'Seongsu weirdo' building mixes retail, art and accessibility

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'Seongsu weirdo' building mixes retail, art and accessibility

Published: 30 Sep. 2025, 07:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A gigantic ″Sunshine″ installation created for Tamburins' perfume collection is located inside the Haus Nowhere Seoul, Gentle Monster's parent company IICombined's new building in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul. [IICOMBINED]

The cityscape of Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, is transforming by the day. Cafes have moved in next to aging print shops, and old factories have been reborn as exhibition halls. Global brands are competing to secure space, cementing Seongsu's reputation as Korea's capital of "brand experience."

Recently, a new futuristic building — part spaceship, part sculpture — joined the neighborhood. This is Haus Nowhere Seoul, which opened its doors on Sept. 9.

Haus Nowhere Seoul is the new headquarters of IICombined, the parent company of eyewear brand Gentle Monster. It is also the fourth installment of the brand's Haus Nowhere series, following spaces in southern Seoul's Dosan neighborhood, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Unlike the showrooms in China that lean heavily into experimental display, the Seongsu space serves as a comprehensive culmination of the group's aesthetic and brand identity. It houses not only Gentle Monster but also sister brands Tamburins (cosmetics) and Nudake (F&B).

Haus Nowhere Seoul, Gentle Monster's parent company IICombined's new building in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, seen from the outside [IICOMBINED]

The future, returned

With the theme "The future, returned," the building embodies the company’s design philosophy through architecture. Its unconventional form — curved and segmented like stacked ships — was designed by The_System Lab, led by architect Kim Chan-joong. With a total floor area of 30,700 square meters (7.6 acres) and 14 aboveground floors, the structure earned the local nickname "the Seongsu weirdo."

The interior follows suit. Entering the first floor, visitors are met with a surreal display from Tamburins: instead of traditional perfume counters, a massive dog sculpture wearing armor naps under glass next to the brand's Sunshine fragrance collection.

One floor up, the Gentle Monster space showcases its 2025 Bold Collection, designed without nose pads and inspired by shield-like bridge frames. This isn’t merely a product display, but a full immersive environment with large-scale installations that feel more like a sci-fi exhibit than a store.

Installations displayed for the Gentle Monster store inside Haus Nowhere Seoul, IICombined's new building in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul [IICOMBINED]

The Gentle Monster store inside Haus Nowhere Seoul, IICombined's new building in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul [IICOMBINED]

Floors 3 to 5 feature other IIcombined brands: hat reinterpretation label Atiissu, tableware brand Nuflaat and Nudake’s teahouse. "The goal was to provide a space for each brand's concept to unfold visually," a company spokesperson said. "Rather than sticking to conventional retail, this space is designed as a prototype of what we call 'future retail.'"

Visitors actively engage with the space. The Nail collection from Nuflaat, for instance, lets guests slip their fingers into ringlike nail designs, making it one of the most photographed spots.

"I ended up staying for nearly two hours just taking photos," said Kim Ju-ae, a customer who had only come for sunglasses. "I forgot I was here to shop."

Outside the building is another installation: "More is More," a collaborative work with artist Max Siedentopf, featuring massive black and gold bags carried by an elderly man. The company reportedly leased the space at a deposit of 500 million won ($355,000) and monthly rent of 40 million won under the condition that an older building be demolished to make way for the sculpture.

The ″More is More″ installation by Max Siedentopf is displayed outside Haus Nowhere Seoul, Gentle Monster's parent company IICombined's new building in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul. [IICOMBINED]

The ″Nail″ collection by Nuflaat seen inside Haus Nowhere Seoul, Gentle Monster's parent company IICombined's new building in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul [IICOMBINED]

Art, tech and retail meet

Gentle Monster is often cited as Korea’s most successful practitioner of "space marketing" — using gallery-scale installations to present eyewear in a way that elevates the shopping experience into something theatrical and immersive. That strategy is born of necessity: unlike fashion or shoes, eyewear is hard to diversify by size or design, and customers still strongly prefer to try on glasses in person.

By turning this constraint into an advantage, the brand leans into design and storytelling. Its retail spaces feel more like installations or stages than stores. With sci-fi-like robots and kinetic sculptures, Gentle Monster offers what few others dare to: a total brand world.

"Gentle Monster creates not just a shop, but a stage for its brand philosophy," said Choi Chul, a consumer economics professor at Sookmyung Women’s University. "It’s one of the few examples of a Korean brand turning online limitations into offline opportunities. This kind of spatial branding resonates with younger Korean consumers and international visitors alike."

The first floor of Haus Nowhere Seoul, Gentle Monster's parent company IICombined's new building in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul [IICOMBINED]

That distinctiveness has caught global attention. In May, Google invested $100 million in Gentle Monster, citing plans to expand its concept of "future retail" into tech.

In that context, Haus Nowhere Seoul isn’t just a flagship. It’s the brand's most comprehensive experiment yet at the intersection of fashion, art and technology. Some in the industry are already saying: "Once again, Gentle Monster has Gentle Monstered."

Luxurious yet accessible

Despite its massive scale, the building is surprisingly approachable. Seongsu is already home to luxury flagships from Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel. Dior also opened a massive space there early on. Haus Nowhere Seoul rivals them in scale and sophistication, but without the intimidation. Its open, accessible layout welcomes casual visitors, not just luxury consumers.

"By designing an open space around an accessible item like sunglasses, Gentle Monster has created a landmark that boosts both its brand and the surrounding neighborhood," said Kim Young-gab, a professor at KYG Commercial Research Institute.

The Nudake teahouse inside Haus Nowhere Seoul, Gentle Monster's parent company IICombined's new building in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul [IICOMBINED]

Gentle Monster's global ambitions are no longer aspirational — overseas sales now account for about 40 percent of the company's revenue, or 315.6 billion won. Its Seongsu expansion isn’t just about visibility but about staking a claim on Korea’s new destination for trend-savvy travelers.

Through a space unlike any other, Gentle Monster continues to take on challenges no one else dares to.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE JI-YOUNG [[email protected]]