"Korea's leading contemporary fashion brand ‘SYSTEM’ has opened its first global flagship store in Paris's Marais district."
Korean fashion company Handsome, established in 1987, has been at the forefront of the Korean fashion industry, garnering global attention through its innovation and quality. Handsome's successful brand portfolio includes TIME, MINE, SYSTEM, SYSTEM HOMME, and THE CASHMERE. Among them, SYSTEM, which started in 1994, boasts a successful 30-year history and has participated in Paris Fashion Week since 2019 under the global edition 'SYSTEM.'
To further expand its global presence, Handsome has launched a flagship store for its contemporary brands, SYSTESM and SYSTEM Homme, in the Marais district of Paris.
The new SYSTEM flagship store spans two floors and covers an area of 379 square meters. The store concept, 'Seoul, where the past and present coexist,' is brought to life through collaborations with renowned designers and artists, blending Seoul's dynamic imagery with SYSTEM's contemporary and trendy aesthetic.
The interior design of the store was undertaken by GONZALEZ HAASE AAS, a Berlin-based design studio with principal practices in architecture, scenography and lighting. The overall space is designed as a gallery, showcasing the essence of Seoul and the SYSTEM brand in Paris. Unlike metaphorical designs, the SYSTEM Paris flagship store focuses on a highly pragmatic construction. This space meticulously explores aspects of Korean culture, with a particular emphasis on the highly urban city of Seoul.
To the simple gallery space, four layers of ‘perception’ have been defined to warp the project.
First, the aura: The building background connects with the external ambiance, bringing the exterior aura into the interior.
Second, the perpetual: The continuity of Korean natural landscapes, such as overlapping mountains, is reflected in the horizontal design elements.
Third, the now: The dynamic and vertical elements of Seoul's contemporary architecture contribute to the vertical design materials.
Finally, the transition: Colors derived from traditional Korean heritage are reinterpreted with a modern approach.
The background of the space is simplified, reminiscent of a contemporary art gallery. The store's functional design includes slightly tilted display walls to better capture light, which also serve as part of the backdrop. The lighting arrangement features a dual-beam system radiating from two vanishing points, embodying the dynamism of Seoul.
In particular, the SYSTEM 2024 S/S campaign images were notably shot by the renowned photographer David Sims. These images are played within the store, adding a vibrant dimension to the space.
Moreover, the SYSTEM store is enriched by collaborations between Korean and French artists, adding depth to the gallery space. Korean art furniture artist Hwang Hyeong-shin, abstract artist Kim Ara who works with traditional Korean patterns (dancheong) and architectural elements, and French contemporary and graffiti artist Tanc have all.
Hwang Hyeong-shin draws inspiration from the geometric architecture of urban environments and the ever-changing cityscape he observed in his childhood. His current work reflects the uniqueness of his living environment, embodying 'overlapping images of nature and city' and the dynamic interaction of 'past and present.' He employs geometric units with varied heights and volumes, based on vertical and horizontal lines, to create a larger sculpture. Each unit is divided by diagonal and curved lines, representing the diversity of Seoul in his unique sculptural language.
Kim Ara transforms the horizontal structures of traditional Korean architecture, such as beams and purlins, into vertical forms. Her piece, "Vertical Line," intersects with the horizontal structures of the ceiling in the System Paris space. The interplay of horizontal and vertical lines invites contemplation of the traditional Korean architectural elements, showcasing the connection between traditional Korean and contemporary Western architecture.
Another work, "Untitled," features shaped canvases that depict the overlapping buildings of Seoul's urban landscape. This piece reimagines the canvas frame as an architectural structure, merging the joint techniques of traditional Korean and modern woodworking.
French contemporary and graffiti artist Tanc, who began his career on the streets of Paris in the mid-1990s, utilizes various media including canvas, paper, walls, and installation art. In the System store, he uses repetitive lines and forms on the walls to represent the brand, while his canvas works, characterized by vibrant colors, convey energy and motion.
Additionally, Handsome will solidify its presence in the global market by hosting a pop-up event for local customers at the iconic Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris this July, following the opening of the flagship store.
Handsome operates 14 domestic fashion brands, including Time, Mine, The Cashmere, System, System Homme, and SJSJ. It also manages 19 licensed brands in Korea, such as KITH, Our Legacy, Totême, Gabriela Hearst, Veronica Beard, Lanvin, and Bally.
Team:
Architect: HANDSOME Corp.
Design: Gonzalez Haase AAS
Artists: Hyung-shin Hwang, Ara Kim, Tanc
Photo credit: Handsome
