10 things every eyewear lover should know about Gentle Monster
From ultra-strong collaborations to an uncomparable experimental approach, Gentle Monster celebrates a new way of thinking about eyewear design. Here are 10 things every eyewear enthusiast should know about the cult Korean brand.
1. Gentle Monster’s owner, Hankook Kim, started the brand in 2011
Surprisingly, Gentle Monster’s owner, CEO and Creative Director Hankook Kim doesn’t come from a background in eyewear design. Kim was managing English language summer camps for children when the first ideas for Gentle Monster started to hatch.
In an interview with Selfridges, Kim comments that the drastic career transition came naturally to him.
It wasn’t long after that he launched Gentle Monster with investor and co-founder Jay Oh.
2. They have a unique name story
Gentle Monster leads with a multi-conceptual approach, which is fittingly mirrored in their name. Kim wants designs to be delicate and wearable (Gentle) and yet, full of attitude and individuality (Monster). Perfect for the style enthusiast who doesn’t want to compromise on wearability.
3. Their popularity extends past eyewear design
Founded in the heart of South Korea, in a little over a decade, Gentle Monster has quickly risen to become the label to watch. For good reason – the popularity extends past selling sunglasses. It seems reductive to define them as only an eyewear brand, because they’re so much more.
One thing that the Mia Burton team found incredibly impressive when they were invited to visit the Seoul showroom was the brand’s dedicated in-house group of designers, engineers and artists. Highly influenced by contemporary art, Gentle Monster explores a creative philosophy through thematic, immersive store design, 3D installations and kinetic sculptures.
Toting an impressive list of over 20 flagships and numerous collaborations, it’s not hard to see how Gentle Monster has managed to capture an international cult following.
4. The brand’s high quality frames are made in South Korea and China
If their innovation wasn’t enough for you, Gentle Monster also boasts quality construction. One of their centers of production is located in Daegu, Korea, which coincidentally was once owned by luxury eyewear pioneers Luxottica.
They have another factory in China, and having production close to home allows the brand to maintain a careful eye over their manufacturing, keeping up with their dedication to committed quality.
5. They don’t fit into gender binaries, preferring unisex designs instead
Designed to fit every face shape and embrace anyone’s style, Gentle Monster frames are made to be unisex. We love how the brand invites wearers to push past binary style boundaries and pick the look that they gravitate to most, regardless of gender.
6. They rarely go on sale
Sorry discount watchers, but Gentle Monster doesn’t go on sale or offer promotions. The reason is simple: the brand doesn’t make commercially large quantities of each design. Their limited runs mean that each new edition model sells out, fast.
7. They’re strongly against counterfeits, even developing an authentication process
Called ‘CODE PINK,’ Gentle Monster created their anti-counterfeit campaign which allows you to check the authenticity of your frames through an online portal. Just enter the serial code that you find on the authentication card and you’ll receive a detailed list of information about your frames.
8. They’re known for their ultra-exclusive collaborations
Not only does Gentle Monster come out with limited edition collections, but they go beyond normal partnerships, creating full-fledged interactive landscapes. Among special collaborators are Maison Margiela, singer Kun and BLACKPINK’s Jennie.
For their collaboration with Jennie the brand released ‘Jentle Garden,’ a mobile game where users could grow their flower garden and enter to win exclusive frames from the collection.
Similarly, when they released their ‘Bold’ line in 2022, the brand created a video game-style campaign that saw a player explore the virtual world of different galaxies.
9. They offer styles for everyone’s taste
Here are our team’s favorites.
Best all-black look: Gentle Monster My Ma sunglasses
Best sparkle: Gentle Monster’s Jeans sunglasses
Best cat-eye: Gentle Monster’s Iconic sunglasses
Best pastel vibe: Gentle Monster’s Didion sunglasses
Best minimalist look: Gentle Monster’s Mondo sunglasses
Alternatively, take a look at everything in our latest selection of the brand.
10. They’re available to shop from a limited amount of resellers
To avoid overcommercialization, Gentle Monster has a limited number of authorized resellers. Miaburton.com is one of the brand’s official online vendors; every Gentle Monster frame you buy from our site comes with the product’s individualized authentication card along with our Mia Burton Care Kit as a special gift.
