“The simple idea of hanging a few things together and seeing how people felt,” says Myeongsoo Lee. The CEO is describings the humble beginnings of Seoul-based brand Amomento, which his sister Mikyung ‘MK’ Lee founded in 2015 and he joined a year later. Fast forward to now, it’s become one of Korea’s most quietly influential fashion labels.
Contemporary Korean fashion is defined by a dynamism that runs on fast-spreading trends and what K-pop idols are wearing, but with Amomento, the Lee siblings are betting on a much more timeless aesthetic that goes against the norm. Their clothes are tasteful and trend-averse, largely in neutral colors that span minimal and sporty, smart and tailored, with subtly unusual silhouettes that might be cropped, curved, or oversized. Quiet, sure, but also unpredictable.
“Korean customer taste is developing. I can tell that consumers here are becoming increasingly mature in the way they approach clothing,” says Lee, speaking over coffee in the lobby of a Seoul hotel. “More people are moving beyond simply exploring their tastes and are beginning to define them more clearly as their own rather than following a single dominant trend.” Though the impact of K-pop idols on the country’s palette is almost immeasurable, Lee sees a shift toward something more idiosyncratic, which is where Amomento comes in. “Five or 10 years ago, people followed influencers, and if they liked one brand they’d spend their money on it. But now, they don’t care about brands as much and they’re defining their own style more.”
MK started out with Shop Amomento, a multi-brand store that launched online and quickly branched out into physical retail. It now counts three stores spanning Hannam, Yulgok-ro, and Shinsegae in Gangnam. The label launched soon after with a small selection of shoes and garments, including an oversized jacket, a pair of flared pants, and some slides that were sold in Shop Amomento, eventually resulting in a full collectsion for Fall/Winter 2016.
But the siblings quickly separated the brand from the shop. “We came to realize that what we really wanted to build was not a private label for a merchant store, but a complete brand of its own,” says Lee. Shop Amomento does not stock its namesake label, with the latter selling physically out of its three brand stores in Seoul, plus one in Tokyo.
This two-pronged approach of a multi-brand store and an own label has so far been a runaway success — especially for the label. Annual revenues of the Amomento brand stand at $15 million, with company-wide revenues of $18 million and a steady compound annual growth rate of 34% over the past five years.
Though less profitable than the label, Shop Amomento serves as a kind of laboratory for Lee to keep tabs on the rest of the market and gauge consumer appetite for trends. The buy at Shop Amomento ranges from distinct independent labels like Gabriela Coll Garments and Edward Cuming, to fabric-focused brands like Extreme Cashmere. “Operating a multi-brand store gives me a clearer understanding of the overall market, and insight into how Amomento can grow and expand globally,” says Lee. Meanwhile, the brand has over 100 global stockists, from Extra Butter in New York and Printemps in Paris, to Chinatown Country Club in Sydney. This season, it held a runway presentation in Shanghai in an effort to further establish itself in the Chinese market, where it has over 20 stockists. “Especially post-Covid, China has shown a remarkably strong resurgence in demand.”
As well as Amomento and Shop Amomento, the business includes an archive store selling items from past seasons, and even a café called Reception, which is a bright little space next to Shop Amomento in Seochon serving fresh-pressed juice and coffee. While profits are “very little”, the café serves as a loss leader that helps build out Amomento’s world beyond just the clothes. “That’s why we named it Reception, because we want it to be a kind of place where people enter, feel more chill, and are ready to shop,” says Lee.
The multibrand stores are airy and filled with natural light, often with tall windows that look onto greenery outside and decorated with small bonsai trees or large rocks. There are art installations, too: currently, an electrokinetic sculpture of tiny metal rods by Venezuelan artist Elias Crespin hangs from the ceiling of its Hannam outpost. “It’s about exploring the beauty that surrounds us in many different areas, not just fashion,” says Lee.
Last year, Amomento opened its first brand store outside South Korea, in Omotesando, a fashionable, tree-lined shopping district in Tokyo. It’s “going very well”, according to Lee; the brand had already established a fan base in Japan, and tested the market with pop-ups first. Japanese consumers research the brand online before coming into the store, he says, meaning the conversion rate of visiting customers is 23%, compared to around 10% or less in Korea.
Further Asian expansion is imminent: the brand intends to amp up distribution in Japan, and will host pop-ups in Shanghai and Chengdu in the coming months. The direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel is vital. According to Lee, DTC is its fast-growing channel, currently accounting for 70% of Amomento’s total revenues and is growing at an average rate of 45% year-on-year.
Amomento manufactures much of its product in China, largely in Korean-owned factories. “Even though it’s in China, inside the factory it’s like it’s in Korea — the skill and detail is very good,” says Lee. Amomento’s prices range from $100 for a tight cotton top, to over $1,200 for a lambskin hoodie, though most pieces hover around the $200 to $300 mark. “Our quality is good compared to other brands, and we have a slightly more competitive price point. I really want to make this our strong point in the global market.”
Up next are ambitions to join the official Fashion Week Men’s calendar in Paris, where the brand eventually hopes to establish a permanent presence. “Whenever we hold a showroom in Paris, we get people from the street coming in excited thinking it’s a pop-up,” says Lee. “We think eventually there’s potential for us to have a store there.”
Before total domination, however, there’s yet another puzzle piece to add to Amomento’s world. This summer, the siblings will launch Amomento Plus, a sportswear line they hope will bring some ease into the daily lives of their customers. “The use of this,” says Lee, gesturing to his iPhone, “is not going to decrease. But I think outside activity is going to be more and more important, because people will want to escape.” The category will include sweats and activewear at the same price point and fabric quality as its main line. It seems to be intended for busy people with taste; the Lees may as well have designed it for themselves.
Correction: Reception is outside of Amomento’s Seochon store, not Hannam as previously reported. (April 10, 2026)
