All my senses are heightened where I am. Reinvigorated amongst a wash of mint green curtains, chic indigo furniture and a spellbinding soundscape, my eyes are drawn to a rotating object that commands attention at the end of the room. The object is a mechanical installation of metal that feels like it belongs in the future, an apt reflection of the inherent nature of Haus Nowhere Seoul, the striking new building that has just opened on the edge of the capital’s buzziest district, Seongsu. It is the fourth project for Haus Nowhere, an experimental multi-brand retail concept, with previous iterations having been built in Shenzhen, Shanghai and South Korea’s Dosan neighbourhood. A brutalist escape, designed for the one who dreams of dreams, and other worlds.
For its opening earlier this month, a fleet of global A-listers—from Tilda Swinton and FKA Twigs to Anne Curtis and Kentaro Sakaguchi—were welcomed to explore the statuesque new space. Notably, South Korean names such as Felix of Stray Kids, Byeon Woo-seok, Karina of Aespa and Ella of Meovv were also in attendance for the star-studded opening, each of them having been in recent campaigns for eyewear brand Gentle Monster, fragrance house Tamburins, headwear label Atiissu, as well as the newly-launched Nuflaat. All of which join the popular dessert cafe concept, Nudake, under the parent umbrella of IICombined, which also finds its new headquarters in the upper floors of Haus Nowhere Seoul.
During my time there, I spent hours idling away in this capacious, newly-opened cafe or the Tea House for Nudake. This transportive space—located on the fifth floor and only accessible by an industrial service lift—is tucked away like a hidden universe, but the journey upwards is a reward in itself.
With its unique dessert and tea flavours, Nudake’s Tea House is synonymous with the zany world of Nuflaat that you’ll find on the third floor, where tables are dressed in unexpected shapes and unique tableware; imagine a high heel fashioned as a cake cutter, or a lipstick tube doubling up as a bottle opener.
Beyond Nuflaat’s bizarre inventory for the dining scene, the third floor of Haus Nowhere Seoul also opens unto the myriad of Gentle Monster’s sister brands, Tamburins and Atiissu. In line with IICombined’s overarching moodboard of futuristic play, the brand boasts a lineup of fashion-forward headwear pieces. Some cap styles feature stocking fabric that has been shredded and layered over, whilst others—like a neon knit set that comes complete with gloves and scarf accessories—feel more primed for a drive in the dirt.
Of course, where Gentle Monster finds its home, so will Tamburins. The fragrance house, which requires no introduction, has been enjoying a successful run in the past few years, bringing with it a range of innovative scents that reflect various moods. Its most recent Sunshine collection comes into full focus with Haus Nowhere Seoul’s opening too, as the dog which fronts the new campaign alongside Felix has been created supersized for the first floor of the building. Think a 13-metre live installation of the breathing canine being the first thing that greets you past the doors. And if your recollection of the dog escapes you, an AI-powered photo experience also awaits at Haus Nowhere Seoul, where the ‘Sunshine’ dog will literally match your fit—a snappable moment for you to take home.
So where does Gentle Monster fit in in all of this? The cult eyewear brand finds its home on the second floor of Haus Nowhere Seoul—and the true ethos of the building comes alive here. Throughout each floor, repeated motifs of mechanical, surrealist forms are cast in motion, as if they had been taken out of a sci-fi film. It is at Gentle Monster though, where you’ll find a pair of enormous, half-painted human figures—as if they were twins, but not quite—anchoring the brand’s dystopian grounds.
At the centre of the space, a floating, nebulous installation stands as a reflection of Gentle Monster’s newest Bold collection. Upon closer look, it is the recurring motif of the collection—which has since taken flight amid the release of its campaign, led by the magnetic Tilda Swinton and filmed with Haus Nowhere Seoul as its transcendental background.
There is no better time to be basking in the Bold Collection, with its design that dissolves the traditional nose pad element in an optical frame. From its lightweight metal frames to designs that feel futuristic yet wearable in today’s world, it is the perfect reflection of what Haus Nowhere Seoul also seeks to embody: the future, returned.
1 / 9
Felix of Stray Kids
2 / 9
Tilda Swinton
3 / 9
Karina of Aespa
4 / 9
Hunter Schafer
5 / 9
Anne Curtis
6 / 9
Byeon Woo-seok
7 / 9
FKA Twigs
8 / 9
Greg Hsu
9 / 9
