# Counterculture Fashion Shops Korea's 'Rare Market' Sells Alternatives to Global Designer Brands By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2016-05-13 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rare-market References: [vogue](http://www.vogue.com/13421303/rare-market-seoul-concept-shop-dami-kwon-jessica-jung/) & [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raremarket_official/?hl=en) There's a lot of competition between global luxury brands that want to win over the hearts of consumers in Korea, but Rare Market is a concept shop that diverges from other retailers in this area. This fashion shop caters to consumers who want to stand out and be recognized for their own style, not a designer brand name. The shop in Seoul was co-founded by two friends who were on a mission to bring obscure designer brands to Korea. As a result, the pair have six annual buying trips, where they bring back an assortment of globally inspired pieces from everywhere from New York to Russia. Co-founder Jessica Jung says: "In Korea, it’s always [Chanel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hewi), or [Louis Vuitton](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/louis-vuitton-prefall-2023), or Gucci, but now we have people coming in and saying, ‘Oh, what brand is this?'" As well as having a foothold in Korea among a new generation of style-conscious women, [Rebel Market](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ray-ban-star-wars) has global appeal—it launched its own in-house line, We11Done, in collaboration with American 'Man Repeller' blogger Leandra Medine. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.1/10 - Popularity: 86% | Activity: 90% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Hip Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/hipfashion) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Alternative Fashion:** Rare Market caters to consumers who want to stand out and be recognized for their own style, not a designer brand name. - **Obscure Designer Brands:** The founders of Rare Market bring back an assortment of globally inspired pieces from obscure designer brands during their buying trips. - **Global Appeal:** Rare Market's in-house line, We11Done, in collaboration with American 'Man Repeller' blogger Leandra Medine, has gained global appeal. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Fashion Retail:** Rare Market's focus on alternative fashion presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the fashion retail industry. - **Designer Brand Distribution:** The success of Rare Market in bringing obscure designer brands to Korea opens up opportunities for disruptive innovation in the designer brand distribution industry. - **Fashion Collaboration:** We11Done's collaboration with Leandra Medine demonstrates the potential for disruptive innovation in the fashion collaboration industry. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Seoul-Specific Personalized Retail Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/brand-experience-space.md) - [Unique Concept Clothing Stores](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/base-store.md) - [Unique Long-Lasting Costumes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rave-and-festival-fashion.md) - [Luxury Brand Legacy Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/designer-of-dreams.md) - [Character-Driven Fashion Newsletters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-realgirl.md) - [Limited-Edition Designer-Forward Collaborations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/black-market.md) - [South Korean Store Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/palace-skateboards-3.md) - [Subculture-Themed Generational Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wildest-ones-yet.md) - [Artfully Inspired Fashion Retailers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/loewe-branch.md)