As in most mature consumer markets across the planet, sustainability and recycling have become significant driving factors in South Korea‘s flourishing economy, shaping the retail sector and the way people shop along the way. Barcelona-based bag brand Nukak was founded in 2016 by entrepreneurs Patricio Abreu and Pedro Ribosa who set out to create bags and accessories from reused materials, most notably discarded PVC advertising banners. Mind you, the name Nukak is inspired by the very last eponymous nomadic tribe living Colombia‘s pristine Amazon rainforest, and the brand defines itself by giving discarded materials a new lease on life.
The company has now entered the booming South Korean market with a flagship store in Seongsu, a new and fast-emerging shopping district in Seoul. The flagship store, dubbed Nukak CASA, store occupies a 297 sqm. (3,197 sq.ft.) unit in the basement of a former industrial building. It’s actually the very same location of the much-publicised Pan Am store which opened last year and which we covered in a previous post. The interior design, created by Seoul-based architecture practice unseenbird, is inspired by Nukak‘s elaborate products range, and as such, the various display units have been the starting point of the setting’s chosen aesthetic.
The displays and shelving units are largely crafted from aluminium profiles, and in some cases, also combined light timber, creating a utilitarian style which is very compatible with the building’s architectural legacy. As Nukak‘s accessories can be customised with different materials selected at the store, there’s a separate,, slightly elevated section where shoppers can browse at leisure and have their personalised item of choice created. Here, furnishings included metal communal tables paired with stools paired with a backdrop of wall-mounted shelving and cabinets. The newly opened Nukak CASA stocks the brand’s full range of bags and accessories.
Nukak CASA
89 Yeonmujang-gil, Level B1 (Seongsu)
04783 Seoul
Telephone: +82 70 71742318
Daily 11am-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.
