South Korea's Content Agency and Hyundai Department Store have joined forces to support the international expansion of domestic small and medium-sized fashion designer brands.
The two organizations announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding on August 6 at the CKL Business Support Center in Seoul.
The Content Agency will handle brand selection and marketing, while Hyundai Department Store will manage overseas distribution networks and local store operations.
Key figures at the signing ceremony included Kim Young-soo, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Kim Yoon-ji, head of the Content Agency; and Jung Ji-young, CEO of Hyundai Department Store. Deputy Minister Kim emphasized the potential for K-culture to expand beyond traditional content and arts into fashion, beauty, food, and tourism, projecting it to become a $400 billion export industry by 2030. He highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in enhancing the global competitiveness of K-fashion.
The first initiative will launch in Tokyo, Japan. Starting September 25, a pop-up store featuring domestic designer brands will open on the fourth floor of the Shibuya Parco department store, with the first brand being 'Yase.' This series of pop-up stores will continue until April 2027, featuring five initial brands: Verso, SEO, Lee, Noang, and Yase. A second round of brand recruitment will take place this month, aiming to support a total of 11 brands.
The two organizations plan to expand their collaboration to other major international markets, including Paris, following the Tokyo initiative.
Jung Ji-young, CEO of Hyundai Department Store, stated, 'We will continue to play a responsible role in expanding the global ecosystem of K-brands and ensuring sustainable growth through differentiated brand discovery and incubation capabilities, as well as content planning.'
Kim Yoon-ji, head of the Content Agency, added, 'We will actively support the enhancement of the global competitiveness of excellent domestic fashion brands and secure stable export channels based on public-private cooperation, aiming to expand K-content into K-culture through synergies with related industries.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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