Amid old, low-rise buildings in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, Seoul, a concrete structure soaring like a spaceship is drawing attention day after day. It is the new headquarters that IICOMBINED, known for the eyewear brand "Gentle Monster," opened on the 6th.
When visited on the 9th, the new headquarters was packed with visitors taking photos from outside the building. With a total floor area of 30,700 square meters (about 9,290 pyeong) and 14 floors above ground, the building looked like three different structures—low, middle, and high sections—stacked on top of one another. The System Lab, led by architect Kim Chan-jung, designed it. Before the opening, the company also unveiled a futuristic video featuring Hollywood actor Tilda Swinton as a model.
Upon entering the first floor, an oversized dachshund flapping its ears as it sleeps and a robot installation come into view. Only after following visitors to take photos did the perfume display stand catch the eye. A company official said, "We captured in scent a story about a dachshund named 'Sunshine' dreaming of sprinting through a forest in armor," and noted, "The robots express the direction the company pursues, called 'future retail.'"
A similar scene unfolded on the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th floors. Among art-like sculptures and robots were the company's full lineup: eyewear "Gentle Monster," beauty "Tamburins," hats "Attēche," food and beverage (F&B) "Nudake," and tableware "Nuplat." Visitors roamed the store taking photos and picking up products. Nuplat's cups came with red fingernail-shaped ornaments; slipping a finger through the ring made it look like a real fingernail. The product quickly sold out on the online mall.
One visitor said, "It felt like I was checking out robots and installation works and then leaving after buying some goods (souvenirs)."
◇ Gentle Monster's "future retail" strategy
According to the related industry on the 16th, IICOMBINED, which launched the eyewear brand Gentle Monster in 2011, gained traction by releasing sunglasses designed to fit Korean facial features at the 200,000–300,000 won range, lower than imported luxury goods, and saw its profile rise in 2014 when actor Jun Ji-hyun wore them in the drama "My Love From the Star."
The heightened recognition created synergy as it was combined with a spatial strategy grounded in an artistic worldview. This is the so-called "future retail" strategy. The company defined future-oriented stores as those that break away from conventional distribution and integrate art, design, and commercial space.
After introducing experiential spaces themed around public baths and comic book rooms, the company brought moving objects and robots reminiscent of science fiction films into its stores. To do this, the company acquired Wizard, an animatronics (a portmanteau of Animation and Electronics, a technology that makes sculptures move as if real using electromechanical devices) firm, in 2017 to create the sculptures that would fill its spaces. In 2019, it also handled the interior of SKP-S, a department store created by Chinese department store SKP to target younger shoppers.
Revenue, which was 57.3 billion won in 2015, increased to 789.1 billion won last year. The company operates offline stores in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, with overseas sales exceeding 300 billion won. Its operating profit margin, at about 30%, far outpaced the fashion industry average of 6%–7%.
◇ Even demolishing a nearby small building to install works
The company did not focus on space from the start. Founder and CEO Kim Han-guk initially pursued a "Home Try" strategy of sending glasses to customers' homes. Five sample frames were sent, and customers bought the pair they liked. But this approach carried a heavy inventory burden and made returns difficult. A virtual fitting program introduced as a second attempt also failed, as consumers were reluctant to upload their photos to the website.
In the end, Kim shifted the brand identity from glasses as tools serving only a functional role to eyewear fused with fashion. The company then introduced retail spaces that sell experiences, drawing lines of customers.
The retail space set up at the Seongsu headquarters maximized the future retail strategy that the future of distribution lies not in products but in a worldview. It was named "House Nowhere," meaning "a space found nowhere." After Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing in China, this is the first time it has been introduced in Korea.
The installation process for the outdoor artwork also drew attention. There had originally been a small building, but the company leased the space on the condition of demolishing the building to install the work, paying a 500 million won deposit and 40 million won in monthly rent. The sculpture of an elderly person holding a golden trash bag atop a pile of black trash bags is an installation by German artist Max Siedentopf. The company said it reflects moments of wonder hidden in everyday life.
Lee Seung-yoon, a professor in the Department of Business Administration at Konkuk University, said, "It is rare for consumers to even know where a company's headquarters is. But IICOMBINED strategically chose Seongsu-dong and turned the headquarters itself into an issue to use in marketing," and added, "It clearly shows how this company views space."
Lee said, "Space is like a living, breathing organism," and added, "It must be constantly adjusted based on consumer reactions, and Gentle Monster has built strong logic by internalizing its spatial strategy. For such a strategy to succeed in the long term, how detailed and differentiated it is will be crucial."
IICOMBINED previously received investment from LVMH (LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) and global eyewear manufacturing and distribution company Luxottica, and in Jun., Google secured 4% equity in the company for 145 billion won. Next year, it plans to launch smart glasses with Google. According to the industry, IICOMBINED is also said to be preparing a business related to virtual reality (VR) games.