Korean Eyewear Sensation Gentle Monster Sets Sights on Europe After U.S. Success

How a Seoul-based sunglasses brand turned retail spaces into art galleries and caught Google's attention

When tourists line up outside a sunglasses store in Milan just to take selfies, you know something unusual is happening. That's exactly what's playing out at 10 Corso Como, where South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster has opened what locals are calling the city's newest must-visit destination-and it happens to sell sunglasses.

"Is this really made in Korea?" It's a question Americans have been asking about Gentle Monster's bold, futuristic frames for years. Now Europeans are discovering what the fuss is about as the Seoul-born brand aggressively expands across the continent, riding a wave of Korean cultural influence that shows no signs of slowing down.

The story begins in 2011 when Kim Han-guk founded Gentle Monster with a radical idea: what if buying sunglasses felt more like visiting a contemporary art museum? The breakthrough came three years later when actress Jun Ji-hyun wore Gentle Monster frames in the mega-hit K-drama "My Love from the Star." Suddenly, everyone wanted to know about this quirky Korean brand that seemed to care as much about the shopping experience as the actual product.

But Gentle Monster wasn't content to ride the hallyu (Korean Wave) forever. While many Korean brands focused heavily on the Chinese market during the height of K-pop fever, Gentle Monster had bigger ambitions. Today, the company operates in 14 countries across the U.S., China, Britain, Australia, and Southeast Asia-with Europe firmly in its crosshairs.

The numbers tell the story of a brand hitting its stride. Parent company iicombined reported revenues of ₩789.1 billion (roughly $600 million) last year, up nearly 30% from 2022. More telling? About 38% of that revenue-₩303.7 billion-came from international sales. The company's operating profit margin of 29.6% would make many luxury conglomerates envious.

Milan wasn't chosen by accident. The March opening at 10 Corso Como-the legendary concept store that basically invented the idea of mixing fashion, art, and lifestyle-represents Gentle Monster's second European location after a successful London flagship that's approaching ₩10 billion in annual sales.

The timing coincided perfectly with the brand's third collaboration with French luxury house Maison Margiela, a partnership that speaks volumes about Gentle Monster's growing credibility in European fashion circles. The collection, featuring 20 designs that blend what the brands call "cybercore aesthetics" with Margiela's signature four white stitches, sold out so quickly it created a global shortage.

"London's sales have been growing faster than we expected," a Gentle Monster representative explained, "which gave us the confidence to open our second European store in Milan." The company is already scouting locations for a third European outpost, though they're keeping details under wraps.

This European push comes as Korean brands generally are finding unprecedented success abroad. The Korean Creative Content Agency projects the economic impact of the Korean Wave will exceed ₩26 trillion by 2026, and fashion is riding that momentum hard.

Walk into any Gentle Monster store and you'll quickly realize you're not in a typical retail space. The Milan location features what the company calls "cybercore-inspired abstract human forms" alongside transparent and metallic materials that create an almost alien atmosphere. It's Instagram bait, sure, but it's also something more profound: a complete reimagining of what shopping can be.

The strategy traces back to 2013, when Gentle Monster opened its first Seoul showroom with an actual ship displayed inside. Since then, each location has featured increasingly elaborate installations-kinetic robots, digital art, massive facial sculptures-that change seasonally and sometimes daily. The brand's Santa Clara store in California required six months of design work from a team including architects, robot designers, installation artists, and media specialists.

"Our offline experience is vital in expressing our passion and devotion toward not just eyewear, but a disruptive creativity that pursues weird and beautiful," explains David Kim, the brand's U.S. Director of Customer Experience. It's this commitment to experience over transaction that has made Gentle Monster stores destinations in their own right.

The approach is working. Research shows that 70% of luxury shoppers now seek unique, artistic environments rather than traditional retail spaces. Gentle Monster has essentially turned each store into what they call "experiential exhibitions," where the visit itself becomes content for social media sharing.

But perhaps the most intriguing development isn't happening in physical stores at all. At Google's I/O developer conference in May, the tech giant unveiled its partnership with Samsung and Gentle Monster to create the next generation of smart glasses powered by Android XR.

This isn't just another tech collaboration. Google specifically chose Gentle Monster as a design partner for what could become the successor to Google Glass, alongside established American eyewear brand Warby Parker. The smart glasses will feature cameras, microphones, and speakers that sync with phones, offering real-time translation, messaging, and photography capabilities.

The selection validates Gentle Monster's design credibility on a global stage. Market research firm Grand View Research forecasts the smart glasses segment will grow from $1.2 billion in 2022 to $8.3 billion by 2030-a massive opportunity for a brand positioned at the intersection of fashion and technology.

Success in eyewear has given Gentle Monster license to experiment. Earlier this year, the company launched its first jewelry collection with pop-up events in seven major cities. They've also introduced a new brand called ATiiSSU that focuses on headwear, while parent company iicombined continues to nurture other "sensory brands" including beauty label Tamburins and dessert concept Nudake.

This diversification reflects a broader trend among Korean fashion companies that understand the importance of building lifestyle ecosystems rather than single-product brands. With prices ranging from ₩200,000 to ₩400,000 ($150-$300), Gentle Monster occupies a sweet spot-premium enough to feel special, accessible enough to attract younger consumers who prioritize experience and uniqueness over heritage.

Gentle Monster's success represents something larger than one brand's clever marketing. It's emblematic of how Korean companies are using cultural soft power, technological innovation, and design thinking to compete with established European luxury houses on their own terms.

As one fashion industry insider puts it: "Gentle Monster is taking on overseas luxury brands head-to-head through a brand universe that fuses fashion, art, and technology. They've perfectly captured the sensibilities of MZ generation consumers who value brand experience and originality over price."

Whether this Korean approach to luxury retail can sustain its momentum remains to be seen. But as tourists continue lining up outside that Milan store just to experience what Gentle Monster has created, it's clear that something significant is happening-and Europe is paying attention.