Seoul Shopping Guide
May 27, 2017Business at work is finally over. Hello, long weekend! I will hibernate today and then make the most out of the remainder of the holidays stress-free! Yippee. But before I head to bed and just be lazy all day, let's talk about my favorite shopping areas in Seoul.
First on the list is, without a doubt, Hongdae. Fun fact: Hongdae isn't the official name of the area. I discovered that it is supposed to be a short form of Hongik University and its surrounding area, known for its urban arts and indie music. We went there first after doing all the touristy stuff while hunting for boutiques that carried streetwear brands. But we discovered so much more than that!
On Penguin's list were Sculp, Roundup, and Shouty. Sadly, we couldn't find the two latter, but we did find Sculp, which carried some decent shoes. On my list were Ader Error, the flagship store, and Aland. We found both, but while I expected to shop at Ader, I took many photos instead. The store was like a little maze museum; I don't know how to explain it. There are fitting rooms on the ground floor, and when you enter each cubicle, you see art installations. There's a bathroom-themed multi-colored room with a toilet-paper-filled wall, and then there's this blue passage that leads to another store in the basement; I mean, you get the picture, I guess; I was distracted that I didn't even look so much at the few clothes hanging on the racks.
The store didn't have much to offer regarding products, and I found that a bit weird as it was the flagship store. But to say that I did buy something at Ader, I picked up a long blue belt, which I plan to wear, not as a belt. I found out afterward that they have a branch somewhere in Myeongdong, which is supposedly where you can buy clothes. Word.
There's a street called Hongdae shopping street, which I find is very similar to Tokyo's Harajuku Street, except that you don't know where the starting and ending points are. There, we found the most incredible stores with all the latest trends in fashion. One of the stores we saw had a DJ booth set up at the front of the store, and a DJ was working on it. I just found it excellent because that's something you don't see regularly. And then we came across a store with old-school game machines, which you find in arcades, where you insert coins and play for about 5 minutes. Mind you, they work, and you can play while shopping.
Of course, shopping in Seoul isn't complete without visiting an MCM store. If you know me personally, you'll know that MCM is my all-time favorite brand because I believe in the quality and materials they use for their products. I've tested their leather goods and can't say anything but good words. I wish they were paying me to say this, but sadly, that's not true. But regardless, it just makes perfect sense to buy MCM in Korea because this is where it is cheapest. And I had to pick up even just a teeny tiny leather good. We went to one branch in Gangnam, but the image below was taken in Hongdae, so you know.
Now let's take you guys to Gangnam, the now famous district in Seoul, because of the song by PSY. What can I say? In my opinion, if you're not going there with a purpose. Luxury shopping and you're only spending a few days in Seoul; I say it's better not to. Gangnam is more like Tokyo's Omotesando, except that it's a lot more quiet. You'll find vast stores selling luxury brands like Celine, Givenchy, etc. We headed this way only to visit 10 Corso Como, the same store we visited in Milan that carries high-street brands and second-hand and vintage luxury items. We also went to visit Kasina, where you can find some exclusive or limited edition sneakers from NikeLab; or products from brand Collaborations such as Adidas x Alexander Wang. This is where I got my Nike Air Max Plus Tn Silver Bullet and ultimately made the whole trip.
A few other stores we visited in Gangnam are Hide/And/Ride Store and Layer (Liful). Afterward, we headed straight to the Itaewon area to check out this giant Comme des Garcons Store. I hoped I could cop something from Palace Skateboards, but sadly, I didn't find anything I fancied. Penguin, on the other hand, got his hands on a couple of Fucking Awesome (no kidding, this is the brand name) tees.
Of course, we head to Myeongdong, the most well-known shopping district in Seoul, because of the never-ending line-up of cosmetics and beauty stores in the area. But honestly, as hard to believe as it might be, cosmetics weren't part of my agenda of things to shop for in Seoul. But I did want to visit Myeongdong because it is also known for its street food.
The night we went there, though, we stumbled upon Stylenanda's flagship store, also known as the Stylenanda Hotel, and I lost it. I mean, the whole building looked like a hotel straight out of a movie set, for starters, and then every single floor was a surprise waiting to be opened. There's a "laundry" area and a rooftop "pool bar" where you can order food and drinks like an actual hotel; I just died and went to the cutest hotel-themed fashion boutique. I meant what I said on my Instagram: Seoul takes concept stores very seriously. They do.
In Stylenanda, I picked up the Vetements-inspired hoodie I wore in my previous post. I couldn't let it go when I saw it, so I just had to wear it the next day.
It is not pictured, but I must add Common Ground. That's where we found some local Korean streetwear brands; one is called Another A, which I liked, so I bought a pair of joggers. That's also where we found many stocks of the brand "Have a good time.”
Lastly, not pictured as well, but somewhere in Hongdae, we discovered a very local store called Tomato Library. It has ALL the latest internet fashion trends you could ever ask for. Seriously, you'll find it there from Champion to Gucci to Purpose Tour-inspired pieces or bootlegs: brand new, repurposed, vintage - they have it. And it's crazy because the store isn't even that big compare to let's say, a Forever 21 flagship store. But believe me when I say they have it all.
That pretty much sums up our shopping experience in Seoul. I hope you find this useful if you're looking for ideas on where and what to shop in Seoul. If you have any questions, just shoot me a message or email, and I'll be happy to answer and share more.
In the meantime, I leave you with these images and will talk to you again soon. Have a great weekend!