From G-Dragon to Ibuki: Dongmyo emerges as global fashion hotspot

Once a humble flea market popular among older locals in Seoul, Dongmyo Market, often dubbed Dongmyo flea market, has become a vibrant hotspot for youth and foreign tourists.

At midday on Thursday, the secondhand market surrounding Dongmyo Station in Seoul's Jongno District was bustling even for a weekday.

Shoppers from high school students and seniors to foreign tourists scrolled between tightly packed vendor stalls and vintage shops, rummaging through piles of secondhand clothing priced as low as 2,000 won ($1.5).

The location gained fame in 2013 when G-Dragon, rapper and member of the K-pop boy band BigBang, wandered through Dongmyo's thrift stalls, piecing together outfits for a local variety TV show. He also shot a music video in the market’s alleyways.

That broadcast turned the market into a pilgrimage site for fashion-forward K-pop fans. More than 10 years later, visitors still remember it as the place G-Dragon once visited.

In a recent episode of Mnet’s mega hit “Street Woman Fighter 3,” aired on June 24, the Japanese dance team OSAKA Ojo Gang visited Dongmyo, along with Japanese dancer Ibuki Imata.

The crew acted as her stylists, selecting outfits and staging a style battle in the reality show hosted by the Korean music channel Mnet. They showcased the market’s low prices and broad fashion offerings.

“This is the fashion hotspot G-Dragon picked,” Imata said on-air.

At one store, she tried on a brown fur jacket. When a staff member told her the jacket had once been tried on by G-Drago himself, she exclaimed: “Am I wearing the jacket he wore?”

One of the OSAKA Ojo Gang crew members also mistook a leopard print jacket’s price tag for 5,000 yen, only to learn it was 5,000 won ($3.7). “I thought it was 5,000 yen! This is so cheap!” the crew member said in surprise.

Even beyond Japanese tourists, people of many nationalities can now be seen at Dongmyo. Alexa, a 28-year-old tourist from Italy, said she learned about the place while planning her Korea trip and really wanted to visit.

“The clothes are cheap and full of character. I already bought a shirt,” she said.

Vintage shop owners at Dongmyo Market are stunned by the surge in visitors.

“Young foreign customers make up more than half of our customers, especially younger ones,” said a 60-year-old street vendor in Dongmyo.

Kwon Jun-won, 48, who has run a vintage shop at Dongmyo for six years, said that his shop is busy on both weekends and weekdays. Visitors come from countries, including Egypt, France and Italy to Japan, to name a few.

“I don’t know where they hear about us, but they just keep coming,” said Kwon.

Among global fashion leaders, Dongmyo is now viewed as a treasure trove of street fashion.

Last year, Canadian fashion platform SSENSE showcased unique fashion styles captured in Dongmyo.

In an article headlined “Unlocking your inner grandpa at Seoul’s hidden thrift gem," the e-commerce platform featured photos of elderly Koreans sporting eye-catching styles: cat-patterned ties; Honda-logo leather jackets; and sneakers with springs.

During his visit to Seoul in 2018, London-based avant-garde designer Kiko Kostadinov was also captivated by the bold mix-and-match styles of older men on the streets around Dongmyo.

He dubbed Dongmyo the best street in the world and shared photos of the older men and their fashion on his own social media channels.

As the thrift market trend goes viral, online mentions of “thrift” and “vintage” rose by 14.8% and 25.3% between May 26 and June 25, respectively, according to Korean data analytics firm Sometrend. The figures are compared to the same period last year.

Mentions of “Dongmyo Market” also saw a 1.39% uptick. Dongmyo is the northern end of Dongdaemun Market, one of South Korea’s largest wholesale and retail fashion hubs.

Write to Ji Hee Ryu at keephee@hankyung.com

Yeonhee Kim edited this article.