AIOU (http://aiou.co.kr/), a South Korean e-commerce site specializing in leather handbags, is popular among women in their mid-20s and 30s as it boasts unique designs combined with high-quality leather.
Using minimalism and simplicity as the main themes, AIOU eliminates any unnecessary decorations and arrangements, and uses different colors to emphasize each item.
“From selection of leather to auxiliary materials, we only choose the best quality,” explained Kyu-jin Jang, CEO of AIOU. He also added that he makes repeated modifications, or even the total elimination of certain design parts, until desired results.
All products that have gone through this complex process are uploaded to AIOU’s social media channels. Global customers have used these means to request a shopping site which accepts foreign transactions. As a result, AIOU opened the English version (http://en.aiou.co.kr/) of its site to cater their needs last year.

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<Main page of IOU>

With foreign transactions still on the rise, AIOU has grown to be a global brand now.
Preferred styles vary greatly. For example, Korean customers prefer “mini” bags, especially the “saddle” bag (as it looks like a saddle used on a horse) since it matches all styles. However, outside Korea, global customers go for the “macaron” bag for its unique round shape.
“It’s quite common to see oddly-shaped bags in Korea, it’s not new, whereas abroad people find these to be rare thus the higher interest to collect them,” said CEO Jung.
AIOU’s fame also extends in the offline market. At the beginning of this year, AIOU closed a deal to make its products available at a well-known shopping mall in Taiwan thus extending the list of loyal AIOU customers. In addition, AIOU is in final stages of signing a strategic agreement with multi-brand boutiques in England. It also plans on expanding not only all over Europe but also China and many more countries around the world.
CEO Jang went on to say, “We want to show our appreciation to our customers by offering only the best quality at great prices. Our ultimate goal is to be a brand customers can be proud.”
Staff Reporter Yoon, Heeseok | pioneer@etnews.com