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Gentle Monster

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Gentle Monster
Company typePublic
IndustryEyewear
Founded2011; 13 years ago (2011)
in Seoul, South Korea
FounderHankook Kim
Headquarters
Seoul
,
South Korea
Area served
Worldwide
Products
Websitegentlemonster.com

Gentle Monster (Korean: 젠틀몬스터, stylized in all caps) is a South Korean brand of luxury sunglasses and optical glasses founded by Hankook Kim in Seoul in 2011.[1][2][3]

Gentle Monster's brand name consists of two parts: gentle supposedly resembles the wearable, delicate, and humble side contrasting with monster reflecting the attitude and individuality of the brand.[4]

As of April 2018, the company has 41 directly operated stores worldwide, including in Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[5]

There are over 450 retailers in 30 countries that carry Gentle Monster.[6]

Retail spaces

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Gentle Monster sculptures front of the store in Incheon International Airport

Gentle Monster employs 6 people to design its eyewear products and 60 people to design the store visuals.[7] Its products are exhibited like museum pieces in "an immersive and experiential offline shopping experience."[7] For example, in May through August 2016 its New York City flagship store was turned into an underwater experience creates with aquarium designer Justin Muir and glass sculptor Ivan Lee Mora, influenced by the French film Le Grand Bleu.[8]

In February 2021, Gentle Monster opened a new space, Haus Dosan, to present the brand's direction in retail. Haus Dosan also carries cosmetics brand Tamburins and has on-site dessert cafe Nudake.[9]

Each store's goal is to mimic a contemporary gallery containing life-sized objects and sculptures. For example, one of Gentle Monster's London stores has a Kung Fu theme with robots performing martial arts movements. Gentle Monster's first store in Korea features a lifesize ship.[6][10]

History

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Serial entrepreneur Jae Wook Oh invested about $100,000 in 2012 and Gentle Monster began producing frames in Daegu, which had been a manufacturing hub for Luxottica, and China, since acetate frames are illegal to produce in South Korea.[11] The brand's designs favor oversize frames much larger than Western brands' because its Asian clientele prefer to have frames that create an image of a smaller face.[11][12]

In 2013 and 2014, Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun wore Gentle Monster lenses on My Love From the Star, and this greatly broadened the brand's exposure to a mainstream audience.[11]

In February 2016, the company's first US store opened on Grand Street in SoHo, New York City.[11] Its second US store opened in downtown Los Angeles in October 2017.[13][14] French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH invested $60 million for a 7% stake in the company in September 2017.[2]

Pricing

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On average, a pair of sunglasses or glasses range from $200-$300 depending on frames, lenses, and prescription. However, prices fluctuate and may be as high as $500.[15]

Marketing

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Tilda Swinton collaborated with Gentle Monster in February 2017 in designing three sunglasses and appeared in an ad campaign video.[16] The brand shows at New York Fashion Week.[17]

Items are all limited edition, once an item sells out, the next return is not promised. Gentle Monster is the first luxury eyewear brand to cater to the Asian market.[6][18][19][4]

Production and services

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Gentle Monster attained a factory with Italian manufacturers who previously worked for famous brands such as Ray-Ban early during its journey in Korea to produce high-quality eyewear. Most, if not all, of Gentle Monster's eyewear is produced with chrome, titanium, and premium metals to produce glasses and sunglasses. The brand offers repair and maintenance with purchases, as well as customization to adjust to an individual's face.[4]

Collaborations

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Jun Ji-hyun with Gentle Monster sunglasses

In 2016, the brand collaborated with Danish designer Henrik Vibskov, Hood by Air, and Opening Ceremony.[2] In 2017, the brand collaborated with Dutch furniture designer Marcel Wanders, the founder of Moooi.[2] In 2018, the brand collaborated on an exhibition called Burning Planet with South Korean rapper, Song Mino of Winner.[20]

In 2019, the brand collaborated with Chinese technology company Huawei and released smartglasses.[21]

Jennie Kim with Gentle Monster eyeglasses

In 2020, the brand collaborated with singer Jennie Kim of Blackpink to release the Jentle Home collection,[22] and Chinese-Canadian singer and rapper Kris Wu for the release of the Gentle Wu collection.[23]

In 2022, the brand released a second collection with Kim, called the Jentle Garden collection. A mobile game was developed in promotion of the collaboration, while pop-up stores were opened in five cities: Seoul, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai.[24]

In 2023, the brand collaborated with Chinese singer Cai Xukun to release his Crystal Clear collection. An event app was developed for the collaboration which was available in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Dubai, Singapore, Japan, and the United States.[25][26][27]

Additional collaborations include, but are not limited to Overwatch 2, World of Warcraft, D’heygere, Moncler, Fendi, Alexander Wang, Tekken 8, and Maison Margiela.[10]

Clientele

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The brand's celebrity customers include Beyonce, Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Susan Sarandon, Tilda Swinton, Billie Eilish, Jennie Kim, Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber, and Jaeha Oh.[2][28]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Gentle Monster SSENSE
  2. ^ a b c d e EYEWEAR LABEL GENTLE MONSTER'S GALLERY STORE LANDS IN L.A. Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 9/29/2017
  3. ^ "Future Now – Gentle Monster". Cactus Magazine. 2019-06-04. Archived from the original on 2021-08-09. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  4. ^ a b c "Gentle Monster: The Korean Sunglasses brand Revolutionising the Eyewear Industry". www.farfetch.com. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  5. ^ "Store Locator". Official Website of Gentle Monster. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Lee, Michelle Jimin (2023-07-10). "Gentle Monster Sunglasses: How a Korean Luxury Brand Rose To Global Fame". Best of Korea. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  7. ^ a b Elaine YJ Lee, The Evolution of Gentle Monster, Hypebeast, Issue 18, July 2017, p. 145-151
  8. ^ Gentle Monster Transforms Its New York City Store Into an Underwater Oasis Helena Yeung, Hypebeast, May 26, 2016
  9. ^ "젠틀몬스터 '하우스 도산 (HAUS DOSAN)' 오픈, 새로운 공간 탄생에 셀럽 방문 이어져". 헤럴드경제 (in Korean). 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  10. ^ a b Cox, Ollie (2023-08-15). "There's nothing gentle about the way Gentle Monster disrupted eyewear". Culted. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  11. ^ a b c d How Gentle Monster Rode the K-Pop Wave to $160 Million LAUREN SHERMAN, Business of Fashion, JULY 17, 2016
  12. ^ MEET GENTLE MONSTER, A KOREAN BRAND CREATING EYEWEAR FOR EVERY FACE SHAPE NOËL DUAN, fashionista.com April 26, 2016
  13. ^ Gentle Monster Opens New Store in Downtown Los Angeles Renz Ofiaza, Highsnobiety, 11 October 2017
  14. ^ It’s harvest time at Gentle Monster’s new boutique in Los Angeles JESSICA KLINGELFUSS, Wallpaper*, 27 October 2017
  15. ^ G. de Aros, Sofia (May 22, 2021). "What is Gentle Monster and Why Do Celebs Love This Korean Brand?".
  16. ^ Eyewear Label Gentle Monster's Gallery Store Lands in L.A. Ingrid Schmidt, 9/29/2017
  17. ^ Meet the New Guard Showing at New York Fashion Week Vogue Fall 2017
  18. ^ Lee, J. J. (2023-10-12). "Mastering the Art of Branding: Unveiling Gentle Monster's Design Strategy". Medium. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  19. ^ "PROFILE: GENTLE MONSTER | CRASH Magazine". www.crash.fr. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  20. ^ 젠틀몬스터, 송민호와 아트 콜라보레이션 '버닝플래닛' 오픈. Maeil Broadcasting Network (in Korean). October 4, 2018.
  21. ^ "Gentle Monster Collaborates With Huawei on a Fashionable Smart Eyewear". designscene. August 28, 2019.
  22. ^ "JENTLE HOME CAMPAIGN | GENTLE MONSTER". www.gentlemonster.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  23. ^ Leung, Ambrose (June 23, 2020). "Gentle Monster Introduces "Gentle Wu" Collection with Kris Wu". Hypebeast.
  24. ^ "Gentle Monster and BLACKPINK's Jennie Launch Pop-Up Dreamscapes". Hypebeast. March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  25. ^ Gentle Monster [@_GentleMonster_] (April 17, 2023). "GENTLE MONSTER X KUN. Gentle Monster presents the collaboration with global artist Cai Xukun. Participating in the #CrystalClear project as a director, KUN broadens his scope of work as an artist. Explore the #GENTLEMONSTERXKUN collaboration collection at http://Gentlemonster.com" (Tweet). Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via Twitter.
  26. ^ Gentle Monster [@_GentleMonster_] (April 17, 2023). "GENTLE MONSTER X KUN @caixukun will be released on April 21st. The #GENTLEMONSTERXKUN APP event will be held in South Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan Region, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Japan, the United States and Dubai" (Tweet). Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ "GENTLE MONSTER ✕ KUN Campaign". Gentle Monster. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  28. ^ "The 12 Most Influential Celebrities Wearing Gentle Monster". Ares Eyewear. 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
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