IISE

IISE was founded in 2011 in Seoul by Korean-American brothers Kevin and Terrence Kim, who launched the brand as a contemporary menswear-and-accessories line specifically aimed at rebuilding Korean traditional craft language (Hanji paper, traditional Korean weaving, lacquerwork, the Joseon-period leather traditions) into a contemporary luxury vocabulary. The brand's foundational thesis was specific: produce contemporary luxury at the intersection of Korean traditional craft and the emerging post-2010 Seoul streetwear-meets-luxury conversation, with deliberate refusal of the K-pop-aesthetic vocabulary that defined much of the contemporary Korean fashion export. The IISE vocabulary settled around several recurring elements: leather goods (the iconic IISE Mini Crossbody and Camera Bag, made with Korean tanning at the brand's Seoul workshop), ready-to-wear menswear with traditional Korean detail references (the Hanbok-inspired Side-Tie Shirt, the Joseon-aesthetic Wide-Leg Trouser, the embroidered Pochette), traditional-craft accessories (Hanji-paper-derived wallets and notebooks), and a colour palette anchored to natural-tan leather, soft beige, oxblood, and the brand's recurring use of traditional Korean lacquer-red. The brand is independent and held by the Kim brothers. IISE operates flagship retail in Seoul (Hannam-dong, the brand's home neighbourhood) plus international wholesale through SSENSE, MR PORTER, MATCHES, Dover Street Market, Boontheshop, and a small set of carefully chosen luxury specialty retailers globally. The brand has been one of the defining Korean luxury brands of the post-2010 generation built explicitly around Korean traditional-craft language while remaining culturally legible across both Asian and Western luxury markets.