On the afternoon of the 3rd, a crowd swelled outside the Cocoon's Private Coffee Workshop pop-up at Musinsa Space Seoul Forest in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu. Word had spread that artist Code Kunst (real name Jo Seong-woo, 36) would be brewing coffee himself, and fans had already started lining up well before the doors opened.
Musinsa (458860) kicked off its Again, Seoul Forest campaign that day to breathe new life into the retail strip along Atelier Road. The plan is simple: blend Musinsa-curated fashion and lifestyle programming with the area's existing food-and-drink scene to turn the neighborhood into a go-to destination.
At its hub, Musinsa Space launched a pop-up café created with Code Kunst and Unspecialty, giving visitors an intimate brand experience. The headline "check-in" activation encouraged guests to wander Atelier Road and discover the new shops that have set up there.
The pop-up's interior was compact, so visitors were admitted in small groups of four to five. Guests could sniff three specialty single-origin beans — Cotton Candy, Geisha and Bombe — and sample brewed coffee. Cocoon worked behind a large bench, pulling shots and chatting with fans.
Along Atelier Road, several fashion and lifestyle shops have opened, including FR8IGHT, a fashion edit shop that launched its first location on Jan. 9, as well as YURT, General Idea, Lookcast, Have A Whale, Goyowear Sabrepari and Maison Plesjang — all welcoming visitors to the corridor.
Also opening that day as part of the Musinsa Seoul Forest project was Puma's first sneaker-focused store, Sneaker Box, which has taken a spot on Atelier Road.
Later this month, lifestyle designer label GBH will open in Seoul Forest, followed by Musinsa's Bag & Cap Club and Musinsa Run. Bag & Cap Club will be a dedicated bags-and-hats shop drawn from Musinsa's assortment, while Musinsa Run — a curated shop for running gear and brands — will debut its first standalone store.
Atelier Road in Seoul Forest sees roughly 3,000 passersby a day — only about a quarter of nearby Seongsu-dong's Yeonmujang-gil, which averages around 11,800. With a heavy F&B mix, visitors spend less time in the area on average. That's why Musinsa invited fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands to help boost foot traffic and dwell time.
Musinsa said it partnered with Seongdong-gu in November to lease vacant storefronts and launch the Seoul Forest Project, creating a K-Fashion cluster. Musinsa then subleases those spaces to brands that want an offline presence near Seongsu-dong.
A Musinsa spokesperson said the company leased 20 spaces and that 10 of them will open this month, with more stores slated to debut in the first half of the year. Musinsa aims to set a new standard for public-private cooperation in neighborhood revitalization with the Seoul Forest Project.
Retail partners are optimistic. Park Jeong-hwan, MD team leader at Goyowear, said he was drawn to the project because of the opportunity to help transform a space with potential into a fresh fashion-and-lifestyle street. He added that he hopes Seoul Forest Road becomes a lively destination that attracts more visitors.
