Eland World’s shoe boutique chain, Folder, reported the popularity of its “shin-kkumi” experience zone. (Image courtesy of Eland World)
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – In South Korea, a new fashion trend is taking hold among the MZ generation (those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s) who value individuality.
This trend, known as “kkumi”, involves personalizing various fashion items, from shoes (“shin-kkumi”) to T-shirts (“ti-kkumi”) and bags (“baek-kkumi”).
On August 24, Eland World’s shoe boutique chain, Folder, reported the popularity of its “shin-kkumi” experience zone, which debuted on August 10 to commemorate the renovation of its Daegu Dongseongno store.
At this experience zone, customers can purchase accessories such as beads, ribbons, and badges for around 5,000 won to decorate their shoes on the spot.
The success of this initiative led to a 33% year-on-year increase in sales during the first 11 days after the Daegu store’s reopening.
Encouraged by this response, Folder plans to introduce similar experience zones at its Busan Gwangbok Highlight store (opened August 15) and the upcoming Seoul Myeongdong Highlight store, set to open on August 23.
A Folder representative explained, “We introduced the shin-kkumi service in response to the growing buzz around shoe customization content on social media and the increasing inquiries from female customers in their 20s and 30s.”
The trend extends beyond Folder. The Newport sandal from the American urban outdoor shoe brand Keen, imported and sold by LF, has become popular for shin-kkumi.
Last year, the initial stock of Newport sandals sold out within two months of launch, prompting LF to triple this year’s inventory.
The shin-kkumi trend has also spread to children’s footwear. Shoopen, Eland World’s shoe manufacturing and distribution brand, reported a 296% month-on-month increase in children’s sneaker sales in August.
The Kids Velcro Round Court Shoe, popular for customization, accounted for 43% of children’s sneaker sales.
In May, LF’s Hazzys brand introduced a ti-kkumi experience space at its Myeongdong flagship store, Space H. (Image courtesy of LF)
Fashion companies are also catering to consumers interested in customizing T-shirts and bags. In May, LF’s Hazzys brand introduced a ti-kkumi experience space at its Myeongdong flagship store, Space H.
Customers can use silk-screen printing to add graphics, including Hazzys’ dog logo and British motifs, to in-stock clothing items.
Targeting the “baek-kkumi” (bag customization) trend, Hazzys recently launched a Super Hazzys collection bag in collaboration with Samuel Smalls, selling it as a set with accessory cables.
Industry insiders attribute this customization trend to various factors. One representative suggested, “The customization trend seems to reflect a desire to transform existing fashion items with small additions, especially in the current economic downturn and high inflation environment.”
Another industry expert analyzed, “The MZ generation appears to find satisfaction in creating their own limited editions, considering cost-effectiveness, instead of pursuing hard-to-get and expensive limited edition items.”
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
