Inside Gentle Monster’s Haus Nowhere, the Concept Shop at the Center of Seoul’s Creative Revolution

When asked how Seoul has changed in the last decade or so, one can simply follow the tourists, who once circled historical landmarks like the Joseon-era palace of Gyeongbokgung and now would rather make pilgrimages to the Gentle Monster store.

Since opening its first location in 2013, the cult Korean eyewear brand, founded by Hankook Kim in 2011, has become known for experiential retail spaces that feel more like art galleries than boutiques. Think: large-scale installations that blend organic and inorganic elements, both retro and futuristic. Mounds of soil and woven grass statues might live alongside a giant kinetic sculpture of a human head, for instance. In 2021, Gentle Monster raised the bar with Haus Nowhere, an experimental retail concept that opened its fourth location this we