sunyuul Yie says, “but back then, there were just three of us.”
POST: 2024-04-27