StyleupK Review – The Best Korean Clothing Website?
Recently I wrote an article about the best online shopping websites for Korean fashion. While writing that article I came across a lot of brands that I’d never heard of myself – even after living in Korea for almost five years.
Many of the sites stocked brands that I had never heard of or brands that are rather small in Korea. I quickly wondered – where can someone buy the clothing brands that you see every day on the streets of Seoul?
At this point, StyleupK reached out to me. They are an online Korean shopping site that offers international shipping for authentic Korean clothing brands. Not only do they offer clothing from Korean brands, but they also offer clothing from other brands that are popular in Korea.
After looking through their catalogue I decided that I wanted to do an article discussing StyleupK. They are one of the few international stores that offer brands that usually can’t be found outside of Korea.
Therefore, in this article, I want to discuss StyleupK as a platform, while also showing you some of the clothes that my girlfriend and I received.
Interested in Korean fashion? Check out the biggest Korean fashion trends or the biggest men’s fashion trends in Korea.
I received free products from StyleupK in order to write this article. However, all opinions expressed in this post are my own. This post contains affiliate links, for more information please refer to my affiliate disclaimer.
Catalogue
StyleupK has a rapidly changing catalogue and it’s hard to list anything without it going out of date within weeks. This is largely due to the fact that many of the items on the site are limited edition for a certain time or season.
Since many of the clothing brands that StyleupK sells release limited-edition catalogues you never know what you will find on their site. It also means that if you see an item that you want, you should buy it quickly as it could disappear.
StyleupK has a wide variety of different brands on their site, and as I mentioned earlier, many of these brands are either well-known or popular in Korea (or both!). Some brands such as Nerdy and OIOI I see almost every time I step outside.
Among the Korean-based brands, there are also some brands based elsewhere that are popular in Korea. Fila, Guess, and Nike are great examples of this. While they aren’t Korean brands, they are very popular here and they make up a large part of Korean fashion.
Currently, there are almost 20 featured brands. This is not to mention brands for sneakers, wallets, and other accessories. It is also not to mention the unbranded items that are on the site. Some of the more familiar brands that StyleupK stocks are:
- Fila
- Guess
- OIOI
- Nerdy
- 23.65
- Salrang
What if there is an item that you want but can’t find? Well, you can submit a request for a specific item and StyleupK will try and find it for you! While there is no guarantee that they can, they will try and get back to you.
Costs & Shipping
StyleupK is based in Singapore and the prices on the website are in Singaporean Dollars. This can be changed in the top left, however, and you can view the prices in USD, CAD and HKD.
Shipping is free to Singapore/Malaysia if you spend over $100 SGD. Under this price, shipping is $5 or $10 depending on if the items are shipping from Korea or Singapore. If you pick items that are available in Singapore, the shipping time is also much lower, and you can receive your items within a few days.
Shipping to the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia is $20 with international express for purchases under $250 SGD. Purchases over $250 come with free international express shipping.
For other regions, custom taxes apply and the price will depend upon laws and distance. If you live outside of the countries listed above, you might want to contact StyleupK for an estimation.
The price of the clothing is also quite fair. Initially, I thought that the prices were a bit high, but I realised that the prices listed on StyleupK have to be based on the local prices of those clothes in Korea – many of the clothes are similarly priced here.
Considering that the brands on StyleupK are largely more premium clothes and that many are limited editions or one-off releases, the prices begin to make a lot more sense. Overall, the prices aren’t as cheap as some other Korean online clothing sites, but the quality and brands are generally much better.
Clothing
With all of the formalities out of the way, I almost forgot to talk about the clothes and items that we picked out from the site! When picking the clothing, we tried to pick items that we have seen in Korea.
We got a shirt from AQO Studiospace, shoes and a crop-top from Fila, a card wallet from Salrang, and a handbag from Donkie. We came out impressed by the quality of the items and they are all exactly as advertised.
I wish we could have taken better photos, but with the restrictions on movement that are currently in place and the -15 degree weather recently, it was hard to take photos as we wanted. However, I think they came out okay in the end considering the situation!
Salrang Wallet
I’m not going to lie, the burgundy card-wallet from Salrang was the item that I was most excited about. I’ve been looking to downsize my wallet to something much smaller and thinner, and the Salrang wallet did this perfectly.
Made from genuine leather and popular in Korea recently, these wallets are good looking and also affordable. Despite being made from high-quality materials, the price is actually very reasonable. Salrang provides a great selection of wallets and they are a great choice for anyone looking to downsize.
I did notice that the wallet is very stiff initially and it can be quite hard to put cards in and take them out. However, I imagine that this is something that will improve over time as the leather wears out and stretches.
Donkie Almond Brown Handbag
From Donkie, my girlfriend picked out the Donkie Almond Bag in brown. Donkie focuses on making handbags from high-quality materials while also being affordable and fashionable.
Donkie releases two catalogues every year, one from spring and summer and one for winter and fall. This means that every 6 months new designs are released to fit the season.
The almond brown bag is made from synthetic leather and works well with a variety of outfits. Conveniently, it comes with both a smaller handle and a larger loop that can go over your shoulder. This makes it easy to wear in whichever way you prefer.
Inside the bag, there is a canvas-style lining. On the side of this, there is a little pouch that can be used to hold valuable items such as a credit card or something else small. Although feeling good overall, the bag does use plastic to attach the shoulder strap. While this isn’t a big issue, it feels weaker than metal.
Fila Court Ace Shoes
Fila has been a very popular brand in Korea for many years, and even more so recently with Fila and BTS teaming up to release a line of unique clothing items based on the members of BTS.
The Fila Court Ace shoes come in a variety of different colours and sizes. I picked out the navy colour as it works well with a variety of outfits and complements much of my current wardrobe.
The shoes are slim and provide a classic Fila look. Due to the colour scheme and small size, the shoes work well with a variety of colours and outfits, making them a great choice for many people.
If you search for the most popular shoes in Korea you will come across a lot of websites that list one or more pairs of Fila shoes. They really are one of the most common and liked shoe brands in Korea.
Fila Rainbow Crop Top
It’s hard to say how popular Fila is in Korea – it is probably one of the most dominant brands in Korean fashion and seeing Fila shoes is extremely common. Despite not being a Korean brand, they really have taken off here.
The Fila Rainbow Micro Cropped T-shirt in navy was picked out by my girlfriend as it is a great addition to any wardrobe due to how well it complements many outfits. It’s a very flexible crop-top and it looks good with both baggy and tight clothing.
AQO Studiospace Tie Dye Shirt
The next item on this list has a rather long name, Aqo Studiospace Sarrr Tie Dye Oversized T-shirt Purple. This cotton and polyester t-shirt is quite simple, but I really like the colour-gradient design. There are a few different colours available – purple/pink, and green/yellow/blue.
The shirt feels of decent quality and the design makes it easy to fit with a wide variety of pants and other clothing. The shirt has nothing else on it other than the Aqo Studiospace teddy bear logo on the upper left of the chest.
You will notice this bear across all of Aqo’s clothing, and lots of their clothing is designed around it. This makes their clothing stand out and it’s easily recognisable. In fact, I’ve seen some of their clothing being worn recently when I’ve been out around Seoul.
Leopard Print A-Line Skirt
The last item that my girlfriend (who has a Korean fashion blog!) picked out was the Korean Leopard Print A-Line Flare Midi Skirt. This leopard skirt was not under any of the specific brands on StyleupK, so I believe that it is a more generic skirt that is made in Korea but perhaps not from a specific brand.
However, it still looks good and makes a nice addition to any wardrobe. Although we did have a few issues with the zip initially, it began to loosen overtime and after a few days it now works fine. As such, the overall quality of the skirt is good.
StyleupK has a variety of these seemingly unbranded items under their ‘Korean Style’ section. Despite being unbranded, these seem like the Korean fashion that you will often find in Seoul. Especially among students, these types of clothing are very popular.
Conclusion
Korean fashion is incredibly popular these days and for good reason. Not only does it often look clean and sophisticated, but it’s also often relatively affordable. However, while there are many sites out there selling Korean fashion internationally, few of them seem to sell the brands that you actually see in Korea.
StyleupK really stood out to me in regard. Many of the brands I instantly recognised just from living in Seoul. Further, many of these brands can’t easily be found on international sites (and trust me, I looked at many sites!). StyleupK has authentic Korean fashion brands that many other stores don’t.
The quality of the items on their website varies as it is based upon the brands that make the products. However, everything that we received was as advertised and of high quality. Although the prices at StyleupK may seem a bit high initially, they are similar to the domestic prices in Korea.
Overall I think that StyleupK is a great Korean fashion shopping site for anyone that wants to dabble in one of the most popular kinds of fashion in 2021. If anything in this post has stood out to you, please feel free to head over to StyleupK to have a look!
StyleupK FAQ
Where Does Styleupk Ship To?
StyleupK ships globally, meaning that you can pick up Korean fashion no matter where in the world you live.
Where Can I Buy Korean Fashion Internationally?
There are many Korean fashion sites that ship internationally. However, I recommend using StyleupK or Kore Limited.
What Brands Can I Buy at StyleupK?
You can buy a large variety of brands that are both big and small at StyleupK. Some of the more well-known brands are Nerdy, OIOI, Fila, and Guess.
Does StyleupK Have Limited Edition Clothing?
Yes! Their catalogue changes every season and you can always find new fashion. However, this also means that some items are limited and will only be available for a short time.
Fila was founded in Italy but is now owned by a Korean company since 2007 and most of the stuff is produced there.
Thank you for the clarification!