ty, K-fashion is slowly making its way to the global stage. After years of being sidelined on the alternative calendar, Seoul Fashion Week has become a popular fashion destination to discover bubbling trends before they hit the mainstream, and this year marks its highly-awaited return to physical shows following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Despite the hiatus, Koreans’ hunger for fashion remains stronger than ever. From 2020 to 2022, the country’s domestic fashion market grew by 10 per cent in revenue, from $28.36 billion to $37.18 billion, respectively. From streetwear to avant-garde pieces, the country is teeming with emerging talent ready to take over the global scene. Here are five up-and-coming K-fashion brands you should know about. 1. Ader Error If there was only one Korean brand to keep on your radar, it would be Ader Error. Established in 2014, Ader Error is an anonymous design collective that specialises in a few creative disciplines including fashion, art, graphic design, and architecture. Somewhere between the intersection of streetwear, everyday wear and tailored pieces, Ader Error has built a reputation in the industry for its strong design and craftsmanship. From oversized “edited” reversible knitwear to varsity jackets that can transform into coats, the brand is best known for turning classic silhouettes into interesting statement pieces. Although it has never formally appointed celebrities or used extravagant marketing campaigns to push its products, Ader Error’s gender neutral pieces can always be easily seen on Seoul’s cool kids. Along with clothing, Ader Error’s highly coveted pieces extends to accessories, and this year the brand officially ventured into footwear for the first time. The brand has also made a name for itself in the global fashion scene through collaborations with Puma, Converse, Eastpak, Alpha Industries, Birkenstock and even fast fashion giant, Zara. 2. Andersson Bell A Korean twist on Scandi style, Andersson Bell is great example of Seoul’s love of colour and vibrance laid against functional, utilitarian clothing. Known for its abstract colourful knits, the brand became viral after Jung Kook, a member of the highly popular boy group BTS, wore pieces from the brand to the 2019 Grammy Awards. It is also a favourite among Korean celebrities such as (G)-IDLE’s Yuqi, Kim Doyeon, and actor Lee Sunbin. Since then, the brand has been stocked in over 140 overseas retailers including Barneys in New York, popular online e-tailers Ssense and Farfetch. According to founder and creative director DoHun Kim, nearly 40 per cent of the business can be attributed to wholesale, while direct retail accounts for 60 per cent. Kim says he was able to achieve success with the brand early on as the business became profitable shortly after launch. This year, he expects to exceed $13 million in total revenue. 3. Hyein Seo A graduate from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Seo is one of the most renowned designers from South Korea today. Debuting through New York Fashion Week, Seo’s creations were seen on celebrities like Rihanna and G-Dragon within the first year of founding her eponymous label in 2014. Much of Seo’s success has direct links to K-Pop and entertainment industry. She recently designed custom looks for girl group NewJeans’ music video and created costumes for a high school series airing on Netflix Japan. “I think I’m benefiting a lot from the Hallyu [the name given to the wave of Korean culture currently sweeping the globe] – it’s a time when people pay attention to you just because you’re from Korea. There are a lot of designers around the same age who are telling their own stories without actively referencing others; it’s very energising. It’s a kind of scene,” Seo explained. 4. Minju Kim Another fellow Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp graduate and winner of Netflix’s fashion reality show, Next in Fashion, is Minju Kim. Striking a balance between avant-garde and playful design elements, Kim’s work is often described as joyful. After winning the fashion competition show, Kim has gone on to have enormous success abroad. Her eponymous label was being stocked by global luxury retailers such as Net-a-Porter, and she released a special collaboration with high-street retailer & Other Stories last year. Kim also participated in designing outfits for K-pop band BTS’ outfits during their Love Yourself world tour in 2019. Most recently, Kim was invited by London’s Victoria & Albert Museum to showcase pieces from her Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter 2022 collections later this year, as part of the museum’s ‘Fashion in Motion’ series. Kim will be latest name to join a long list prestigious designers that have taken part in the series, which include Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Erdem. “As a designer, I’m absolutely thrilled about the upcoming V&A fashion show as it presents a rare and precious opportunity to showcase the one-of-a-kind charm that MinjuKim embodies,” said the designer. 5. Post Archive Faction (PAF) A newcomer to the scene, PAF, has only been around for less than six years, yet the brand already has a string of accolades. From being shortlisted for the LVMH Prize to releasing a special collaboration with Off-White, PAF is one of hottest names in streetwear right now. The brand is currently available at 40 stockist globally, including major retailers like Dover Street Market and Ssense. Between 2021 to 2022, PAF had a massive jump in sales, growing nearly 200 per cent, from $2 million to $5 million in yearly revenue. The brand also shared that 70 per cent of its sales come from abroad thanks to its best-selling puffer jacket. The brand achieved viral success a mere two months after launch, when American rapper Kendrick Lamar wore PAF’s signature puffer jacket during a performance on Saturday Night Live. This catapulted the brand into fame and captured the attention of the late Virgil Abloh, who was serving as creative director at Off-White and Louis Vuitton at the time. Last November, Off-White and PAF unveiled their special collaborative capsule line, which ultimately became one of the last projects Abloh was involved in before his untimely death. South Korea’s untapped potential K-fashion’s moment is undoubtedly tied to the massive popularity of the country’s entertainment industry. Being able to leverage the global interest in all things Korean has given these brands many opportunities to achieve success abroad. But it is not just local brands that are reaching out beyond their borders. Increasing buying power within the nation has woken the rest of the world to South Korea’s untapped potential. Research conducted by Morgan Stanley investment bank revealed South Koreans are the world’s biggest luxury goods spenders, as data showed total spending on personal luxury goods by South Koreans grew 24 per cent year-on-year to $16.8 billion, amounting to $325 per capita. This is evident by the amount of luxury brands that have started rolling specific marketing efforts for the country. Just in May, Gucci hosted its 2024 cruise collection in Seoul to celebrate 25 years of the brand’s presence in South Korea.