Seoul’s Top Lifestyle Companies: A Deep Dive into Korean Sports

Seoul has long been recognized as a hotbed of technological innovation, with a rapidly growing startup ecosystem that extends into various industries, including lifestyle. This booming industry combines multiple sectors from fashion and beauty to fitness and wellness, all to enhance and stylize day-to-day living. We will take a look at a number of companies headquartered in Seoul, who are making a significant impact in the lifestyle industry through their unique ideas and brilliant executions.

Balaan

Balaan, founded by Hyeong-Rok Choi, Jacob Kwak, and Joonhong Park, is revolutionizing the way people shop for luxury goods. Through a unique arrangement with European boutiques, it offers the latest high-end products to customers at lower prices with a three-day delivery promise. The company has not limited itself to providing only online shopping services, it has positioned itself as a lifestyle brand that blends e-commerce with aspects of fashion, IT, and retail. Balaan’s online presence is also significant with an active LinkedIn page and a Facebook page.

Althea

Bringing Korean beauty to southeast Asia, Althea is a premier online platform founded by Christopher Cynn, Frank Kang, and Jae Yoon Kim that offers the latest beauty products, trends, and lifestyle options for consumers. The company has successfully bridged cosmetics and e-commerce, providing a unique platform that gives users access to trending beauty products from the comfort of their homes. Althea also maintains a strong social media presence, with accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

GP Club

With a history dating back to 2003, GP Club has evolved from a game distribution business into a comprehensive cosmetics company that offers more than 500 product lines, becoming a global leader in the K-Beauty market. The company, founded by Jung-Woong Kim, has expanded into manufacturing and distribution of cosmetics including creams, lipsticks, and cleansers, all reflecting a modern, healthy, and stylish lifestyle.

Gbike

Gbike, led by innovators KJ Lee and Walter Yoon, is a green urban mobility startup offering bike and scooter sharing services. Through proprietary IT solutions, Gbike is pioneering a new model of transportation that may eventually help transform the existing car-centric environment, making day-to-day commuting more eco-friendly and seamless. You can learn more about Gbike on their LinkedIn page.

WELT

WELT redefines what a belt can do. Co-founded by Ken Hyekang Roh and Sean Seongji Kang, WELT’s ‘Smart Fashion Belt’ manages users’ wellness by tracking food intake, activity level, and weight. The stylish leather belt provides a seamless blend of fashion and fitness and uses its associated app to send personalized messages and recommendations for avoiding metabolic risks. To get more insight into WELT, explore their social media accounts on @weltcorp, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Art and Design International (ADI)

Art and Design International (ADI), led by Hellen Hyein Choo, offers a wide range of cosmetic products, including vegan skincare and fragrance as well as professional-grade hair styling products. As a prolific global manufacturer and distributor, ADI showcases its products on its Facebook page and serves customers in Korea, China, North America, and other countries.

Good Food For Good

Good Food For Good operates as a food and lifestyle brand. While the founders remain unnamed, their vision of bringing healthier food options to their customers is encompassed in their name and their products.

Tumblbug

In the field of crowdfunding, Tumblbug stands as a unique platform for independent creators to get their art and cultural content funded. Launched in 2011 by Jaeseung Yeom and Won-young So, Tumblbug allows artists to receive support for their freshly brewed ideas in a wide range of categories, from art and fashion to technology. Keep up with their latest activities by visiting their Twitter and Facebook pages.

29CM

29CM, driven by the brainchild of Changwoo Lee, is an online selects shop offering customers a variety of local and international brands distributed across categories like fashion, home, lifestyle, and culture. They successfully integrate the traditional e-commerce platform with finer elements of lifestyle, reflected across their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Washon

Providing on-demand laundry services in the Seoul metropolitan area, Washon aims to make laundry chores stress-free for their customers. Offering a home improvement solution, Washon transforms the mundane task of laundry into a convenient, lifestyle upgrade. The business is also represented on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Malang Studio

Malang Studio was founded by Heidi Han, Michael Hong, and YeongHo Kim in 2013, offering a unique suite of applications that keeps track of daily eating habits. Using mobile technology, they have developed a lifestyle product that promotes a healthier lifestyle. For information, you can check out their LinkedIn and Facebook pages.

These companies, all based in Seoul, represent a few of the many innovative and unique businesses shaping the lifestyle industry. Their broad range is indicative of Seoul’s position as a leader in lifestyle brands and technological integration, offering a glimpse into the future of this dynamic industry.