Hyein Seo

HYEIN SEO has been name-checked by Vogue and Elle as a Korean fashion brand to know, which signals real critical standing rather than hype alone. Its appeal is edgy, well-made design with a strong point of view, so it tends to suit buyers who want something distinctive over a logo. If you connect with its subcultural, youth-driven aesthetic, the pieces deliver on identity.

The brand is led by South Korean designer Hyein Seo, with Jinho Lee as CEO. The two studied together at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp before founding the label. It's very much a designer-led house carrying her name and vision.

HYEIN SEO was founded in 2014, originally with an emphasis on womenswear and streetwear. Seo's thesis collection had been selected for the VFiles Made Fashion show during New York Fashion Week that same year. The brand has since broadened into menswear and more classical pieces.

Early HYEIN SEO was described as "street couture," shaped by Seo's love of Raf Simons, Maison Margiela, Dario Argento, and punk and skate culture. Over time it moved toward more handmade, timeless pieces meant to last regardless of trend cycles. So you'll find both its early subcultural edge and a more classical recent direction.

The brand has been worn by NewJeans, Rihanna, Grimes and Kendrick Lamar, among others across the west and east. Rihanna wore the label as early as Seo's breakout year. That cross-continental following is a big part of HYEIN SEO's recognition.

After early years traveling between Belgium and South Korea, Seo and Lee settled permanently in Korea in 2018. Their first space was in Gangnam, Seoul, where they have continued to run a studio and physical shop. That Seoul base is the heart of the brand.

The brand is consistently stylized in all caps as HYEIN SEO. The logo was also redesigned to reflect, in the team's words, the fact that they were getting older and more mature. The all-caps treatment is part of the brand's deliberate visual identity.

Yes — in 2022 the brand worked with New York-based artist Somnath Bhatt on a collection centred on Indian folklore, mythology and "celestial energy." In June 2025 it collaborated with Nike on the Nike Ava Rover, a lifestyle sneaker launched in three colours. These partnerships show its range across art and sportswear.

From SS23, CEO Jinho Lee steered the brand toward designing clothes for K-pop groups and Netflix shows as part of its focus. It has since worked with K-pop girl groups like NewJeans and several Netflix Japan series. That entertainment crossover is increasingly central to the label.

It has. From AW23 the brand shifted away from its earlier gorpcore pieces toward "a more classical direction" aimed at long-lasting appeal and construction. So newer collections lean more refined and timeless than the early street-couture work. Knowing roughly when a piece dates from helps you read which era of HYEIN SEO you're buying into.