Moving to the next half of the decade, South Korean culture has never been bigger. Below, we round-up five Korean fashion brands to have on your watchlist

Following up on the wave of K-pop, K-dramas, movies and manhwa, the hallyu fashion scene has transformed into a major force in recent years. Beyond the fashion week calendar staples of JUUN.J, Gentle Monster and Ader Error, Seoul has become a birthplace for major talent. Whether it be avant-garde couture or casual streetwear, masculine or feminine, functional tech wear or formal dress – the nation’s creative voices are offering some of the most original perspectives yet.

Nevertheless, newer brands can sometimes fly under the radar of the nation’s towering cultural force. With that being said, here’s our guide to some of the South Korean labels that need to be in your wardrobe this year. 

Andersson Bell

Often abbreviated as ADSB, the label started as a combination of East Asian elements with Scandinavian sensibilities. Now, the modern iterations of creative director Dohun Kim’s collections reinterprets the many different cultures of the world through a Korean lens. 

These aspects manifest into a design language defined by contrast – pieces appear both modern and vintage, casual yet ceremonial, simultaneously loud and subdued. Reminiscent of Antwerp Six philosophies, reinvigoration is the key to his collections: transforming classics like denim jeans and striped patterns into wildly deconstructed silhouettes and textural fever dreams. 

Runways have been held in Milan, Shanghai and Kim’s own hometown of Seoul. Featured on celebrities like Blackpink’s Lisa and aespa’s Giselle, Andersson Bell has grown a cult-following across the globe, and is sure to continue its rise into 2026. 

Post Archive Faction (PAF)

Only founded in 2018, PAF is one of the most recent additions to the Paris Fashion Week schedule. As a non-traditional brand, founders Donjoon Lim and Sookyo Jeong have similarly unconventional tastes. For them, conception begins as product design rather than clothing: ideas of mood, style and emotion come as organic evolutions in the process. 

But looking beneath the avant-garde shapes, dystopian paneling and structural juxtapositions reveals ultra-utilitarian daywear, experimentation secondary to function. With their latest Fall/Winter 2026 collection titled “Drifter”, Lim leans ever closer to poetry, exploring the tension between aesthetics and boredom. A world where transition and constant movement are a state of creative transience rather than rootlessness, garments become a rejection of rigidity. Technical masterworks are intentionally mistailored, size and fit as a representation of escaping suffocation and imaginative freedom.

Supported by fashion icons like A$AP Rocky and collaborating with industry giants like On and Off/White, PAF’s radical vision is rapidly gaining recognition.

San San Gear

Establishing itself as a techwear wardrobe essential, mainstream breakthrough was an inevitable, organic step for founder Sangyup Lee. Fusing utility with subcultural inspirations, ranging from rock, hip-hop and anime, the brand creates a distinct sense of what Lee calls “functional maximalism.” 

Minor details like pockets, zippers or buttons are subtly amplified with deliberate detailing. A simple pair of pants mutates into a striking statement piece through precise alterations to seams, cuts and stitching. Texture rather than palette, San San Gear’s contemporarily subdued identity is considered one of the fashion world’s most progressive visions. 

Collaborating with Japanese actress Nana Komatsu for their SS25 editorial and British band Oasis for a capsule, it’s officially a favorite of celebrity and pedestrian alike. 

FFFPOSTALSERVICE

Debuting on the runway in Paris just last month, Jonathan Choe describes his brand as “A Never Ending Sci-Fi Motion Picture”. Inspired by cyberpunk-esque futuristic fantasies, Choe’s clothes evoke the sentiments of his favorite characters.

Shapes flare out in dramatic, flowing volumes, textures are simultaneously systematically rough yet alienly smooth. Recreating fictional personas through explorations of textile, form and space, the scientific, methodical minimalism of techwear is fused with fierce, unrestrained imagination.

Rokh

Rok Hwang’s universe is one where imperfection and elegance exist in co-operation rather than competition. Starting under Phoebe Philo’s acclaimed stint at Celine, his design language elevates femininity, infusing timelessness through deconstruction. 

Pieces are never finished in the traditional sense. Seemingly completed visual indicators of grace like frills, pleats and silhouette provide a distinct femininity balanced the edge of against raw, deconstructed trims. 

A finalist in 2024’s LVMH prize, stars ranging from 2NE1’s CL, Twice’s Mina and Chaeyoung and EXO’s Xiumin have been ardent supporters of Hwang’s design philosophy – one that is sure to continue its growth in 2026.

See also: The best of Berlin Fashion Week 2026