As everyone is flying off for their semester exchange during this season, I’m going to share some place I loved to shop at back when I was there for my summer exchange last year!
1) Ikseondong
Ikseondong is a neighbourhood near the Jogno district and is well known for it’s Hanok Street and having a myriad of different cafes and stores. However, what I recommend to visit is Neared Thrift Store! I came across it when I was just wondering around and Korea is famous for their different thrift stores and I managed to snatch authentic Gentle Monster sunglasses for 50,000 won! They have a wide range of luxury accessories and clothing available, even saw a Chanel pendant selling for around 200,000 won. So if you’re interested in thrifting, this is definitely a thrift store worth visiting!
2) Myeongdong
Myeongdong is a tourist hot spot that we all know is famous for their shopping and street food! However, it’s also great for shopping! There’s streets filled with different makeup and clothing brands worth visiting. Personally, my favourites were ABC Mart and Brand Market!
ABC Mart is an outlet filled with different sports brand for you to shop! I saw Hunter boots, Nike shoes and Adidas sportswear when I visited and even copped an Adidas crop top for 15,000 won!
For Brand Market, I copped a few different shirts, jeans and skirts. You have a wide variety of clothes ranging from different aesthetics like streetwear, coquette or even more punk styles! The clothes here were mostly free size, but there were some that offered a variety of sizes from S to L! There was also a corner tucked with more professional wear that were more expensive back when I visited, but overall most of the clothes there ranged from 5,000 won to 30,000 won!
3) Hongdae
Hongdae is a popular hotspot for both tourists and locals and I actually visited and shopped at a few places here. First, I will start on where I got this big leather hobo tote bag for 30,000 won. I got it at cielstore, which is situated on the shopping street between Missha and Too Cool For School. Personally, I think it was worth the price as it’s still going strong to this day, whereas some similar bags that I may have bought for cheaper on Shein have broken down by now.
Another store I visited is Ju Ju, which is on the same stretch as cielstore. It’s this row of clothing stores on the shopping street where I bought peplum tops and maxi skirts for 20,000 won and less which I feel like were very worth it for the quality and look of the clothes. However, you need to be wary as the clothes on this street are mostly one-size.
Another popular choice is M Playground. M Playground is the go-to for a lot of locals! They have a few branches in Hongdae, and they have a popular one near the main shopping street that has over 3 floors! Each floor caters to different genders or aesthetics with the first floor being mostly menswear and 2nd and 3rd floor being for women’s wear from more casual street style to more formal feminine wear!
Something more expensive would-be Market A and Mihyang Unnie Store!
Market A would be one of the few stores I visited that allowed a variety of sizes and clothes! For me it was harder to find jeans when I was in Korea as I have a small waist but bigger thighs! However, Market A provided a variety of sizes for jeans and had 2 floors and changing rooms for you to try on the clothes before you decide to buy them! The prices here are also quite reasonable ranging from around 30,000 won or less back when I visited! However, some pieces may cost more than that!
If you have edgier style and are willing to splurge a little bit more, I would recommend visiting Mihyang Unnie! A lot of celebrities have visited this place including Lay Zhang from EXO as well as Hyuna and Dawn! The clothes here are definitely on the pricier end, but they have such a unique curation of edgy clothes, so if that’s your style, I do recommend visiting!
For shoes, I would recommend visiting Sappun or the Chaakan. Both are similar footwear brands, that have ranges from sandals to heels to booths. For Chaakan, they have a 2nd floor filled with on-sale items. So, while the original price may be around 30,000 won, you can grab shoes for 10,000 won! I managed to snag a pair of knee-high boots in good condition for 10,000 won! However, you need to do a quality check beforehand, because these are last pieces so maybe there are stains on the shoes or certain models no longer have your size!
4) Other places to visit
Some other popular places would be Itaewon, Sinsa, Seongsu, and Gangnam. However, these places may be more expensive, especially Sinsa, Seongsu and Gangnam. Pro-tip, do not buy Charles & Keith at Gangnam because it’s one of the few stores that will be cheaper to buy locally! However, Zara is a different question! I managed to buy a hoodie costing $40 in Singapore for 20,000 won which is half the price!
For places that are affordable, it’s better to visit places that are closer to the universities! Examples would be shopping near Sinchon station, Ewha station and Hongdae station! Best part is these places are really close to one another, so you can take a stroll if you’re free one day and go shopping!
