A haven of small independent men’s and women’s brands, Obscura has operated a popular retail space in Seoul‘s emerging Seongsu neighbourhood since late 2017. And now, four-and-a-half years on, the retailer has expanded its operations with a second boutique closer to the South Korean capital’s most discerning shoppers. Situated in Dosan, the boutique occupies a space of 165 sqm. (1,776 sq.ft.) spread across two floors of contemporary concrete structure and features a matching interior design by local design studio Practice. The chosen aesthetic is inspired by an abstract painting, entitled Burnt Uber Ultramarin, by renowned South Korean painter Yun-hyong Keun (1928-2007), and resulted in a clean, uncluttered space dotted with distinct volumes and a subdued palette of materials. Upon entering the store, shoppers encounter an imposing large volume of black plywood which serves both as a divider and a display for clothing, set against a backdrop of concrete flooring, whitewashed walls paired with raw concrete beams, and a ceiling covered in metal grids. A striking spiral staircase in shiny metal. The upper floor of the Obscura store sees a landing lined with sleek steel rods, and behind a cylindrical fitting room in black steel, a similar clothing display can be found. At the far end, in an adjacent space, a curved shelving unit for shoes crafted from black steel is paired with a low bench. Surprisingly, the bench is fretted with a delicate arch pine pattern. The new Obscura store carries a tightly curated selection of both men’s and women’s brands from across the planet, including Martine Rose, Studio Nicholson, Hed Mayner, POLYTERU, J.Press & Son’s, Helmut Lang and Ahluwalia.
Obscura
17 Eonju-ro 164-gil (Dosan)
06020 Seoul
Telephone: +82 2 62050910
Daily 1pm-8pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.