A person holds a smartphone with the webpage of Korean fashion company Musinsa (Getty Images).
A person holds a smartphone with the webpage of Korean fashion company Musinsa (Getty Images).

South Korea’s leading fashion platform Musinsa said Friday that its overseas expansion is gaining traction, with exports climbing on the back of cross-border e-commerce and a measured push into physical retail.

According to the company, it reported cumulative global sales of about 240 billion won ($170 million), driven largely by online sales. Those sales have grown roughly threefold annually, spanning its global platform launched in September 2022 and overseas marketplaces. The operation now covers 13 regions and features more than 4,000 Korean fashion brands, with cumulative sales exceeding three million items.

A widening overseas appetite for independent Korean labels, Musinsa said, underpins the company’s recent growth.

Japan has been the standout market. Transaction volume there rose 145 percent on-year in 2025, with monthly sales topping 10 billion won for the first time in October. Musinsa has sought to channel that online momentum into offline retail through a series of pop-ups since 2023.

China has also emerged as a key market. Two Musinsa stores opened in Shanghai late last year attracted more than 100,000 visitors within 26 days.

Distribution has been another source of momentum. Musinsa helped Korean label Matin Kim open its first Japanese store in Tokyo’s Shibuya district in 2024, and has supported Japanese and Chinese brands entering the Korean market.

“Japan will host another pop-up store in April and see the opening of a Musinsa location later this year, while China will add new locations beyond Shanghai,” a Musinsa official said. “We also plan to deepen our presence in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.”

The official added that beauty is becoming a new leg of the company’s international strategy. Overseas sales in the category climbed 161 percent in 2025 from 2024, with its private label Oddtype expanding distribution across Asia and preparing to enter the US and Australia.


minmin@heraldcorp.com