Decoding IAB STUDIO: Dive into Korea's Iconic Fashion Brand

In Korea, you might occasionally see people wearing clothes from 'IAB STUDIO.' That's because it's a fashion brand that has caused quite a sensation in Korea. Not only is it known for its minimalist design, but also because the founder of this brand is a very famous figure here.

IAB STUDIO stands for "I've Always Been" which is pronounced as "EYE-AB" STUDIO. It's a design studio and fashion brand based in South Korea, founded by Lim Sung-bin, Shin Dong-min, and Kim Han-jun, who are said to be childhood friends.

If you're a fan of Korean hip-hop, you might recognize the name Lim Sung-bin. He is none other than the Korean rapper "Beenzino". Before becoming a rapper, Beenzino was an art prodigy who majored in sculpture at Seoul National University.

Established in 2013, IAB STUDIO initially worked on various commercial design projects such as designing album artworks for singers. They worked on album artworks for Beenzino himself as well as IU's "BBIBBI."

In 2018, they collaborated with Hoegaarden beer, and in 2020, with Samsonite and ASICS. In 2023, they collaborated with Netflix, proving that IAB STUDIO was already a successful art studio before becoming a clothing brand.

They are also expanding into sports. They became the official sponsor of the uniforms for the Korean professional baseball team 'KIA Tigers,' continuously expanding their domain.

The popularity of IAB surpasses imagination in Korea. They sell their products in the form of offline pop-up stores and conduct online draws (random selection) for sales. The rules are simple. If you don't win the draw, you cannot officially purchase the clothes. Due to constant out-of-stock situations, their clothes are being sold at high prices on Korean resale sites.

The fact that they opened a pop-up store in Shibuya, Tokyo, besides Korea, indicates that the popularity of IAB STUDIO is gradually increasing.

People are paying attention to whether IAB STUDIO can become a brand like Supreme in Korea. However, rather than aiming to emulate Supreme as a role model, it seems that IAB STUDIO is quietly forging its own path. Rather than becoming followers of anyone, I hope they continue to quietly uphold their own identity as a great brand.