Mining Seoul’s Fashion Scene for Good-Clothes Gold
Seoul, like any fashion capital, is packed. In fact, it might be the most packed: within the confines of a single city, hundreds of local stores, luxury boutiques, high-end malls, and domestic designers are somehow stacked on top of and around each other. And that’s not to mention the cafes, restaurants, museums, galleries, convenience stores…
As big and as bustling as Seoul is, the city’s fashion accomplishments remain undersung. Admittedly, Seoul’s fashion scene can feel impenetrable to outsiders who don’t speak the language or understand how to navigate its digital platforms. Add in the fact that there’s simply so much to take in, and it can feel hard to parse what to care about.
That’s why one of the primary goals of Highsnobiety touching down in Seoul this past week was to uncover the best and the brightest designers we could find. We went beyond Seoul Fashion Week to see the clothes and talk to the makers, getting a feel for emerging talent so good that it deserves acknowledgement. These brands are looking forward, producing clothes that are wearable, unfussy, and consistently stylish. But they’re also all distinct. Many of these makers specialize in reconsidered staples, for instance, but take unique routes toward that goal.
The good news is that most of these imprints have a strong local footing. The next step is to welcome them across the ocean.
Gajiroc
An internship at the atelier of good clothes legend Evan Kinori solidified Gi Tae Hong’s desire to create his own fashion brand. And Gajiroc — “as time goes by” in Korean — is the definition of a one-man operation. Hong travels to Japan to source fabrics, cuts all the patterns himself, and monitors local manufacturers to ensure that every finished piece meets his discerning standard. “Sometimes I’ll do 20 iterations just to get one silhouette right,” Hong says.
This uncompromising do-it-yourself attitude earned Gajiroc placement in C’H’C’M’, New York’s temple of top-tier clothes, sharing shelf space with his mentor. This is good because, like Kinori, Hong is content to only ever be stocked at a single shop in a single city at a time. All the better to encourage clients to actually feel, wear, and appreciate. “I still feel like I’m learning,” Hong says. “If someone asked me how much I know about fashion, I’d say maybe 10%. Even when I’m 70 or 80, I’ll probably say the same thing. I don’t feel comfortable claiming I’ve become a ‘better’ designer. I just keep going.”
Shirter
“Rather than relying on a single stitching method or finish, SHIRTER conveys its identity
through the overall mood of a look,” say designers Lee Seunghun and Yoon Yongmin. “When someone recognizes a silhouette or styling and says, ‘That’s SHIRTER,’ we know our direction is clear.”
The individual garments produced by SHIRTER aren’t necessarily novel. Nineties-ish striped tees, fleecy wool sweaters, washed-out denim jeans, and generous collared shirts may be stylish, but they’re also familiar. The SHIRTER difference comes in how these styles are subtly tweaked — baker trousers splashed with paint or fine-woven T-shirts cut loose — and united into a dashing modern wardrobe that demands the personal touch. SHIRTER offers the canvas, brush, and palette, but the wearer is the one who paints the picture. “We design not for those dressing to please others,” say Seunghun and Yongmin, “but for those who dress for themselves.”
Khakis
Khakis wasn’t meant to be a clothing brand. Creative director Junhyung Seo was formerly a design lead at influential label Thisisneverthat, sometimes referred to as “South Korea’s answer to Supreme,” before parent company JK&D Co., Ltd. decided to open a multibrand space. That space is Khakis. And Khakis is now more than just a store.
“I love fashion — how it’s made, the fabrics and styling choices used — but I don’t want the spotlight,” Seo says. As such, although the Khakis clothing line aligns with his vision of the ideal ’90s-era wardrobe, its lived-in collegiate sweaters, canvas work jackets, climbing shorts, and check shirts will appeal to anyone who simply wants to get dressed. “I’m interested in people who don’t care about style,” Seo says. “Some research deeply; some don’t. I care about the details when making clothes, but I don’t require customers to care. If it looks good to them, that’s enough. If they appreciate the technical side, that’s good too.”
Matisse the Curator
French artist Henri Matisse earned his fame with canvases depicting flattened subjects as riotously colorful abstractions. Korean clothing line Matisse the Curator earned a following by compressing the necessities of daily dress into an advanced-yet-approachable wardrobe. It’s fitting that director Soekwon went to school for urban planning; his brand’s mantra, “simple but standout,” could function as a mission statement for an architectural firm.
Matisse the Curator pulls from all eras of modernity to create its collections — here’s where the “curator” bit comes into play. American military fishtail parkas are classed up in subdued black wool; ’70s corduroy trucker jackets are reborn soft and saturated with rich color; Kurt Cobain and Steve Jobs’ straight-leg jeans are reinterpreted with washes intricate enough to be a small work of art. “Korea's textile industry is not as advanced as Japan, but it is suitable for us because [garments] can be adjusted in detail,” says Soekwan, who prefers “non-mainstream” and deadstock fabrics due to their intrinsic character. “I [always] felt that there was a bigger meaning to clothing. I want to convey that to people.”
YOUTH
Given its name, isn’t it appropriate that YOUTH epitomizes freshness? Its approach is best distilled by the specialized textiles used to create its Eisenhower-style jackets and full-figured shirting. One of YOUTH’s new corduroys imitates the puckered look of seersucker, which “surprises many of our Korean customers,” says Jeongil Jang, the brand’s director of marketing. “Another standout this season is a piece made from rare silk… processed to have a napped texture finish. The material is unique to us.”
Beyond reiterating age-old styles, YOUTH takes pains to modernize the classics. Its take on the work jacket is unexpectedly double-breasted in reference to historic French work jackets, then cut from washed cotton neither dated nor trend-conscious. Its track jacket is also made of a treated cotton, transcending sporty for something both suave and a little rugged. Says Jang, “The goal is always to balance minimalism with contemporary functionality.”
Roliat
“Roliat” backwards is “tailor.” This gives you a feel for how Roliat approaches design: familiar but not quite. Founder Hong Sung-Wan’s self-described “slow-fashion” line has been in operation for nearly a decade and a half, making Roliat one of the elder statesmen of modern Korean style. It isn’t the only label mentioned in a particularly morose 2012 report on Seoul Fashion Week, but it is the only one that still feels vital present-day.
This is due to the fact that Roliat actually has a voice. Its inspiration may be 1920s-era tailoring, but its oeuvre isn’t trapped in the past — the A-line shape of one standout Fall/Winter 2025 coat “reflects a unique Korean sense of curves and volume,” says Sung Wan. “Even in a digital age, we believe clothes should carry an analog feeling, something personal and comforting.” Roliat’s wide-fitting shirts, draped blazers, and deep-pleated trousers are available as both handmade bespoke and ready-to-wear options, made from indulgent materials sourced locally but also from Italy and Japan. A double-faced wool/cashmere blend is of particular pride. "Our approach is not just about the material itself but also the story and character it brings to the garment," Sung-Wan says. “Each piece should carry the maker’s touch, offering warmth and timeless quality.”
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