Men’s luxury retail stores on the rise in South Korea

Luxury brands and department stores alike are driving the trend.

Luxury brands in South Korea such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Balenciaga, and Kenzo are scrambling to attract men in their 20s and 30s by way of launching stores that cater to them, Korea Bizwire reported.

Louis Vuitton is opening South Korea’s eighth "Men's" store at Lotte Department Store in August. The fashion brand has also set up a pop-up store for men in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, which is open until 31 July.

At the same time, department stores are expanding luxury brand stores for men. For instance, Lotte Department Store’s new foreign fashion mall, which opened on the main store’s fifth floor on 8 July, has set up luxury brand stores for men, taking over an area of 4,960 sq. m.

Galleria Department Store in Seoul’s Apgujeong neighbourhood opened South Korea’s first luxury mall for men in its Luxury Hall West in April. The store expects demand for men’s luxury goods to rise, and for young men to remain interested in fashion in later years.

“Female customers are mostly interested in buying bags. Male customers, in contrast, show interest in a wide variety of products, such as glasses, shoes, wallets, and more,” an industry official commented.