Unvanish Hannam • 언베니쉬 한남

Unvanish Hannam (언베니쉬 한남) is a Korean brand that sells perfume, body oil, hand wash, body wash, and life fragrance. Stumbled upon this store during one of my shopping trip with my friend around Hannam area. Saw their posters plastered on the walls outside the building and we decided to climbed up the stairs to the second floor to check the place out.

Pleasant aromatic scent greeted us as soon as we stepped into the store. The place isn’t too big. But just like the majority of the shops around here, it is well-designed. Their products are displayed around the space that is decorated with modern minimalistic furniture and fixtures. One corner resembles a small living room and on the other they have an open bathroom display area with bathtub and sink where you can use to test their hand or body wash.

Sea of ​​Green Life Mood Spray (씨 오브 그린 라이프 무드 스프레이) ₩59,000

Elegant AldehydeㅣCool MuskㅣSea Beyond the Grass
3.38 fl oz. (100 ml)

TOP     ALDEHYDE, GRAPEFRUIT, MANDARIN
MID     ROSE, MUGUET, VIOLET
BASE   MOSS, SANDALWOOD, MUSK, TONKA

“The elegant and clean aldehyde scent will capture the tip of your nose the moment you apply it. The light floral scent is reminiscent of the sea beyond the grassy plains. The scent of musk and soft sandalwood is finished with  the whisper of a cool sea breeze and the scent of ripples in the earth, bringing to mind memories of early morning walks along the sea.” —Unvanish

Out of all the scents, both me and my friend like the Sea of Green Life the best. But unfortunately, all the Sea of Green products were out of stock when we were there so we couldn’t purchase any. We took it as a sign that we should go back again next time. If you’re looking for perfume around Hannam-dong area, this place is worth checking out. 

Image Courtesy: Unvanish Website

 

Unvanish Hannam • 언베니쉬 한남

Address: 서울 용산구 이태원로49길 19 2층 언베니쉬
Telephone: 070-4129-3333
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:30-20:00 (Closed on Mondays)

Instagram: @unvanish.official
Website

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Pan Am Seongsu Flagship Store • 팬암 성수플래그쉽스토어

Pan Am Seongsu Flagship Store (팬암 성수플래그쉽스토어) is one of the many cool stores that you can find in Seongsu-dong neighborhood. Opened by a Seoul-based fashion company SJ Group who acquired the brand’s merchandise licensing, Pan Am sells men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, bags and home decor products that are inspired by the airline’s rich history with a modern spin to the designs. The store itself is also a reflection of that same concept. Designed by South Korean architects NiiiZ DESIGN LAB (@niiizdesignlab), they combined the rugged concrete structure left by the old factory who used to occupy the building with more futuristic and sleek fixtures and furnitures decorating the interior, making the store looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. 

If you’re not familiar with the brand, Pan Am—also known as Pan American World Airways—was one of the leading and most well-known US airline during the 1950s until the 1970s. The brand was associated with luxury intercontinental travels with little competition on the market during what many Americans considered as the golden  era of air travel. The company was in operational for 64 years before it ceased operation in 1991. But even after that, their blue globe logo—also known as “The Blue Meatball”—which was used from 1973 to 1991 is still one of the most recognizable piece of their history. 

I personally have heard about and seen Pan Am since I was young. But the one thing that kind of cemented its association with luxury travels in my brain was when I watched the Catch Me If You Can movie (one of my favorite movie of all time actually) where the main character Frank Abagnale Jr. who’s a master of deception and excellent forger pretended to be a Pan Am pilot and got away with it. He lived such a glamorous life during that period of his life and the movie does make it looks like working as an Pan Am pilot comes with certain status symbol and privilege.

Seeing how a fairly iconic brand that’s well-known for its vintage heritage designs translated and adapted into a more modern and sporty direction is always interesting. And I have to say they did a pretty good job at adapting Pan Am’s original branding to the product line-ups they have in store (granted they steer towards the more general sporty lifestyle direction instead of the aviation inspired direction). One thing that I like about their apparel collections is they have a lot of pieces with discreet logo, subtler designs and nice materials. I ended up purchasing a couple of t-shirts (pics below) from the store because the materials are pretty thick (not too flimsy but not too thick either), nice and comfortable and they have crewneck that’s not too wide (I even buy another one of the same model just cause this has become one of my favorite t-shirt to wear 😆).

If you’re looking for basic apparels with nice materials, subtle branding, and a somewhat gender neutral colors and styles, definitely check out this store if you’re around Seongsu area. 

 

Pan Am Seongsu Flagship Store • 팬암 성수플래그쉽스토어

Address: 서울 성동구 연무장길 89 1층
Telephone: 02-3409-5976
Hours: Everyday 11:00-20:00

Instagram: @panam_kr

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My Blood Type Is Coffee • 마이블러드타입이즈커피

Asking for your blood type is a fairly common thing that happens in Korea for someone to get to know you because it’s closely associated with your personality. But have you ever associated your blood type with coffee? A cafe in Yeonnam-dong (연남동) does exactly that with their coffee. My Blood Type Is Coffee (마이블러드타입이즈커피) offers a range of coffee blend that are inspired by the blood type personalities. On top of selling coffee they also also sell a variety of cute stationery that are designed in-house following the theme of their cafe’s name. 

What’s unique about this place is that you can customize your own coffee blend from the available bean options that they have in store. After you’ve picked your beans, they’ll brew a cup for you and give the rest of the beans in a tin can for you to take home. You can also request to grind your own beans at the cafe with the machine available at the coffee bar (reservation might be required).

Menu

Type A 룽고 (Rungo) ₩5,500
그윽하고 여운이 오래가는 젠틀한커피.
A gentle coffee that lasts for a long time.
예멘 모카 하라즈 자디 피베리 내추럴
Yemen Mokha Haraaz Jadi Peaberry Natural.

Type B 리또 (Ritto) ₩6,000
꽃과 과일 맛이 나는 귀엽고 매력적인 커피.
Cute and charming coffee with flower and fruit flavors
에티오피아 아바야 게이샤 G1 내추럴.
Ethiopia Abaya Geisha G1 Natural.

Type O 머핀 (Muffin) ₩5,500
다양한 개성이 느껴지는 천방지축한 커피.
A generous cup of coffee with a variety of personalities.
멕시코 핀카 라스 치차라스 마라고지페 워시드.
Mexico Finca Las Chicharras Washed.

Type AB 망키 (Monkey) ₩6,500
호기심을 불러 일으키는 시나몬롤 맛 커피.
Cinnamon roll-flavored coffee that arouses curiosity.
코스타리카 코르디예라 데 푸에고 아나에어로빅.
Costa Rica Cordillera de Fuego Anaerobic.

Type C 코히 (Kohi) ₩5,000
아메리카노에 지쳤다면 균형있는 블렌드 커피.
If you're tired of americano, it's a balanced blend coffee.
브라질 + 예멘 + 에티오피이
Brazil + Yemen + Ethiopia

Type S 스트로베리 캔디 (Strawberry Candy) ₩6,500
딸기쥬스 드실래요? 딸기 향 가득한 블렌드 커피.
Would you like some strawberry juice? Blend coffee full of strawberry flavors.
콜룸비아 + 에티오피아
Columbia + Ethiopia

Type D 드리밍 (Dreaming) ₩5,500
디카페인같지 않은 디카페인 커피.
Decaffeinated coffee that doesn’t look like decaffeinated coffee.
콜룸비아 후일라 디카페인 슈프레모 슈가 게인.
Colombia Huila Decaffeinated Supremo Sugar Gain

딸기 에이드 (Strawberry Ade) ₩6,000
청량하고 가벼운 맛의 귀여운 에이드. 
Cute strawberry ade with a refreshing and light taste.

누구가 만들 수 있는 My Blender (Custom Blend 80g) ₩12,500
4종류의 원두 중 3가지 원두를 내 맘대로 섞어 나만의 블렌드 커피를 만들 수 있습니다.
You can make your own blend coffee by mixing three of the four types of beans (Type A, Type B, Type AB, Type O).
20g 현장 시음 (20g for On-Site Tasting) + 60g 틴케이스 포장 (Tin Case Packaging) = 80g total

Strawberry Ade (딸기 에이드) ₩6,000 | 8/10

Since I don’t drink coffee, I ordered their Strawberry Ade. Just like the description on their menu, it’s light and refreshing. I actually quite like it because it’s not too sour.

 

My Blood Type Is Coffee • 마이블러드타입이즈커피

Address: 서울 마포구 동교로52길 20-4 1층 101호
Telephone: 010-6447-0717
Hours: Tues - Fri 12:00-19:00

Instagram: @mybloodtypeiscoffee.official

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Granhand Seochon • 그랑핸드 서촌

My very first encounter with GRANHAND (그랑핸드) was when I passed by their store in Bukchon (북촌) during my first visits to Seoul. Located in the midst of a residential area on the main path leading up to the heart of Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을), the small store immediately attracted my attention and I ended up browsing through different perfume bottles and scents minutes later. Not long after my initial visit, I encountered another one of their stores in Samcheong-dong (삼청동). Since then, GRANDHAND has been on my radar and I’ve bought their perfumes on several different occasions

Started in 2014 with their first location in Bukchon Hanok Village, GRANHAND has now expanded into six beautifully designed stores located all over Seoul. On top of offering a variety of selection of fragrances for daily use, GRANHAND also prides themselves in creating memorable experiences for their customers through their offline stores where people can smell their scents and touch their products.

GRANHAND Seochon (그랑핸드 서촌) is (I believe) the third location that they opened. The store definitely feels like an upgrade from the two previous ones that I’ve been to. While the other two occupies a smaller space, GRANHAND Seochon occupies a more spacious area with modern minimalist interior where they display their products.

A couple of interesting things that I found out from my visits are, one, if you’re a tourist and you pay cash, they offer a discount/tax-free option for your purchase (they asked for my passport for proof that I’m not a local resident). Two, you can get a free name-stamping service for the products you purchase. I don’t know if they’re still doing it today, but at least on my last visit, they did. So if you’re planning to buy something from the store and want to take advantage of these perks, make sure to ask them if they are still offering them.

 

Granhand Seochon • 그랑핸드 서촌

Address: 서울 종로구 자하문로4길 14-2
Telephone: 02-333-6525
Hours: Everyday 11:30-20:30

Instagram: @granhand_official

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Presh • 프레쉬

“PRESH is a designer brand launched in Seoul in 2013 with the motto of ‘freshness’.

We think that ‘freshness’ means that the quality of the product, the novelty, and the unique design should make you feel new. We are a lifestyle, fashion and living brand that releases 2-4 of these series every year. We make valuable objects and pursue valuable consumption regardless of the season.”

— Presh Website

My first visit to the Presh (프레쉬) showroom was a memorable one. First of all, I was not expecting to find the store in the middle of Seoul’s quiet residential area. The store was on the second floor and surrounded by what I believe were apartments building with no other commercial stores in sight. When we entered the space, we were greeted by neatly organized shelves, racks, and tables displaying their well-designed products.

If you like to browse around design or knick knack shops around Seoul, you probably have seen their products at some point. It’s kind of hard to miss those silver tin containers with colorful labels wrapped around them. Presh sells a variety of products including candles (which is their product that I most often see in other shops), t-shirts, aprons, tote bags, pouch, and phone cases. Each of them are stored in silver tin containers which I thought was pretty cool. Presh has two types of containers, one that has a detachable top lid and the other one is the tin can version where the top lid open like those food tin cans. I thought that’s a pretty neat idea for a packaging.

Second of all, not only did I meet the owner (maybe one of the owners, not sure how many people own this brand) but I also met the graphic designer who was responsible for all the graphics and packaging for Presh. They were very nice and welcoming. They showed us around the store while explaining their products here and there and answered all the questions that I have for them. I always like chatting with the store owners and get to know their products more. It makes the whole shopping experience more fun and I got to find out interesting tidbits about the brand that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. In this instance, one of the thing that made it more fun was because the graphic designer speaks English so sometimes when I don’t understand something in Korean, she translated it for me immediately.

Anyway, my cousin and I ended up buying a couple of candles (they have great selection of scents) and an apron to gift to our friend and they gave us free soap samples and stickers for our purchase. If you’re looking for candles or gift ideas, I definitely recommend to check out their brand.

*These photos were taken in 2017. Since then, their showroom has been renewed in the same location.

Presh • 프레쉬

Address: 서울 마포구 성지3길 60 진원빌딩
Telephone: 02-707-0052
Hours: 13:00 - 19:-00 Daily

Instagram: @getpresh

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