K-Fashion Returns to China as Restrictions Ease, Brands Expand into Shanghai
Creatrip Team
a month ago
South Korean fashion brands are accelerating their return to China as diplomatic ties warm and interest in K-fashion grows. Musinsa’s affordable label Musinsa Standard opened its first China stores in Shanghai and plans double-digit local outlets this year, aiming for 100 mainland stores by 2030. Musinsa’s initial Shanghai shop and curated Musinsa Store saw strong sales, surpassing 10 billion KRW within 100 days, signaling high demand among Chinese youth. LF opened Hazzys’ flagship ‘Space H Shanghai’ in the premium Xintiandi district; Hazzys already generates nearly half of LF’s domestic revenue from Chinese sales. Eyewear brand Gentle Monster operates around 20 stores in Beijing and Shanghai, and other labels like Matin Kim are preparing market entry. The renewed push follows thawing relations after President Lee’s China visit and resumed economic talks, amid expectations that the informal ban on Korean popular culture (Han-Han-ryeong) has largely faded. China remains the world’s second-largest fashion consumer market, and South Korean textile exports to China outpaced those to the U.S. last year. Brands cite Chinese social media such as Douyin for rapidly spreading Korean fashion trends and see re-entry as a strategic necessity.
