Three more brands to launch by first half of next year as company eyes stronger lineup

Exterior view of Kith Seoul [Handsome]
Exterior view of Kith Seoul [Handsome]

Handsome, a fashion subsidiary of Hyundai Department Store Group, said Thursday that sales of the 12 overseas fashion brands it has introduced to South Korea since 2022 rose 50 percent year-on-year in the January–August period.

The company currently carries brands including Our Legacy, Fear of God, RE/DONE and Kith in the domestic market.

Handsome attributes much of the growth to what it calls an "antenna shop strategy," using its own import select shops — Mooi and Tom Greyhound — to track consumer response and brand preference before committing to a full rollout. Brands that show clear growth potential are then brought in for dedicated distribution.

The two chains together operate 50 select shop locations — 15 under Mooi and 35 under Tom Greyhound — carrying around 200 overseas fashion brands. Pop-up stores at Tom Greyhound Seongsu-dong, The Hyundai Seoul and the Trade Center branch provide additional customer feedback and sales data.

Handsome also plans to expand its overseas brand lineup, with three new brands set to launch by the first half of next year, including SKIMS, the brand associated with Kim Kardashian. The number of dedicated stores for overseas brands is also set to grow from the current 60 to 90 by the end of next year.

Yoo Tae-young, executive vice president and head of Handsome's overseas fashion division, said the company would "continue to discover brands that can lead global fashion trends."


siuu@heraldcorp.com