2nd Korea Style Week 2013: Aug 8 to 11, 2013 at COEX, Seoul

Korea Style Week (KSW) is a biannual affair with a focus on clothing and accessories, promoting a varied range of Korean fashion — from street clothing fads to eminent designer brands.

Korea Style Week

Korean fashion has been receiving a lot of attention recently with the rise of the Hallyu Wave, the name given to the spread of modern Korean culture overseas. For example, popular U.K. magazine Look recently profiled the boutiques of the notorious clothing district in Dongdaemun as hotspots where many crazes are starting, which are then spread worldwide.

The particular focus of the Aug. 8 to 11, KSW event is mainly on indie and up-and-coming fashion brands, meaning Korea-based fashionistas, or those travelling through Seoul this summer, will be able to spot trends and gather insight into what’s ahead of the curve at the three-day event while mingling with like-minded, style-conscious individuals.

Shots from one of the runway shows at Korea Style Week

At the inaugural Korea Style Week, again situated at an exhibit hall of the COEX shopping center, Samseong Station of Line No. 2 near Gangnam, 17,000 people were in attendance — over 50 percent of them were fashion insiders. Among this number were 5,981 buyers and 209 members of the media.

An official stated that KSW “concentrates on the real and very close communication between brands, customers and buyers.” This means attendees can gain a real insight into the local fashion industry and meet like-minded consumers, designers and businesspeople who are embedded within the industry. KSW is the only style exhibition in Korea where this is the case.

On the runway

As well as this kind of direct access, those attending the event can also pick up exclusive products — men’s wear, women’s wear, sportswear, children’s wear wear, shoes and accessories — on the spot from unique local fashion companies. Another main purposes of KSW is to help as many brands as possible who have unique and competitive designs or products but lack marketing capacity so they can grow in the industry.

As an attendee, as well as soaking up the atmosphere and chatting to industry specialists, you can check out the runway shows with clothing from the participating brands, take part in a styling class, enter a smartphone photo zone contest, vote for your favorite competitor in the “Fashionista Contest,” and much more.

A view of the entire Korea Style Week exhibition

Since it is a modern, cutting-edge exhibition, KSW is on all the appropriate social media channels. You can check out their website, , , or keep up to date with their blog. You can also contact Korea Style Week by calling +82 6000 7841, faxing +82 6000 7855 or emailing .

Korea Style Week launches on Aug. 8, 2013 and runs to Aug. 11, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. The location is COEX Mall Exhibition Hall B. For directions, here’s a map. Expats and travellers are invited to the events for free. Apply for the guestlist. Here’s the runway schedule FYI:

Email: +82 6000 7841 / Fax: +82 6000 7855 / Email: