If You Only Know Gentle Monster — 3 Korean Eyewear Brands Worth Knowing

Ask a traveler about Korean eyewear and Gentle Monster comes up first, every time. Fair enough — their stores are basically installation art. But stopping there means missing two brands with completely different price points and personalities. All three make glasses and sunglasses; here's what actually separates them. 👓

Gentle Monster — Hongdae, Apgujeong, Seongsu

Every location is designed by a different architect or design collective, and it shows. The Hongdae flagship, a minimalist Apgujeong space that reads more like a Zen temple than a store, and the 14-story Haus Nowhere in Seongsu/Dosan — which houses a Tamburins beauty concept and a Nudake café in the basement — each turn the store itself into its own world. Frames run ₩250,000–₩350,000, with premium lines going higher.

The stores are genuinely art. But that price range isn't one you rebuy for everyday glasses — it's a gift, or a one-time "I want an eyewear art piece" purchase. If you're looking for glasses you'll actually wear daily, check the other two first.

Blue Elephant — Seongsu, Myeongdong, Hannam, Seoul Forest

Founded in 2019, the brand opened a roughly 1,000-pyeong (about 3,300㎡) flagship, "Space Seongsu," on Yeonmujang-gil in late November 2025 — four floors from ground level to a rooftop, built around a 12-meter spherical media-art installation. There's also a showroom in Seoul Forest (their first store), multiple Myeongdong locations, and one in Hannam. Frames and sunglasses run ₩40,000–₩70,000.

For a flagship this size, the price is strikingly low — you could buy three or four pairs for the price of one Gentle Monster frame. The Seongsu store is still more of a local spot than a tourist one, though, so it's less known among visitors.

Double Lovers — Seongsu

Launched in 2015 around the concept of "the duality of love and gaze," Double Lovers' Seongsu flagship on Yeonmujang-gil spans 120 pyeong (about 400㎡) across two floors, with frames displayed gallery-style. The brand's own positioning is "Accessible Luxury."

Almost nobody's heard of this one. Of the three, it's the one I'd point you to first.

A Note From Daniel — our real human editor

I bought a pair here recently — thin silver frames, around ₩70,000 (checking the brand's own site, it was actually their ₩69,900 silver optical line). Compared to the well-known eyewear houses that easily run ₩200,000–₩300,000+, that felt like real value. It's become the pair I actually reach for most, heading to work or out for the day.

Yuna's Tip

All three have a Seongsu location (Gentle Monster's near Dosan, Blue Elephant and Double Lovers both on Yeonmujang-gil), so you can hit all of them in one afternoon. By price: Gentle Monster (₩250,000+) is in a different league entirely, while Blue Elephant (₩40,000–70,000) and Double Lovers (₩49,900–89,900) sit in roughly the same range. Go to Gentle Monster for the store experience; go to the other two if you actually need a pair of glasses. ✨