2017 04 Aug Sept

LAID BACK AND COSMOPOLITAN, CENTRAL SEOUL IS THE NEW
BOHO CHIC DESTINATION
building off Garosu-gil main road. Free Americano (hot/
cold) coffee are served at the bar of the basement art gallery,
while makeup tips can be had at the first floor. All the makeup
products and some exclusives are on sale on the upper floors.
jsmbeauty.com
Village 11 Factory
Located in trendy Garosu-gil, on a prominent corner, decked
in white and shades of pink, the strange entrance invites you to
discover the magic laboratory of a mad cosmetic genius. The
beauty emporium Village 11 Factory opened in January 2017.
Upon passing the pink steamer and feathers display, the first
floor looks like a chemist lab of sorts, while the second floor
has specially designed themed settings; free foot spa, vintage
style hair salon and a full corner dedicated to Agatha Paris
makeup brand. village11factory.com
Rare Market
Tucked away from the main road in Cheongdam-dong, longtime
friends and duo-owners Dami Kwon (G-Dragon’s sister)
and stylist Jessica Jung opened Rare Market. It is a treasure
chest full of extraordinary and unusual products with a broad
range of cult designer’s items and artworks including a water
bar (featuring water selections imported from all over the
world). instagram.com/raremarket_official/
Beaker
With two shops, one located on Rodeo road in Cheongdamdong
and the other one in Itaewon, Beaker is the concept store
run by Cheil Industries. Here visitors can find their in-house
brands; Liful, Band of Outsiders, MSGM and Carhartt, along
with brands from style hotspots hailing from major fashion
capitals. The huge high ceilings building features a café, a
bookstore, and a stationary shop. Recently, Beaker started to
introduce products created through collaboration with Korean
fashion brands that can only be found at their stores.
ssfshop.com/beaker/main
Glad Live Gangnam
Glad Live is a curated lifestyle hotel that puts an emphasis
on creative urban design and caters to high-end contemporary
sensibility. The hotel houses 210 rooms and suites from
spacious superior doubles with queen size beds to the
spectacular Glad Pool Suites that offer the ultimate in party
space with an in-the-room bathing pool just a few feet from the
4-person capacity super-king-sized bed and a state-of-the-art
80-inch LED TV and sound system. gladlive-hotels.com
Central Seoul: Hannam-dong / Itaewon
The neighbourhoods near the Mosque in Itaewon is developing
fast, and with comparable views to what you’d find on the high
rises of Gangnam with lower rents, it’s no wonders that this
new area attracted artists and independent studios in such a
short time.
Mmm Records
Mmm Record offers an amazing view that stretches from the
Han River to the N Seoul Tower, that would most likely make
the city’s top 10 rooftops list. Here, you can dig for records or
vintage record players, music tapes, or enjoy one of the best
Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches in Seoul.
Cosmic Mansion
When scent-related products took South Korea by storm in
2015, it became one of the biggest trends and numerous shops
mushroomed all over the city. Cosmic Mansion is THE place
to head to if you’re looking for soaps, scented candles or
fragrant room sprays. All the candles are eco-friendly and 100%
renewable plant-based. Room sprays are one of their most
popular products and are light and fresh with your choice of Fig
& Bay, Classic and Rosy fragrances. Apart from the scented
items, there are other cosmic-themed accessories, such as
notebooks and smartphone cases. cosmicmansion.co.kr
MMMG
MMMG is the place to source gifts, stationery items, cute
notebooks and funky bags for the hard to please. Get your
caffeine dose at the adjacent Anthracite café, where hipsters
come to read fashion magazines or use it as their temporary
office. The huge wood tables are often occupied by groups who
debate the latest trends. mmmg.net/
World Travel 123