WITHIPUN (http://en.withipun.com), the South Korean shopping website specializing in women’s apparel, sells more than clothes – comfortable and delicate daily looks. Since the 90s, Hyung-jung Lee, CEO of WITHIPUN, had built his skills in Dongdae-mun, the mecca for K-Fashion. This helped him expand his brand globally while using its style as a clear distinction from other competitors.
“There are many who think of boxy tops, larger sizes, and casual clothes as daily look-clothing, pretty far from being delicate and elegant,” said CEO Lee. He also added that WITHIPUN has worked hard to accomplish comfort and delicacy, and the world has accepted its efforts thus the exponential growth within a short period.
The word “beauty in daily looks” has spread among ladies in their 20s, main customers of WITHIPUN, and even among department stores in South Korea, which many of these have recruited WITHIPUN to its nation-wide chains.
In 2011, WITHIPUN opened the English, Chinese, and Japanese versions of its website through cafe24 (http://www.cafe24corp.com/en), the global e-commerce platform. As it continues to strengthen its global presence, sales generated overseas grew 500% compared to the previous year.
WITHIPUN’s thoughtfulness of offering its customers comfort without being oversized has gained recognition worldwide. “Such trait has been recognized and accepted by Korean customers, and now it’s working on globally as well,” explained CEO Lee. He also added that being able to quickly read and respond demands, such as demand for new designs, from global customers in their 20s is another big reason for success.
Using the “made in Korea” marketing strategy has also proven successful. From design to production happening in Korea, stressing such fact has helped WITHIPUN become widely-known in China, a country with strong preferences to K-Style. Not only sought after by department stores, WITHIPUN is a brand frequently visited and looked for by many tourists.
CEO Lee keeps on focusing on the global market. Including Rakuten, the Japanese online marketplace, WITHIPUN plans on making its items available through global marketplaces in the US, China, Japan, and SEA in order to increase sales and brand power.
CEO Lee went on to say, “We will work hard to provide ladies worldwide with fashion items they need. I believe that our knowhow on women’s fashion, WITHIPUN’s excellent crew, and the competitiveness of Korean brands will help us reach for what we are aiming.”
Yoon, Hee-seok | pioneer@etnews.com