Concept stores where art, culture and shopping combine

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Concept stores where art, culture and shopping combine

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Azzedine Alaia’s couture dress collection. By Park Jong-keun, Kang Yun-jung

If you like fashion, but are looking for something more than the usual skinny jeans and a pair of flats with the “it bag” that everyone on the street is sporting now, new spots await your call.
Known as select shops, or multi-shops among Koreans, this new breed of shopping outlets is expanding in Seoul.
Welcome to the world of concept stores.
“Concept stores are a cross between a mini-department store and a boutique,” said Jung Yoon-ki, a stylist who has dressed numerous celebrities such as the actresses Kim Hye-soo and Kim Hee-ae, to name a few. “They are places for people who love fashion and culture. It’s a new kind of experience of shopping, moving beyond looking around department stores.”
Jung said concept stores began in Seoul around 2000. “Boon The Shop, Mue and Koon are concept stores that opened this new era in shopping,” Jung said. “Now, there are more than a dozen in southern Seoul, each with an exquisite collection and unique identity.”
On March 21, 10 Corso Como, a Milan-based concept store long-worshiped by fashion addicts around the world, arrived in Seoul, creating a buzz among stylists in this city.
The creative brain behind this three-story shop belongs to Carla Sozzani, who founded the company in Milan in 1991. The store sells books, CDs, bags, shoes, dresses, toys and kitchen and dinnerware.
But 10 Corso Como Seoul is not just about shopping; it’s a place for art and culture. The interior is adorned with the artwork of American artist Kris Ruhs and the black-and-white 10 Corso Como logo, which is synonymous with the company.
In addition, the store has gallery spaces for exhibitions, and it is currently hosting an Azzedine Alaia couture dress collection and a Madame Grès vintage dress exhibition.
“Art and culture were the key when Sozzani founded 10 Corso Como in Milan,” said Kim Yoon-kyung, a public affairs official from Cheil Industries, the Korean partner of the Italian concept store.

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Azzedine Alaia’s couture magazines,below, at 10 Corso Como Seoul; The main gate and the cafe, left, of 10 Corso Como Seoul feature artwork by Kris Ruhs. By Park Jong-keun

You can listen to Jane Birkin on the 10 Corso Como Love CD, flip through a portfolio of Robert Mapplethorpe pictures, sip a double espresso, slip on a Lanvin dress or breathe in the scent of an Abhana white grapefruit candle.
The women’s section features everything from luxury to hip. A Top- shop by Kate Moss T-shirt costs 50,000 won ($48.75), while a vintage Hermès Kelly bag costs 10,080,000 won. Joelle Ciocco’s organic and natural cosmetics, Repetto’s ballerina flats, Miu Miu bags and John Galliano dresses are available among the 106 brands from Italy, France, the United States, England, Belgium and Germany. Sozzani handpicks all these items.
There is also a bookstore and an extraordinary men’s section, which is hip, charming, fun and modern. The men’s section is small, but the items are exquisite.
Considering that Korean men like nondescriptive clothes, 10 Corso Como’s selection could be perceived as too daring. From the crisp, white shirts with witty logos by Play by Comme des Garçons to the boxing gloves by Everlast, there is something for everyone.
Believe me, 10 Corso Como Seoul is not a place for hasty shopping.
“Seoul gives Sozzani an impression of dynamism,” Kim said. “She wants this space in Seoul to be a place for communication through art and culture, fashion and lifestyle.”
The cafe at 10 Corso Como offers great coffee and a selection of its own wine. The menu is packed with Italian classics such as pasta and tiramisu.
Within walking distance of 10 Corso Como is Boon The Shop, founded in 2000, another holy ground for fashion-fixated shoppers.
The four-story building, designed by Guido Stefanoni and Freyrie & Pestalozza, redefined fashion in Seoul when it remodeled itself into a lifestyle concept store in 2004. The minimalist interior makes the shop’s impressive collections stand out, and the store is known for introducing Balenciaga, Marni, Maison Martin Margiela, Comme des Garçons and Dries Van Noten to Korea.
For the 2008 spring/summer season, the concept store features a range of ready-to-wear items, including swimsuits, shoes and bags with the theme “Romantic Garden.” From Stella McCartney’s flower-print bikini to Chloë Sevigny’s summer halter dress, Boon The Shop offers wearable alternatives to the highlights from Paris, Milan and New York runways.

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and the cafe, left, of 10 Corso Como Seoul feature artwork by Kris Ruhs. By Park Jong-keun

The concept store also has its own lounge music CD, created by Clazziquai, the Korean fusion band.
Vecchia & Nuovo on the ground floor serves desserts and light meals, and the cafe’s cupcakes look popular among the coffee drinkers.
Two more Boon The Shop branches are at Shinsegae Department Store in Gangnam and Shinsegae main store downtown.
“Concept stores are places where you consume culture,” said Jung, the stylist. “If you go Paris, there is Colette. If you go Milan, there is 10 Corso Como. If you go to London, there is Dover Street Market. Tourists flock to those concept stores to feel the culture. Now it is Seoul’s turn.”

Azzedine Alaia’s couture dress collection, right, and magazines, below, at 10 Corso Como Seoul. By Park Jong-keun, Kang Yun-jung


By Ser Myo-ja Staff Reporter [myoja@joongang.co.kr]
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