SEOUL FOOD: Lacoste has opened its first Café Lacoste in South Korea, set in the new flagship in Seoul’s creative Seongsu district that the French brand unveiled Friday.
“Our continued development of flagships around the world reflects our ambition to strengthen Lacoste’s international presence and desirability, while offering increasingly distinctive brand experiences,” said Thierry Guibert, who returned as chief executive officer of the tennis-centric brand in October.
The Seoul flagship, he added, continues that momentum in a city “renowned for its creative energy and cultural influence.” Lacoste has more than 230 points of sale in South Korea and over the summer, took over the pool and outdoor lounge of the Mondrian hotel in Seoul’s Itaewon district.
Spanning more than 8,000 square feet over four levels, the new Seoul flagship draws on the area’s industrial heritage and historic brick buildings.
Occasionally dubbed the “Brooklyn of Seoul,” Seongsu emerged as a footwear hub in the 1960s, with major manufacturers and a dense network of cobblers and materials suppliers. In the early 2000s, it underwent a revitalization led by a major park project in the district and more recently,...