"Don't Follow Your Girlfriend"... Department Stores Now 'Men's Hideouts'

Lotte Department Store Main Branch 5th Floor Remodeling
Store Expanded with Black Interior
Powder Room and Watch-Themed Cafe Added
‘Louis Vuitton Mens’ Opening Next Month

Men's international fashion specialty store located on the 5th floor of Lotte Department Store Main Branch in Jung-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Lotte Department Store has opened an overseas fashion specialty hall for MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) men at its main branch. Designed with the concept of a hideout for men who love luxury brands, the entire 5th floor was redesigned, expanding the store area to 4,960㎡ (approximately 1,500 pyeong), more than twice the previous size. In particular, luxury brands favored by men in their 20s and 30s, such as Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana, and Valentino, were introduced intensively.

◆ Powder Room for Men = Upon arriving on the 5th floor at 5 p.m. on the 14th, the interior design featuring black accents immediately caught the eye. Each luxury brand store and the wide pedestrian walkways used marble and steel to create a modern feel. The stores were designed in an open style to enhance accessibility, and the walkways were equipped with dim lighting at 150 lux to create a visual effect that highlights the store products.

Efforts to implement the latest shopping mall trend of high indoor ceiling height were also evident. Although it is the same building, design elements were added to make the ceiling appear higher than other floors. A Lotte Department Store official explained, "Since the building was constructed a long time ago, there are structural limitations, but we changed the ceiling to look higher by flattening and pushing it out." In addition to the stores, thoughtful considerations for men were evident in rest areas, lounge-style restrooms, and powder rooms. The restrooms featured a clean black and white interior, giving the feeling of being in a hotel. Gallery artworks such as paintings were displayed in the spacious areas, adding a touch of luxury.

A 'Big Pilot Watch' themed cafe located on the 5th floor of Lotte Department Store Main Branch in Jung-gu, Seoul.

◆ Consideration for Men Shopping Alone = At the center of the floor is a cafe by the luxury watch brand IWC, which is the second of its kind worldwide. This watch-themed cafe reflects men's tastes and can accommodate about 30 customers simultaneously. The cafe design is themed around IWC’s representative collection, the Big Pilot Watch, and eco-friendly materials were applied in the interior. A 10-meter-long table is placed at the front, with individual table seats arranged alongside. The structure allows men who enjoy shopping alone to comfortably use the cafe. At the bar table, customers can use stylish holders and wireless chargers. In collaboration with Seongsu-dong’s famous cafe Center Coffee, desserts and signature coffee featuring watches are also sold.

Lotte Department Store’s main branch has significantly strengthened new brands this time and newly introduced men’s stores for brands with a high proportion of male customers among those previously operated as complex stores. Representative examples include the Italian high-end cashmere brand Loro Piana, Balenciaga, a high-street casual brand by Vetements founder Demna Gvasalia, and Kenzo, a high contemporary brand under the LVMH group. Special lines not previously seen in complex stores can also be found in various ways.

◆ Men-Only Louis Vuitton is Coming = Following the opening of 14 new brands on the 8th, Lotte Department Store’s main branch plans to additionally introduce Louis Vuitton Men’s next month. In the second half of this year, through some additional renovations, they plan to have a total lineup of more than 30 brands. The reason Lotte Department Store is focusing on the men’s luxury hall is that the men’s luxury fashion market is rapidly growing. According to Lotte Department Store, overseas fashion sales to male customers increased by 66% in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, and currently, men in their 20s and 30s account for about 44% of men’s overseas fashion sales.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.