"I love Korean fashion and often wear Korean brand clothes. I really enjoy being able to discover brands that are not easily found in Japan," said university student Momona, who visited the 'The Hyundai Global' store on the fourth floor of Parco Shibuya in Tokyo on August 16. She added, "I frequently look up Korean fashion on Instagram, and each brand has a unique style. I never miss shopping for clothes when I travel to Seoul."
This store, which will celebrate its first anniversary next month, is the first regular store of The Hyundai Global, which opened in September last year. It marks the first instance of a domestic department store establishing a regular store in Japan.
Located about a four-minute walk from the iconic Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the Parco Shibuya is situated in a key retail area. The primary customer base consists of fashion-conscious individuals in their 20s and 30s. The sixth floor features a Pokémon Center and Nintendo Tokyo, attracting many foreign tourists. On the day of the visit, numerous international tourists were seen browsing the products at The Hyundai Global store on the fourth floor.
During the visit, The Hyundai Global was showcasing domestic emerging fashion brands SYNERJYN and Black Purple. SYNERJYN will be available until September 2, while Black Purple will operate until August 26.
The SYNERJYN store was designed similarly to typical standalone brand stores in domestic department stores, while Black Purple operated in a smaller format across the aisle. Inside, jeans and t-shirts were displayed by color and size, with brand lookbooks placed on the walls and columns. Japanese women in their 20s tried on clothes and checked their fit in front of mirrors.
A representative from Hyundai Department Store stated, "Since opening in September last year, we have introduced over 20 K-Fashion brands, including Ohesio, Not For Nerds, and Freckle Seoul, to Japanese customers."
Hyundai Department Store's initiative to showcase promising K-Fashion brands through The Hyundai Global is based on the confirmed potential of K-Fashion in the Japanese market. Previously, in 2024, Hyundai operated a pop-up store featuring 11 brands, including Mateng Kim and Imis, at Parco Shibuya.
During the two-month event, sales reached 3 billion won, setting a record for the highest sales among all pop-up stores at Parco Department Store.
Building on this success, Hyundai is expanding support for domestic emerging brands entering Japan. On August 6, Hyundai partnered with the Korea Creative Content Agency to assist domestic fashion designer brands in their overseas expansion. Starting September 25, shoe brand Yase will kick off a series of pop-up stores, followed by five other brands, including Verso, SEO, Lee, and Noan, each operating for two weeks. Jung Ji-young, president of Hyundai Department Store, stated, "We will support the global ecosystem and sustainable growth of K-brands based on our differentiated brand discovery and content planning capabilities."
Hyundai Department Store is also increasing its foothold in Japan with The Hyundai Global. On July 10, it opened 'The Hyundai' on the third floor of the Tokyu Plaza Omokado shopping complex in Omotesando, Tokyo. This location features seven brands and two pop-up store spaces across fashion, beauty, food and beverage, and intellectual property content. Initial sales exceeded the high targets set by the company by more than 30%.
Based on the demand for K-content confirmed in Japan, Hyundai plans to accelerate its strategy in the Asian market. A company representative stated, "We plan to establish over 10 flagship stores in major Asian hubs, including Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, by 2030."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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