Three Gangnam districts show latest fads

People walk past shops on Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. The street is emerging as a hot tourist destination with shops and restaurants in unique styles. / Korea Times photo by Kim Rahn

By Kim Rahn

If a foreign friend visits you in Seoul and says he or she wants to experience Korea’s latest fads in fashion, food, entertainment and other youth culture, where would you go?

You don’t need to take the friend here and there to search for each of the themes, but just visit Cheongdam’s Fashion Street, Apgujeong’s Rodeo Street and Garosu-gil in Gangnam, three locations in southern Seoul connected by a major road and accessible from each other on foot.

They are emerging as “must-visit places” because trendsetters in various cultural fields present their new luxury and vintage items there.

Cheongdam, fashion mecca

On both sides of the 730-meter street from the Cheongdam intersection to the east wing of the Galleria Department Store, fancy stores for luxury brands are clustered.

It is said that Korea’s upscale fashion starts from Cheongdam Street, as flagship stores of name brands are all here _ Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Gucci, Omega, Giorgio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo and Prada, to name a few.

Those shops sometimes offer special promotions and fashion fairs, popular among tourists seeking luxury goods, especially Chinese.

“Half of the customers are foreigners and among them, Japanese and Chinese travelers are the majority. We have two staff members who can speak English and another two who speak Japanese,” an employee at Prada said.

In the last few years, multi-brand shops such as 10 Corso Como, Boon the Shop, Koon and Mue have been set up. These boutiques sell goods made by lesser-known designers, gaining good feedback from fashionistas who seek unique items to create their own style.

These shops not only display goods but also offer cultural spaces like bookstores, restaurants and cafes.

On the back of the main street are galleries and fancy cafes. If you are lucky, you may end up in a cafe with an actor or a pop star next to you.

Apgujeong still hippest

The fame of Apgujeong as an upscale trendy zone peaked in mid- to late-1990s. Although many districts in Seoul have copied its style and similar zones have emerged, Apgujeong is still one of the hippest and coolest areas for the young generation.

Rodeo Street is the main street of Apgujeong. Young people seeking new culture named the fashion street after Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills which is lined with luxury brand stores.

As cultural trendsetters frequently visited Rodeo Street, foreign brands opened their pilot shops here to see whether they would succeed in the Korean market. Once people in Apgujeong wore specific clothing, it spread to other regions.

Not only fashion but also dining trends started there. As many students studying in foreign countries went there during their vacations, they sought food they enjoyed during their overseas stay. Frontrunner restaurants, bars and cafes opened in this district and if successful there, such dining establishments became fashionable.

Cho Yun-seong, a 34-year-old employee at a Seoul company, said, “I’ve visited Apgujeong since I was a high school student in the mid-1990s. During my high school days, I just liked the stylish atmosphere. During my college days, I enjoyed eating food, drinking at pubs and dancing at clubs.

“Now I chat with friends at cafes and bars. Just sitting at a cafe and watching people go past the window is fun, as I can see the newest styles among young people.”

Find your own style in Garosu-gil

The 700-meter street between the Sinsadong branch of IBK Bank and Sinsadong Community Center used to be called “ginkgo road,” as the street is lined with ginkgo trees on both sides.

Galleries and cafes began to flock there from the early-2000s. Those studying art and fashion design opened their own galleries and clothing stores there instead of working with large-sized studios or clothing companies. More and more restaurants and cafes have joined, forming a unique and exotic scene. It began to be called Garosu-gil, meaning tree-lined street.

Some shops, such as Elbon the style and A.Land, sell goods by various brands and designers. Smaller-sized stores sell one-off items by individual designers and collectors.

Restaurants and cafes are decorated with their own style: some are European in mood; others are of a vintage style; one has a cat theme; and another specializes in cakes.

A Japanese traveler in her 20s, who identified herself as Aya, visited Garosu-gil with her coworkers during a three-day visit to Seoul. “The guidebook introduced Garosu-gil as a hot place. I bought shoes, a hair band and a blouse. They were very cheap and unique,” she said.

With the street gaining popularity, large-sized franchises are occupying the main street, and many smaller shops and galleries have settled in the alleys behind it for cheaper rent, but should not be overlooked. These alleys are called Serosu-gil, “sero” meaning vertical, while “garo” of Garosu-gil means horizontal.