Moving robotic objects installed across Gentle Monster stores
Robotics Lab has operated for a decade with about 60 specialists
'Core unit that shapes brand's spatial experience and identity'
Guard robots that look lifted from a science-fiction film, kinetic spherical objects evoking a city of the future — the scene inside House Nowhere Seoul, Gentle Monster's flagship store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, is unlike anything visitors encounter in everyday life. Large robots installed throughout the space move independently, transforming the store into an alien world. Visitors linger, unable to look away, and reach for their phones.
Robots are one of the defining elements of Gentle Monster, which launched in 2011 and has grown over 15 years into a leading Korean eyewear brand. The company has pursued a retail strategy centered on letting customers experience its brand universe directly in physical spaces. House Nowhere breaks from the conventional store model focused on product display and sales, instead presenting what the brand calls "Future Retail" — a fusion of art, design and commerce.
The robots are developed and built in-house. II Combined, the company that operates Gentle Monster, acquired robotics firm Wizard in 2017 for 2 billion won ($1.5 million) and established a dedicated unit called the Robotics Lab. The lab has spent the decade since conducting independent research and development on the robots and kinetic objects installed across its stores. About 60 specialists currently work there across design, control systems and fabrication.
The Robotics Lab's role goes well beyond building things that move. Its core mission is to translate a designer's imagined scenes and movements into technical reality, making the brand's world something customers can actually experience. Using robotics and interactive technology, the team designs every detail — the scale and form of each object, the placement of joints, the speed and direction of movement. Countless rounds of testing go into replicating subtle motion, from the flicker of a human expression to the rhythm of an animal's breathing. As a result, a single robotic work typically takes a year to complete.
To outside observers, the level of investment an eyewear company pours into robotics may seem puzzling. An II Combined official said Gentle Monster places the highest priority on "realizing the world the brand imagines through space and delivering new sensations and experiences to customers," adding that the Robotics Lab is "the core unit that creates the brand's unrivaled spatial experience and differentiated identity."
The Robotics Lab's first work was The Probe, a six-legged walking robot standing two meters tall, unveiled in 2021 at House Dosan. The lab has since produced more than 40 works — animal robots, humanoid robot dancers, large head robots and walking robots, each tailored to the concept and character of its space.
In April, to mark the launch of a new collection by Tamburins, II Combined's fragrance brand, the lab unveiled a 13-meter dachshund object that drew wide attention for the lifelike impression of a giant dog breathing. More recently, the lab installed Glossy Head at Gentle Monster's flagship store in SoHo, New York — part of the Head series, which blends human facial features with mechanical elements to dissolve the boundary between the real and the unreal.
The Robotics Lab draws inspiration without limits. Human and animal movement, natural phenomena, scenes from film and fine art — all can serve as starting points. The team operates on the belief that even familiar subjects can feel like entirely different entities depending on scale, motion or perspective, and it begins each work by reinterpreting the familiar in new ways. As Gentle Monster expands into cities including New York, London, Paris and Milan, the lab is also actively developing works tailored to each local space.
A fashion brand maintaining a dedicated in-house robotics research unit is highly unusual anywhere in the world. Google took notice of this distinctive design capability and last June acquired a 4 percent stake in II Combined for approximately $100 million. Gentle Monster plans to soon unveil next-generation "intelligent eyewear" with Google and Samsung Electronics, pushing further into the intersection of fashion and technology.
A company official said the Robotics Lab's technology and insights "can bring new perspectives not only to eyewear design but also to the customer experience in stores, spatial storytelling and the direction of marketing," adding that the company will "continue to offer customers new ways of thinking and experiencing the world, drawing on the diverse perspectives across our teams."
spa@heraldcorp.com
