It’s a fall evening in Seoul, and a small group of Korean dancers dressed in traditional black and white robes are clanging brass gongs and chanting at the entrance to Wooyoungmi’s sleek new flagship. The crowd follows the procession through the imposing front doors and upstairs to a large space, where, on a table surrounded by pyramids of glossy persimmons, sits an offering of a pig’s head.

As the music crescendos, a line of guests offer up envelopes of money, which they place into the swine’s open mouth before bowing. A common ritual in Korea known as gosa , it is held to cleanse bad vibes and bring good fortune to new ventures. The occasion is timely: this is Wooyoungmi’s first standalone store in Seoul, and the onset of a retail strategy the label is betting on.

South Korea’s first

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