GAROSU-GIL
Trendy Gangnam street offers boutique shopping, fine dining

Written by Curtis File
Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

Whether you’re looking for luxury goods, posh lounges, or an afternoon of the arts, there are few areas better to visit than the treelined street known as Garosu-gil. Located in the famous Gangnam district, the stylish avenue has a reputation for drawing the rich and the famous and is the place to be for the city’s young trendsetters.

Creative roots

Before it became the hip district it is known as today, the area used to be home to the studios of up-and-coming artists. In the late 1990’s, many of the galleries moved out and were replaced by design studios, fashion brands, and coffee shops. The street holds onto the imprints of its bohemian past.
Buildings and side streets are different than you’ll find in any other part of Seoul. Cobblestoned drives, European-style windows, and rows of golden ginko trees weave together the slew of designer shops and eateries.
Small modern art and photography galleries still populate the area, and it is still home to the famous Gallery Yeh. An architectural landmark, the gallery has featured the works of Korean and international artists alike and is the driving force behind many of the region’s art festivals. Known for bridging the gap between the local and international art scenes, the gallery is also a regular participant in major art fairs, including the International Fair of Contemporary Art in France.

Trendsetting shopping

Maintaining artists’ spirit of creativity and individuality, one-of-a kind designer clothes, shoes, and jewelry can be found all along the strip. Whether you’re after high-end, high-priced designer boutiques or cheaper street vendor goods, there is something for every shopper. These types of establishments are the reason Garosu-gil has earned the nickname “Designer Street,” becoming a beacon for fashion in the city.
Though the area has only become popular in recent years, it is quickly gaining global attention for its trendsetting reputation. Walking down the avenue, one will quickly notice that it’s not just the shops that are different. This is a place where Seoul’s best dressed come to gather and experiment with the latest fashions.

Many major fashion labels and cosmetic brands have taken note and are setting their eyes on the prime location. Brands like H&M, Hollister, Fossil, and Massimo Dutti have already opened stores along the main road. While some are worried that this will bring an end to the unique atmosphere of the area, all it really means is expansion. Many of the smaller boutiques have moved off the main strip and into the side streets, so any trip to Garosu-gil requires an open mind and a bit of exploration.

Atmospheric eating

Even if the shopping doesn’t interest you, the bevy of open-air coffee shops, wine bars, and restaurants surely will. The main road and its accompanying side streets are packed with Korean and European fusion restaurants, where one can enjoy an evening out at both decent, and indecent prices, depending on your taste.
Hand-painted signs, covered patios, and stucco walls offer a more inviting atmosphere than the average cement block buildings found throughout the rest of the city. Don’t let the pretty storefronts distract you, though. As usual in a city of Seoul’s size, it’s important to look both up and down, for some of the real gems of the district are hidden in basements or up on fifth floors.

Some must-see spots include Hello Bar, a basement wine lounge with one of the most unique atmospheres in the city. Guests can cuddle up with a date and enjoy a glass of wine while lying back on pillow-beds, or lounge on a sofa around a table with a group of friends. Apartmento is a small Italian restaurant with a romantic atmosphere and great views overlooking the treelined avenue. Though a bit pricier than other euro-bistros, you can’t find better pizza anywhere else on the block. Mug for Rabbit, Cork for Turtle is a necessary stop for any dessert lover. The two-story establishment is split into an intimate wine bar on the second floor and a cafe famous for its quirky cupcakes and oddly flavored lattes on the first floor.

But perhaps the best way to enjoy all that Garosu-gil has to offer is to explore whatever catches your eye. If you’re not too weighed down from a day of shopping and eating, Hangang River Park is a short five-minute walk from Garosu-gil. Grabbing a coffee and cupcake to go for a riverside picnic makes for a great way to end an evening.

FYI>

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1323377
(Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul | 서울시 강남구 신사동 가로수길)

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Sinsa Station 신사역 (Line 3), Exit 8.

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SUNG HEE KIM | 김성희

Breaking barriers, one runway at a time

Written by Michael Hurt

Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

Being a down-to-earth, great conversationalist is the the last thing one might expect of the top Korean fashion model walking down international runways for world-class brands such as Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu. Korean model Sung Hee Kim has become quite prominent in Korea since becoming the first Asian ad campaign model for Miu Miu, and she recently walked shows and did ads for Marc Jacobs in New York City.

One might assume this to be the kind of thing that would go to the head of any young 20-something making their way in the New York City and American fashion world, even if patriotic boosterism hadn’t thrust her to the very forefront of national attention back home in the Land of the Morning Calm.

The one thing to know about models in the Korean fashion world is the fact that the field is heavily populated by students and other civilians who sign with large agencies that manage and farm out their talent. There are few real freelancers signing their own contracts to model as individual free agents. One peculiarity of the Korean modeling world is the large numbers of young female models who are actually fashion model majors and graduates of universities that act as feeders for many of the large agencies. It almost makes perfect sense, given Korea’s emphasis on formal education and certification for nearly all pursuits and occupations. Going the unstructured route, the archetypal American story of being discovered on the street and then shooting one’s way to the top as a force unto oneself is so rare as to be practically socially unfeasible. Korea’s fashion industry still exists within a Confucian culture that places great importance on background in terms of concrete, traceable connections and formal preparation for performing the tasks within the realm of one’s appointed role and station.

“I never really intended to be a model,” Kim admits. She found herself, somewhat accidentally and partially with the cajoling of friends, thrust into the spotlight of the fashion reality show I Am a Model. Much to her surprise, Kim found herself entering the fashion world and signing with ESteem Models. In the end, Kim’s experience is emblematic of the modeling industry here in Korea, as she entered renowned modeling agency ESteem Models and cut her teeth doing extensive modeling work, especially in Seoul Fashion Week, where she modeled for prominent Korean designers such as KANG KIOK and Cho Sung Kyong.

© Seoul Selection

Kim is full of good humor and hearty belly laughs as she describes her experience in New York as a Korean adjusting to life in the proverbial Big Apple and muses about being asked for her autograph back in Korea by a fashion devotee while in a fast food restaurant. Even more funny to this writer is the amount of time a tall, lithe runway model spends in fast food establishments. Of particular note is the amount of time she spends talking glowingly of Mr. Pizza.

Appropriately, our interview took place in fashionable coffee shop 4M, in the heart of Seoul’s artistic and retro-trendy neighborhood of Samcheong- dong, which Kim noted is one of her favorite neighborhoods to do shopping for unique and trendy items. Also prominent was her preference for frequenting the center of what some people have described as the epicenter of “Gangnam Style,” including the fashionable neighborhoods of Garosu- gil and other areas below the Hangang River. “But I’m more of a north-of-the-river kind of girl,” Kim says, highlighting clothing markets in Bukchon and Dongdaemun and speaking highly of the Doota and Migliore department stores as places to truly do Korean fashion shopping.

Even in her own style, Kim keeps it simple and down-to-earth, as many fashion models seem to do. Her life philosophy is equally simple and direct. When asked about her advice for other Koreans wanting to go out into the world and compete in international territory or markets, her advice was simply, “Don’t think too much, and don’t allow yourself too much fear, it’ll happen!” In her case, she went to New York with the blessing and backing of her modeling agency and just “jumped right in.” Her message seems to be one of not overplanning or overthinking things, but just giving them the good, old-fashioned collegiate try. Of course the question of raw talent is an important one, and it seems that those who are most in possession of it are the first to downplay it and attribute everything to good luck or chance. In that she is so possessed of that special “it” factor that the true levels of her raw skill and talent may not be readily apparent to even her, Korean model Sung Hee Kim stands a very good chance of continuing to break through barriers of firsts and foremosts to enjoy remarkable success as one of the world’s top runway and fashion models. One who just happens to be Korean.

FYI> http://www.esteemmodels.co.kr/581