(Gentle Monster)
South Korean eyewear brands are accelerating their expansion into overseas markets as demand for eyewear as a fashion accessory grows.
According to Euromonitor International and the eyewear industry on Monday, Korea’s eyewear market — including glasses and sunglasses — expanded from 2.7 trillion won ($1.78 billion) in 2022 to 3.5 trillion won in 2024 and 4.7 trillion won last year.
Some forecasts suggest the market will surpass 5 trillion won this year.
Gentle Monster, a leading player in Korea’s eyewear market, is accelerating efforts to expand its overseas stores.
The company plans to increase its international store count from the current 50 to around 60 within this year, with new locations scheduled to open in the United States, Canada, Japan, China, and Taiwan.
Alongside its global push, Gentle Monster is also planning to open additional stores in the domestic market. The company has also unveiled a product strategy incorporating artificial intelligence (AI).
It plans to launch Intelligent Eyewear—AI glasses currently under development in collaboration with Google LLC and Samsung Electronics Co.—in the second half of this year.
Gentle Monster is in charge of the design for the project.
Launched in 2011, Gentle Monster has achieved rapid growth through a direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategy, opening its own stores and selling directly to customers instead of supplying products to optical shops.
Industry insiders forecast that the company will achieve record-high annual sales exceeding 800 billion won this year.
MUUT, which launched in 2024 with its first store in Seongsu-dong, the trend-leading neighborhood in Seoul, is also rapidly expanding its business, currently operating seven domestic stores and four overseas stores — three in Taiwan and one in Singapore.
Based on its experience operating pop-up stores last year in Japan’s Tokyo, Ginza, Osaka, and Nagoya, the company is reviewing plans to open its first permanent stores in Japan and China this year.
It also plans to operate pop-up stores in several Korean cities including Seoul and Busan.
Double Lovers is also chasing Gentle Monster by opening standalone stores — one each in Seongsu and Myeong-dong, a tourist-heavy area in central Seoul last year and another in Gangnam, southern Seoul, earlier this year.
The company plans to open one additional store each in Seoul’s Gwangjang Market this month and in Jeju next month, increasing the total number of domestic stores to five by year-end.
The company is also scheduled to enter a department store in Tokyo this year and is currently in talks with local distributors to open pop-up stores in major commercial districts in China within the year.
“We are preparing to expand not only into Asian markets such as Thailand, Taiwan, and Singapore, but also into the U.S. and Europe,” said a Double Lovers official.
Carin opened its first Japanese flagship store late last year in Omotesando, one of Japan’s prime shopping districts, and is now pursuing plans to open a second Japanese store as well as its first store in China this year.
The company also began full-scale exports to the U.S. last year, according to a Carin official.
BADPIXEL, which is scheduled to officially launch this month, plans to open a pop-up store in Seongsu-dong and establish an offline retail network in Myeong-dong within the year.
Nyunyu Lab, which opened its first store in Seongsu last year, is targeting consumers with highly cost-effective products, offering eyeglass frames and sunglasses priced below 10,000 won.
“Various Korean eyewear brands are drawing attention both at home and abroad by launching products that feature sophisticated designs and reasonable prices,” said Lee Hae-sun, chairman of the Korea Marketing Association (KMA). “Not only is there a growing trend of viewing glasses as fashion items, but there are also numerous factors that could further expand the domestic and global eyewear market, including smart glasses.”
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