An Insider's Guide to Seoul

Hyemee Lee of EENK shares her favorite spots.

Earlier this month I went for a coffee with Hyemee Lee, the founder of EENK, at the Mercer Hotel. The minute I saw her, I immediately knew she had to be featured in the newsletter. Despite it being one of those 90 plus degree days with humidity to boot, Hyemee looked calm, cool, and collected in a head-to-toe black ensemble that she designed. We spent the better part of an hour chatting (via translator) about her brand, which has been around since 2013. She approaches her collections in an interesting way — namely centered around the alphabet, with each letter emblematic of a theme or object. Interestingly, Hyemee skipped the letter A (she’s saving it for last as it represents the word Archive) and kicked off her line with B for Beanie, as EENK was originally an accessories label. In 2018, she expanded to ready-to-wear and now the brand has four collections a year.

The designer, Hyemee Lee, looking incredibly chic.

While her collection might not be super well known here, it’s a big hit in Korea, both celebrity-wise and editorially. EENK has dressed everyone from the iconic Oscar winning actress Youn Yuh-jung for the cover of Elle Korea to actress Kim Ji- Won for the digital cover of Vogue Korea to Stray Kids’ Hyunjin. It’s easy to see why as her pieces are sleek, cerebral, and cool — exactly the sort of pieces one would fold into their wardrobe if they love minimalism and avant-garde in equal measure.

Her latest collection, Z for Zero to One, showed this past February during Paris Fashion week. Styled by Malina Joseph Gilchrist, the 25 looks featured oversized, dramatic shapes in shades of ecru, camel, and black. To note: the pieces are Western-sized, meaning they run smaller than your average Korean brand. That’s a relief for anyone who has ever shopped in Asia — a medium there would be the equivalent of an American small and most brands tend to stop at that point. EENK, however, is more generously cut, with some pieces deliberately so like a cream cocoon coat that she showed me as one of her favorites. As for my personal highlights, I was a huge fan of the shredded skirt coupled with satin blazer as a creative spin on black-tie dressing as well as the furry short with the white shirt. Hyemee also pointed out the fringed black gown as one of her favorites. It’s full of texture and movement, making it an extremely cool red carpet option for the right client.

Given how stylish her collection is, of course her taste level is equally as impeccable. Her apartment in Seoul was featured on Vogue Korea’s YouTube and highlighted her amazing furniture. The same approach to design can also be said of her brand’s boutique, located in Yongsan, a chic area that’s also home to all of the foreign embassies. Naturally I had to ask her for her favorites, from where she shops when she’s not wearing her own label to the cafe she hits up for cute drinks and snacks to the skin clinic she goes for treatments. Read on for her guide and one caveat: I’ve listed the places on Google Maps but note that Korea uses Naver for local navigation. If you travel there, download Naver instead — you won’t be able to do walking directions on Google as that functionality is blocked.

Her Favorite Shops

Maison EENK — 3 4F, 43 Jangmun-ro, Yongsan

Retail in Asia is no joke. Everything is an experience that encourages customers to linger in the space and the EENK boutique is a great example of that. Hyemee worked with architect Hyosang Seung’s firm IROJE to design the space. Upon entry, it’s meant to evoke a cozy lounge-like space with a wood table in the letter E made by IROJE. You’ll see the brand’s signature phone cases displayed on the wall. Also take note of the carpet, made by Noiich, a Korean brand known for their made-to-order pieces. Once you head up the stairs, you’ll enter the retail area. At its center is a rail which inspired by 병풍Byeong-pung, the traditional folding screen, and displays the current collection. The hangers and grid-shaped windows are made with Hanji, a paper made from the pulp of mulberry trees and whose use dates back to 108BC. In contrast, touches of modernity include paintings by Minha Park as well as custom lamps designed by Seung for the boutique. Even the scent is specific (which I love!) as the diffuser is meant to evoke the scents of old books. It’s definitely worth a visit to check our her pieces IRL.