What Comes After Dressing BTS? Meet Seoul’s Next Fashion Export

Songzio might not be a household name in the West. But from the bespoke stage costumes worn by the Korean supergroup BTS for their highly anticipated comeback concert in March, to edgy campaigns photographed by Szilveszter Makó and featuring Korean actress Choi Hee-jin, the high-end South Korean brand is building serious cultural cachet this year, as it seeks to create long-term relevance.

Songzio was founded in Seoul in 1993 by Zio Song, a South Korean fashion designer and graduate of the prestigious ESMOD fashion school in Paris. Today, the Seoul-based label is run by his son, Jay Song, who took over as creative director and CEO in 2017. Known for its distinct artistic approach and dark, sophisticated color palettes, Songzio has become one of South Korea’s largest and most enduring independent fashion companies.

Initially, the brand operated on a much smaller scale, creating collectible pieces for specific clients, Jay Song explains. But as its customer base grows, particularly in the US, Songzio has regularly developed and sold full ready-to-wear collections, according to the designer. Speaking to Vogue Business, he shared his ambitions to “lean into [the brand’s] very unique aesthetic and strong creativity and expand not only in South Korea but globally.”

Jay Song, creative director and CEO of Songzio.

Now, Songzio is investing further in the Western market, with a string of launches, starting at Paris Fashion Week this month, where it will present a Spring/Summer 2027 collaboration with the Japanese clothing label Bed J.W. Ford.

Then, in October, Songzio will release a collaboration with EgonLab, the French genderless fashion label, which is a Grand Prize finalist for the 2026 Andam competition. That same month, it will also open its first US flagship store in Soho, New York. Spread across two floors, the new boutique takes inspiration from its original multi-story flagship in Gangnam, Seoul, which is part retail, part gallery — and will feature contemporary art as well as clothing, allowing visitors to experience “Songzio’s creative universe” more fully, according to Song.

Songzio is also continuing to partner with high-profile talent for its campaigns. Song shares that the brand’s next campaign for Fall/Winter 2026 will be shot by London-based photographer Daniel Archer, who has become known for his painterly, cinematic style. (Among Archer’s other luxury clients are Dior, Brunello Cucinelli, Chaumet, and Ami Paris.)

Suga wearing Songzio’s collaborative collection with BTS, ‘Lyrical Armor’.

For Song, the moment feels right to further propel the brand on a global stage. His drive is in part fueled by the shifting confluence of power from the West to the East. While Western fashion capitals like Paris once commanded the highest industry influence, emerging hubs like Tokyo and Seoul now drive consumer trends and claim market share. Heightened global appetite for Korea’s cultural exports, such as K-pop, which has turned the country into a multi-billion dollar global economic powerhouse, also offers an opportune moment for homegrown businesses to scale.

“Songzio is one of the first-generation houses in Seoul. I think we are arguably the first avant-garde fashion house in Korea. So, our aesthetic is something that I really want to develop,” Song says.

In a market dominated by Lotte, Hyundai, Shinsegae, and other chaebols — massive family-run conglomerates that control everything from distribution channels to international brand licensing — Songzio is an anomaly as one of the few big, independent fashion companies in South Korea. As of 2025, it generates annual sales volume of $70-75 million — a figure Song estimates will grow 15-20% in 2026 as “sales have been growing quite fast.” Its scale is matched only by Wooyoungmi, founded and still owned by Youngmi Woo. In 2024, its parent company Solid Corporation reported revenues of €72 million.

Since the 1960s, South Korea has had a robust post-war manufacturing economy. However, this has meant that its fashion industry has largely had “a focus on production, rather than long-term brand-building,” says Heewon Yuh, WGSN’s youth strategist on fashion, based in Seoul. “The fast pace of trend cycles in South Korea has also made it difficult for brands to establish lasting relevance, as many rise quickly in popularity but fade as consumer preferences shift,” Yuh adds.

Songzio stands out in a sea of domestic fashion labels that tend to veer towards either trendy (Andersson Bell, Open YY, Kijun), street (Post Archive Faction, Hyein Seo, We11done), or minimal (Amomento, Nothing Written, Low Classic) designs. Songzio is none of these things. Instead, for each collection, Song draws from his cultural heritage, blending elements of traditional dress with more modern techniques and fabrics. That was evident in the custom outfits Song designed for BTS, whose live concert in March was attended by over 100,000 people and watched by more than 18 million on Netflix. Unlike typical performances where musicians often have multiple outfit changes, BTS wore the same Songzio looks for the entire show.

Jung Kook’s look for the Songzio x BTS collaboration collection.

Song was thoughtful about how he would translate BTS’s music through their clothes. “Music is about emotion for me, so I felt it was important to dig deep into the spirit of ‘Han’ (한), which for some stands for sorrow and longing. But I wanted to [interpret it in] a more energetic and dynamic way. It was about overcoming Korea’s turbulent history with a sense of energy,” he says. “So, I imagined the BTS members as heroes from some kind of past, fighting for and pushing towards a new future.” The result was a cohesive collection of deconstructed garments with asymmetric cuts, exposed or frayed seams, and free-flowing fabrics, with unique flourishes for each BTS singer.

Behind the scenes of Songzio’s collaborative collection with BTS, ‘Lyrical Armor’.

The concert helped to boost Songzio’s brand awareness, according to Song. “We got a lot of attention in Korea and overseas, and many fans and also new customers wanted to discover our collections in our stores. I am very grateful that it was well received. We were all watching the show when it happened, and it was a very touching moment overall.”

Song’s top priority for the year ahead is Songzio’s expansion into womenswear, which the brand introduced about a year ago. Already, it accounts for 15-20% of business, he says, adding that “within the next three years or so, I would like it to account for 50%.” It’s a feasible target. “Womenswear has been growing very fast — much faster than men,” he says.

Songzio’s recent campaigns featuring Choi Hee-jin — who, last August, became the brand’s first womenswear ambassador — are part of its drive to sell to more female customers around the world. Song is keen “to convey to future women’s customers that we’re not creating a men’s collection for women,” he explains. “After being in the menswear space for more than 30 years, I wanted to move away from this very masculine image and [offer] something more feminine and refreshing.”

For Song, Choi Hee-jin embodied the characteristics he was looking for. “She’s quite famous in Korea for portraying a cat,” he says, referring to the Korean TV series Heavenly Ever After, in which the actress plays the human form of a beloved pet cat, who reunites with her owner in heaven. “The image befitted her. I also feel like our brand has this cat feeling. Chic but also mysterious.”

Songzio woman SS26 campaign featuring Choi Hee-jin.

Last September, Songzio also opened its first dedicated womenswear boutique in the Marais area of Paris, next door to its standalone menswear store. Despite a challenging time for independent brands, Songzio, in Song’s view, has a deeper cultural heritage than most labels, setting it apart. “We have now for more than 30 years the pattern makers, the artisans, the embroidery, the handprinting, all of the savoir faire in Korea,” he says. “Everything is made locally.”

It’s a selling point that aligns with what WGSN’s Yuh observes as a “growing interest in Korean cultural identity, particularly among younger consumers” and a “broader appreciation of Asian heritage and Eastern sensibilities.” She explains: “As global interest in Korean culture continues to grow, that attention is reflected in the domestic market, encouraging consumers to rediscover and re-evaluate aspects of their own cultural identity. Today, brands have a greater opportunity to build stronger identities through storytelling and cultural context.”