Every few years, a brand comes along that takes the fashion world by storm. I’m talking about HUGE success stories like Miu Miu and Off-White. Well, there’s a new kid in town, and it’s focused on eyewear!
Gentle Monster is a brand that sets its own rules, with its roots in the South Korean fashion and pop culture scene. Let’s uncover how it went from humble beginnings to a global phenomenon.
How Did Gentle Monster Get Started?
Unlike many big brands that have their origin stories in cities like New York or Paris, Gentle Monster was born in Seoul.
It was founded in 2011 by Hankook Kim, who surprisingly didn’t come from an eyewear background. In fact, he was working with kids. But he soon figured out he had a knack for design, found an investor, and created Gentle Monster.
The name says it all! The comfort is priority (that’s the ‘soft’ part), and the style is edgy (that’s the ‘monster bit).
What made Gentle Monster fresh and cool?
When an eyewear brand like Gentle Monster comes along, it’s impressive.
Why?
As you may or may not be aware, the eyewear industry is largely dominated by large companies. I’m talking multi-billion dollar conglomerates like EssilorLuxottica. They’re the world’s biggest eyewear manufacturer and own some big-name brands, including Ray-Ban and Oakley.
But Gentle Monster isn’t owned by them or any of the other big eyewear players. Instead, they design, manufacture, and style their own eyewear.
Hankook Kim also tailored his designs to the Asian market. He decided to manufacture the company’s eyewear in Korea and China, closely monitoring the construction.
It’s an original brand with an original story. Hankook Kim didn’t copy the Western eyewear brands. He made Gentle Monster distinctly South Korean.
The sunglasses and eyeglasses feature aesthetic, sleek designs that have some Y2K nostalgia. There are a lot of rimless styles, tiny frames, translucent lenses, transparent frames, tinted lenses, and edgy logo detailing.
K-pop is King!
In the last decade, K-pop has blown up! It has taken over the globe with its catchy lyrics, quirky outfits, and beautiful singers. I mean, who hasn’t heard of BTS or Blackpink? The music industry was shaken up with K-pop breaking into the U.S. charts and overtaking the biggest artists around.
But the K-pop effect wasn’t limited to just music. It’s had a huge influence on fashion too, from sleek styles to gender-fluid looks to sparkly outfits.
Gentle Monster plays into the wave by making styles fit for Korean Pop princesses (and princes). In fact, the brand really blew up when Jennie from Blackpink started wearing their sunglasses and became a collaborator.
Any brand with a Blackpink ambassador can expect K-pop fans to follow!
Game-Changing In-Store Experiences
What comes to mind when you see the word ‘eyewear retailer?’ Maybe a store lined with white shelves stacked with the latest shades and glasses. It can all be a bit same-same from one store to the next.
That’s where Gentle Monster is blowing the competition away. They’re doing something that even the giant eyewear companies like EssilorLuxotica and Kering aren’t doing.
Gentle Monster says it hires more spatial retail designers than product designers. The brand is all about moving away from boring, copy-and-paste eyewear stores.
Think giant robot heads, nine-foot-tall sculptures, and life-size rhino recreations. It’s big, bold, and somewhere between art and a futuristic fantasy. They change up the concepts in their stores like an art exhibition. It’s smart because it draws customers into the store, not just to buy sunglasses, but to leave being mindblown.
It’s the whole experience that counts. Gentle Monster isn’t just creating sunglasses; they’re creating worlds within fashion. The concept of cool pop-up stores and installations isn’t new, but they’re taking it to another level.
The massive store in Beijing looks like something out of Back to the Future. However, it’s clearly working, as they have expanded their retail presence worldwide to the following cities:
- London
- New York
- Bangkok
- Tokyo
They also have pop-up stores and concessions worldwide.
Big Name Collaborations
In the world of eyewear, collaborations are a win-win. It’s all about the hype, the new innovations, and designs. Think Ray-Ban x Meta. When two big names come together, it gets people talking.
Gentle Monster understands digital marketing. It gets the young customers, fashion-focused buyers, and K-pop fans. So it makes sense that these have been the collaborations so far:
- Jennie Kim: There have been three collaborations with the Blackpink star! The third included sunglasses featuring hearts, stars, and other cute charms.
- Maison Margiela: This collection was designed by the legendary designer John Galliano. It fused Parisian design and Korean futurism.
- Moncler: This collaboration was more understated but brought together high-end athleisure and slick sunglasses.
- Coperni: Another cult classic brand, Coperni is all about futuristic, sporty looks. The collaboration with Gentle Monster was a match made in robot heaven.
They don’t play it safe like many of the big eyewear brands. It’s less about being classic and more about being a cult classic. Gentle Monster sunglasses are all about being innovative and fashion-forward. It’s high-end, trendy fashion.
Gentle Monster is a Leader, Not a Follower
When Hankook Kim, also known as Mr. Kim to his staff, started the brand, he attempted to get Gentle Monster sunglasses into EssilorLuxotica stores. But it didn’t happen.
But instead of letting that stop him, he did all the work without being sold by a giant eyewear retailer. The results? In 2023, Gentle Monster experienced a 50% growth, while EssilorLuxottica grew by 7%. Warby Parker was up 12% as another eyewear competitor that designs and makes their own branded eyewear. It shows that what the brand is doing is working. Customers are loving it.
It’s new, it’s fresh, and it’s like nothing the eyewear world has seen (at least not in a while). Gentle Monster is setting its own trends instead of following what other brands have been doing. And it’s riding the Korean pop culture wave like few other brands have been able to do.
TL;DR
Gentle Monster shows no signs of slowing down on its path to becoming an uber-famous brand. Here’s how they got here:
- The brand had an unlikely start and rise to fame. But they’ve carved their own path with a clear South Korean Identity.
- Gentle Monster has had three collaborations with Jennie from Blackpink, which have made them a huge presence in the K-pop fashion scene.
- They have had many collaborations with other fashion brands like Maison Margiela, furthering their fashionable reputation.
- They continue to grow with innovative, art-museum-like stores in major cities like Shanghai.
Let’s see what’s next for Gentle Monster!
