The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews with CEOs of small but aspiring brands that are taking Korean fashion and beauty overseas through online retailers. This is the second installment. -- Ed.

The first flagship store for eyewear brand Projekt Produkt blends naturally into the upscale Apgujeong district in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The angular gray concrete building is plated with glass windows along its bottom floor, where Projekt Produkt’s sleek, colorful offerings sit on glass stands under soft yellow lights.

“We moved here in the beginning of August, and we still have some construction left,” said Projekt Produkt’s President and CEO Lee Hyun-ho in an interview with The Korea Herald. “Brands usually have an opening ceremony right away, but we‘re waiting until about March next year to combine the flagship store opening with our 2018 collection presentation.”

The flagship store is just one of several big pushes for Projekt Produkt. Lee had returned recently from his second showing at SILMO Paris 2017, one of the largest eyewear shows in the world, where he received offers from department stores and multibrand shops in countries like France, the UK and Italy. 

The brand’s eyewear targets professional women in their late 20s and early 30s looking to find their own style rather than simply follow trends, according to Lee. The Korean-made glasses are priced in the range of 200,000 won ($180).

Lee looks like a designer -- sporting a leather jacket over his tall, lanky frame and slicked-back hair -- but he is actually an optician by training who ran his own eyewear store. Before launching Projekt Produkt, Lee said he had always struggled to find eyewear products that struck the right balance between design, quality and price.

“Imported products in particular would be sold at seriously inflated prices. Of course, profit margins are important, but it made me uncomfortable that the prices were so much higher than the quality,” he said.

After three years of running his store, he launched Projekt Produkt in 2014 to try and realize his idea of what good eyewear should be. The brand releases a collection each year with a central theme such as modern rock chic or glam. For 2018, the concept is funk.

“This one is ... FN19,” Lee said after checking the name printed on his own glasses. “I don‘t like putting names on our designs. It seems a bit forced.”

Today, Projekt Produkt brings in about 5 billion won in annual revenue, up from 3 billion won in 2016 and 1.8 billion in 2015. About 40 percent of its sales come from 20 countries across Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.

“Our goal is to make overseas sales half of our total sales next year,” Lee said.

Lee’s passion for taking Projekt Produkt abroad is partially fueled by his recognition that Korea is relatively behind places like Europe and Japan in the designer eyewear market.

“When I go to optics shows abroad, I sometimes see European brands that have great pride in their products, but I don‘t think that they offer the best value relative to quality and design. It makes me want to do better than them,” he said.

A main issue is design.

“Korean universities still don’t offer a major in eyewear design,” Lee said. The head of design at Projekt Produkt is also a veteran optician rather than a designer, and the other designers are mostly designers who have specialized in broad areas like industrial design, according to Lee.

To make up for that lack, Projekt Produkt actively pursues collaborations with well-known designers to supplement its own collections. In 2017, the brand worked with London-based womenswear brand Regina Pyo to great success, especially overseas.

Lee says that in 2018 and beyond, he is looking to slow down quantitative growth and focus on solidifying the brand‘s presence.

“If we take too many orders and our factories can’t deliver, that will damage our brand image,” Lee said. “We want to grow steadily when we‘re ready. That’s important.”

Instead of increasing orders, the more important focus will be on brand image.

“Creating the right content for our products is important. Our collaborations are part of that content. Whether with fashion designers or brands, we want to work with partners that will accentuate our strengths,” said Lee. “Our marketing is not just about showing something, it‘s about appealing to customers with our fundamental strengths.”

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)