Goldwin Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Takao Watanabe) will open Goldwin Seoul as the first Korean flagship store of its original Goldwin brand in the Dosan area in the heart of Seoul’s Gangnam District on Saturday, February 14, 2026.
Goldwin Seoul will open in the urban district near Dosan Park, which is known as a particularly fashion-forward area within Seoul’s Gangnam District. This district is home to luxury brands, independent boutiques, and sophisticated cafes and galleries, making it popular among young people. Centered around Dosan Park, this neighborhood continues to evolve as a place where new trends constantly emerge while remaining a step away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
This area is frequented by domestic and international fashion industry professionals and creators as well as fashion-conscious locals, making it a natural fit for an immersive showcasing of the brand’s identity. Offering all Goldwin product categories, Goldwin Seoul will be the world’s largest Goldwin store and consist of two floors above ground with a retail space of approximately 572㎡ and a spacious entrance. By strategically locating our flagship store near Dosan Park, we will showcase our products that combine functionality and aesthetics, while connecting with Seoul’s avant-garde fashion scene.
We obtained THE NORTH FACE trademark rights for Japan and Korea in 1994, and through YOUNGONE OUTDOOR Corporation, our joint venture with a local company, we operate our brand business not only in Japan but also in Korea. In 2024, we established Goldwin Korea Corporation as a joint venture (consolidated subsidiary) with the aim of expanding the Goldwin brand business in Korea. Since then, we have been organizing pop-up stores and events primarily for department stores and wholesale accounts to develop our local marketing efforts. Among our other successful initiatives, we were able to attract many visitors to our Goldwin 0 launch event in October of last year at the Oil Tank Culture Park, a distinctive space made of six decommissioned oil storage tanks.
We view Goldwin Seoul as a pivotal location for accelerating our global strategy. In expanding the Goldwin brand overseas, we have developed a growth strategy to position ourselves as a “premium sports brand.” We are implementing this strategy primarily in China, where fashion trends from neighboring Korea have significant influence. We believe opening a store in Korea will help us establish the brand’s presence in China and globally. In Korea, which is a global fashion hub, we look forward to creating new value through the harmony between Goldwin, which embraces the traditional Japanese aesthetic principles of delicacy, care, and precision in its monozukuri (art of making things), and Korea’s history and nature. We will create a store that will showcase the brand’s identity as a communal space that will foster empathy across generations.
Since announcing the “Goldwin 500” project in April 2024, which aims to globally drive the growth of the Goldwin brand, we have been accelerating our store openings around the world. With the opening of our first Korean flagship store, we will expand the global network of our high-quality, self-operated stores with the aim of further increasing brand recognition.
■Spatial concept | Goldwin Seoul
Goldwin’s flagship Seoul store embodies the company’s “Life with Nature” philosophy on the grandest scale yet. “Life with Nature” means connecting with the natural world as a living being who coexists within it, rather than a separate entity regarding it from without as a target for consumption. Goldwin Seoul, the largest Goldwin store in the world, conveys this stance with a richness born of the blending of nature with human wisdom.
The building is located in a neighborhood where the streetscape is ever-changing, and has been expanded and renovated repeatedly over the years in response to trends. We sought to make Goldwin Seoul a universal space that can both accommodate and hold its own against this constant flux.
The design is founded on the idea of people and the workings of nature harmoniously coexisting amid new life sprouting from cracks in the rock. This forms both a physical foundation for the building and an expression of the brand’s principles. The flagstone approach continues into the building, ushering visitors in and blurring the barrier between inside and out.
The ring at the center of the space is an iconic representation of nature’s cyclicity that also bears a curved screen for showing birds-eye video. It will function as a kind of gate, severing visitors from the everyday and providing a visual experience of Goldwin’s stance.
On the second floor, the store becomes a space of constant change, themed around cycles and the contrast between yin and yang. The open, high-ceilinged area created by renovations is a space of yang, suffused with light. The older part of the building, which is located further in and retains its original low ceiling, is a tranquil space of yin. Natural light passes through shoji screens to reflect softly off white porcelain floor tiles, imparting a pure brightness to the space. The central area, occupying the boundary between the existing area and the renovated part, has a stage with removable sliding fusuma doors covered in soft Korean paper. These fusuma function like the iris of a camera: when opened, they loosely connect the spaces and allow light and dark to mingle; when closed, they heighten the yin-yang contrast and alter the entire aspect of the space.
Nature and humanity, light and shadow, contemporary methods and traditional materials, old and new: throughout this structure, oppositions coexist and commingle in sublime balance. We see this as an embodiment of “Life with Nature,” fulfilling our goal of creating a space that fully expresses Goldwin’s style.
New Material Research Laboratory
▼Official store photos will be available for download from the URL below after 10:00 AM on February 14.
https://goldwininc.box.com/s/w2qiu2splpmkp31wpq4465c3fgrxtyiq
■Details on Goldwin Seoul
Name: Goldwin Seoul
Location: 33, Eonju-ro 164-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 강남구 언주로164길 33（신사동）06020
Business hours: 11:00-20:00
Floor space: Approximately 572㎡ (574㎡ in total) *Sales Floors: 1F 188㎡, 2F 178㎡
Products available: All categories in the Goldwin brand, including skiing, outdoor activities, athletics, lifestyle clothing, accessories, and bags.
■ Goldwin’s Overseas Expansion to Date
November 2019: Opened Goldwin San Francisco (USA), our first directly managed store overseas
October 2020: Opened Goldwin Munich (Germany), our first directly managed store in Europe
December 2021: Opened Goldwin Beijing (China), our first directly managed store in mainland China
April 2024: Established Goldwin (Suzhou) Trading Co., Ltd., a joint venture (consolidated subsidiary), to expand business operations with the Goldwin brand in mainland China
August 2024: Opened Goldwin Chengdu (China), our second directly managed store in mainland China
September 2024: Opened Goldwin Shanghai (China), our largest directly managed store worldwide
October 2024: Established Goldwin Korea Corporation, a joint venture (consolidated subsidiary), to expand business operations with the Goldwin brand in South Korea
January 2025: Opened Goldwin Hangzhou (China), our fourth directly managed store in mainland China
April 2025: Opened Goldwin Nanjing (China), our fifth directly managed store in mainland China
May 2025: Established GOLDWIN LONDON LIMITED, a local subsidiary in the United Kingdom, to support the expansion of the Goldwin brand in Europe
June 2025: Opened Goldwin Shenyang, the sixth Goldwin store in mainland China
June 2025: Opened Goldwin Shenzhen, the seventh Goldwin store in mainland China
August 2025: Opened Goldwin Xi’an (China), our eighth directly managed store in mainland China
January 2026: Opened Goldwin London, our second store in Europe
Goldwin brand site: https://www.goldwin-global.com/kr/
Instagram：@goldwin_seoul
■Comments from Naoki Kimura, CEO of Goldwin Korea Corporation
I’m very excited about the opening of Goldwin’s first flagship store in Seoul, Korea. Since establishing Goldwin Korea Corporation in October 2024, we have been implementing various strategies focusing on Seoul and the broader Korean market, although on a modest scale. Trends in the Korean market change rapidly and constantly require fresh approaches. Through this flagship store, we will showcase products featuring Japanese functionality, aesthetics, and attention to detail, as well as global creatives, while delivering creatives and information tailored to Korean customers and market characteristics to expand customer touch points. The store’s interior combines various materials from Korea and Japan, presenting a novel store concept that harmonizes both countries’ cultures. Additionally, the view from outside—revealing the cylindrical installation on the first floor and extending to the second floor—creates a one-of-a-kind design for Seoul. We believe that both this unique architecture and our products will provide a satisfying experience for our customers.
■Store Design：New Material Research Laboratory
New Material Research Laboratory is an architectural firm co-founded by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Tomoyuki Sakakida in 2008. Notwithstanding its name, New Material Research Laboratory examines materials from ancient and medieval times and focuses its activities on reinterpreting and reimagining the use of these materials in the present. Taking a stand against today’s standardized and superficial construction materials, they daringly explore the architectural possibilities of traditional materials that are difficult to handle, as well as preserving and improving on the elaborate skills and knowledge of expert artisans.
Hiroshi Sugimoto and Tomoyuki Sakakida are well aware of the significance of their advanced challenge and they continue to conceive bold architectural design incorporating traditional materials while eschewing current architectural trends.