A little brand called RAIVE… a.k.a. what stood out to me in Seoul’s Seongsu
RAIVE’s store front is extremely inviting
Korea is a very entrepreneurial country and so you’ll find quite a lot of smaller home-grown brands during your shopping trips to neighborhoods like Seoul’s Seongsu, Hannam, or Dosan Park. They’re often quite quirky and have an edgy, European feel about them.
RAIVE, a South Korean brand I noticed even during my first trip to Seongsu, doesn’t necessarily stand out with their collection – don’t get me wrong though, they have some really cute pieces. But, as I mentioned, there are quite many talented young people who actually try and launch their own brand, so it’s a tough market and so great design is but one element you really have to nail when trying to make it in fashion here. The other thing is, of course – customer experience.
The July 2024 set up at RAIVE
Below, I will highlight a few of the things that I think make them stand out not only among similar brands, but also the biggest players in the area:
CREATE IMPACT AT THE FIRST PHYSICAL TOUCHPOINT – especially in super dynamic shopping districts like Seongsu, where every corner is either taken by a well-established brand or is hosting the newest pop-up store, you really need to make a good impression. In July, RAIVE had a wonderful, colorful window design that drew me in even more than the first time around. However, the thing that helped it really achieve this effect, is the large screen at the entrance, playing a video representative of the newest collection. Which brings me to point two:
APPLY TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE THE SHOPPING EXPEIRENCE – as mentioned multiple times here, it really doesn’t have to be some extremely sophisticated technology that will cost you millions to implement. It can be as simple as a screen, but you can use it in a very fun way. Displaying a static or slightly animated image works too, but if you create a fun video, you’re bound to make it more engaging. This time the theme was the wild wild West, as they say, full of pink and red hues that automatically make you stand out. However, last time it was a video of models posing for the photoshoot and it was just as fun.
The entrance design from April 2024
You can see that the set-up in April was much more simple, but it still caught the eye of many of my friends whom I went sightseeing with. The video showcase multiple looks and felt extremely youthful and refreshing, very on-brand if you take a look at RAIVE’s website – their models are mostly teenage. I also like the simple hanger with a few items from the collection, it’s a nice touch.
The promotional video showcased multiple looks…
and multiple models
BIGGER DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN BETTER – actually, what made the store so memorable to me, are the four small screens installed on one of the walls and made to look like little picture frames. They somehow add intimacy to the space as you need to come close to see the videos being played. Also, I have to say it’s in general a genius move – you typically don’t expect such small screens to be playing videos, you assume just static images. And then the fact that there were multiple screens made the set-up very dynamic.
The small screens were a nice, unexpected touch
NATURE IS STILL VERY MUCH SCARCE IN SEOUL – honestly, what a great idea to add potted cactuses to the space to match the Wild West theme. Nature will make you stand out, especially in a heavily-industrial area such as Seongsu or Seoul in general. Even a few years ago it felt like it was either mountains or campuses and very few public parks, and not much of it present in the public space apart from that. Believe me, I wouldn’t be mentioning it so frequently, I’m starved for everything green after 16 years in Seoul
DEVISE ENGAGING WAYS TO DISPLAY THE MERCHANDISE – RAIVE is a small brand and yet it implements ideas from the playbook of the best brands out there. The store is quite small but they still decided to dedicate space to a fun-set up that brings to mind the desert and spiced it up by a metal table that creates a nice textural contrast.
The colorful merchendise works well with the pink-yellow theme bringing to mind a stunning sunset
TAKE A CREATIVE APPROACH TO YOUR LIMITATIONS – as said, the RAIVE store isn’t very big and yet they have found ways to leverage every bit of available space. Since the name of concept was 2024 RAIVE Summer Festival, the cashier desk was transformed into a bar, with drinks in the front and a little canvas roof mockup on the wall. There were also big traffic mirrors installed on the wall that reflected the set up and added even more color to the space.
This has become a must-visit every time I’m in the neighborhood and I’m curious to see how the brand evolves – I will keep you updated!
