This article is by Lee Ji-young and read by an artificial voice.



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).



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.



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.



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...