Appreciating Gentle Monster’s Showrooms

Give me a shop with good interiors and I can stay there forever.

Although Gentle Monster has bragging rights to impressive collaborations and endorsers (Jun Ji Hyun! Tilda Swinton! Hood by Air! Opening Ceremony! – need I go on?) and eyewear that are to die for, what attracts most of the foot traffic to their stores (… i’m assuming, don’t quote me on this one) are their beautiful showrooms!

Gentle Monster has seven showrooms around Korea and a few more spread out in New York, China, and Hong Kong. Known for having experimentation in their DNA, every Gentle Monster retail shop has its own theme with cool displays and strange aesthetics, collaborating with artists to create an immersive shopping space. Even if you’re not going to buy a pair of their gorgeous sunnies (they retail for up to $500, not counting the limited edition ones), you should definitely stop by to at least admire their showrooms.

What’s interesting about Gentle Monster is that they don’t flat out tell you to buy their eyewear the moment you walk in the store, a turn-off strategy for those who find the premium brand intimidating. Rather, they give you the freedom to take photos with the interiors and to play with the sunnies on display. Sometimes, their store clerks are even willing to take photos of you. Trust me, I’ve seen Chinese fashionistas do this way too many times. Lol. It’s a clever tactic because obviously these kids are going to want to post these photos on social media, increasing the brand’s exposure. E