"Luxury Brands Also Say Honjeoopseoye"... Why Chanel and Bulgari Went to Jeju

Chanel Opens Pop-up Store at Shilla Hotel
Bulgari Collaborates with Parnas Jeju
Choices Reflecting Resort Vibes and Purchasing Power

Exterior view of the Chanel boutique opened at Jeju Shilla Hotel

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Seong Ji-young (30), an office worker living in Jeju Island, decided to wait in line at the Chanel Jeju pop-up store with a friend this weekend. Seong said, "Reservations are fully booked, so we plan to wait on-site," adding, "Previously, to see Chanel, I had to travel to Seoul, but now I have an unmissable opportunity to see and try on limited edition items right here in Jeju."

According to industry sources on the 26th, overseas luxury brands that used to hold pop-up stores in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, are recently turning their attention to Jeju. Chanel and Bulgari are collaborating with Jeju’s 5-star luxury hotels to showcase limited edition collections.

Chanel officially opened its pop-up store at the Shilla Hotel Jeju on the 22nd. It has been wildly popular even before opening, with all time slots on weekdays and weekends fully booked until the end of October. It is known that many customers, not only locals from Jeju but also from Seoul and other areas, are booking flights to visit the Jeju pop-up store.

Bulgari is running a caf? and pop-up store at the Parnas Jeju Hotel until the 30th. The Bulgari resort collection ‘Sunset in Eden’ is being sold at the pop-up store, and an afternoon tea set inspired by the concept is offered at the caf?. A representative from Parnas Hotel said, “From Bulgari VIPs to customers who are directly coming from Seoul to Jeju, inquiries and reviews are pouring in, showing its popularity.”

Burberry also held a pop-up store last year with a unique pyramid-shaped exterior. At that time, weekend wait times were at least three hours, and it ended successfully.

The industry sees two main reasons why luxury brands are turning their attention to Jeju hotels. The first is the resort vibe. Luxury brands, which used to target the upper class traveling for vacations, still regularly release resort collections and other vacation-tailored fashion. It is said that these collections fit well with Jeju’s exotic atmosphere. The 5-star hotels like Shilla and Parnas, which have great views of the sea, also contribute to enhancing the collection’s ambiance. A Chanel representative said, “The product line includes a cruise collection, so we chose Jeju for its exotic and mild atmosphere.”

The other reason is purchasing power. Customers staying at Jeju’s 5-star hotels generally have the willingness and ability to pay for luxury goods. An industry insider said, “Customers visiting the pop-up stores already own or intend to purchase the products,” adding, “Also, the main clientele of 5-star hotels overlaps with the target customers of luxury brands, which is why hotels were chosen.”

Bvlgari Pop-up Store Opened at Parnas Hotel Jeju

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