Seoul-based fashion label Amomento has grown into a $15 million brand since its 2016 launch, bucking Korea's fast-fashion trends with timeless designs. CEO Myeongsoo Lee and founder Mee-Kung Lee have expanded to stores in Seoul and Tokyo, with over 100 international stockists. The company reports steady growth amid shifting consumer tastes.
Amomento, founded by Mee-Kung “MK” Lee in 2015 with her brother Myeongsoo Lee joining as CEO a year later, offers neutral-toned clothing that blends minimalism, sporty elements, and unusual silhouettes. Unlike Korea's trend-driven fashion influenced by K-pop, the brand focuses on timeless pieces. “Korean customer taste is developing... consumers here are becoming increasingly mature,” Lee said in a recent interview in Seoul. The label debuted with Fall/Winter 2016 after starting in the family's multi-brand Shop Amomento stores in Hannam, Yulgok-ro, and Shinsegae Gangnam. Shop Amomento now excludes the brand, which sells from its own three Seoul stores and one in Tokyo's Omotesando, opened last year with a 23% customer conversion rate—double Korea's average. Annual brand revenues hit $15 million, company-wide $18 million, with a 34% compound annual growth rate over five years. Direct-to-consumer sales account for 70% of revenue, growing 45% yearly. The brand boasts over 100 global stockists, including Extra Butter in New York, Printemps in Paris, and Chinatown Country Club in Sydney. It held a runway show in Shanghai this season and plans pop-ups there and in Chengdu. Manufacturing occurs in Korean-owned factories in China, with prices from $100 for tops to $1,200 for premium hoodies, mostly $200-$300. An archive store and café called Reception complement the ecosystem. Looking ahead, Amomento eyes Paris Fashion Week and a permanent store there, plus a new sportswear line, Amomento Plus, launching this summer.