TOTEME Seoul pop-up

Traditional and modern harmony, TOTEME's 'Prototype' pop-up store.

Sweden's leading fashion house, TOTEME, has opened an original "Prototype" pop-up store at TOMG Seongsu in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. The pop-up brought together TOTEME's minimalism and design philosophy in a new way through the traditional material "Hanji."

This space, which is displayed using Korean paper, vividly expresses "temporaryity" and "flexibility," and creates a sensuous and sophisticated atmosphere by producing all of the components inside the store with rich textures. In particular, the warm aesthetics of Korean paper and the modern sense of TOTEME naturally combine to create a special space where tradition and modernity coexist.

Year: 2024

Size: 180㎡

Location: Seoul, KR

Sector: Fashion

Spatial design development: HandSome Corp., Studio AHM and Jungmo Kwon

Concept design: Random studio

Instagram  @Jungmo_kwon @studio_ahm

The Margin of Documentation, the Space of Hanji

Upon Archiving the TOTEME 'Prototype' Pop-up Store

Architetural Photographer JinHa PARK

In the heart of Seongsu-dong, at TOMG Seongsu—a former industrial site reimagined through modern architecture—TOTEME’s 'Prototype' pop-up store arrived as a spatial statement. Where Scandinavian restraint meets Korean traditional material, Hanji, this was not simply a temporary retail installation but a contemplative space about time, tactility, and design language.

As I archived the space, my gaze followed two distinct yet intertwined threads. One was the sculptural response shaped by designer Joongmo Kwon and Studio AHM—a composition that is modern yet not sterile, minimal but never hollow. The other was TOTEME’s cultural sensitivity in introducing their design philosophy within an unfamiliar yet receptive Korean context.

At the heart of this dialogue was Hanji. It served not only as a surface or structure, but as a conduit of light, breath, and temporality. Fragile at a glance, Hanji holds within it layers of time, revealing resilience in its very softness. I came to see it not merely as a material, but as the breathing skin of the space. As I photographed scenes of garments being gently placed and removed, I sought to capture the paradox of ephemeral permanence embodied by this pop-up.

For me, photography is never just a physical record. My work has long been committed to observing the essence that lies beyond landscapes and structures. This project extended that pursuit—tracing the delicate balance between tradition and design, brand and locality, light and paper. In this unfamiliar yet oddly familiar setting, TOTEME was not merely borrowing space, but crafting a new memory of Korea—through Hanji.

I hope this archive will linger beyond the space’s disappearance, serving as a quiet reflection on how design and architecture can intersect—and endure.

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