The first time I went to Seoul, I did the usual: ate my weight in dubu kimchi, panic-bought at least six lippies at Olive Young, and—most importantly—stopped in my tracks at every other person’s fits. Everyone looked at least an 8/10. I realised that you can’t afford to be sloppy there. You won’t see anyone in athleisure; the only people clutching the viral Uniqlo round mini shoulder bag were tourists, my sister included.
Instead, the abundance of niche local bag brands on offer made looking and shopping like a K-drama star infinitely tantalising. Sharp, architectural, and far cooler than all the examples of logomania we’ve seen around lately, the Korean bag brands I saw on the streets were like a new, even more polished version of the low-key-luxury brands we’ve all come to love. No wonder what was once a niche souvenir for savvy travellers now has mainstream pull, with stockists like Net-a-Porter and Farfetch.
These accessory brands are climbing global charts alongside K-pop and K-beauty, with Korea’s fashion exports growing since 2019. In fact, the cultural economy, better known as Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, has burgeoned: $1.7 billion in 2014, peaking at $2.6 billion in 2023, with industry revenue projected to hit $1.5 billion in 2025. That’s a lot of handbags, yes, but also a lot of cultural capital.
K, let’s get into the bags from brands you need to cop:
