What: Shinsegae debuts in Singapore with Metro, launching a pop-up at Paragon and introducing six Korean fashion and lifestyle brands.

Why it is important: Shinsegae’s move highlights how international retailers are using pop-ups and cross-cultural collaborations to test new markets and drive brand engagement.

Korean fashion conglomerate Shinsegae is making its first foray into Singapore through an exclusive partnership with Metro, launching a pop-up at Paragon from September 25 to October 5. This initiative introduces six Korean fashion and lifestyle brands—Studio Tomboy, Man on the Boon, Jaju, Voice of Voices, Rawrow, and Vidivici—to Singaporean consumers, with collections remaining available at Metro Paragon until the end of October. The collaboration features a unique design partnership between Singapore’s Phunk Studio and Studio Tomboy, blending Peranakan and Korean motifs to create a cross-cultural retail experience. Metro’s CEO, Erwin Wuysang-Oei, emphasised that this partnership marks a pivotal shift from traditional department store retailing to a more fashion-focused, experiential model. By leveraging the pop-up format and integrating cultural storytelling, Shinsegae and Metro are setting a new standard for international retail collaboration in Southeast Asia, reflecting the growing importance of flexible, immersive retail strategies in the region.

IADS Notes: Shinsegae’s debut in Singapore through its partnership with Metro and the launch of a pop-up at Paragon reflects the Korean conglomerate’s broader international expansion strategy and its commitment to experiential, premium retail. The success of Shinsegae’s “House of Shinsegae” luxury concept, as reported in Maeil Business Newspaper in February 2025, has driven the group to expand into new formats and markets, leveraging its premium positioning. This approach is echoed in Shinsegae’s K-beauty pop-up at Paris Printemps in June 2025, which demonstrates the group’s ability to blend cultural storytelling and brand curation for global audiences. According to Inside Retail in January 2025, Shinsegae’s international growth strategy is a direct response to domestic market challenges, with Southeast Asia—and Singapore in particular—identified as key markets for multi-format and experiential retail. The growing popularity of pop-up activations across Asia, highlighted by Inside Retail in February 2025, underscores the importance of flexible, short-term retail formats for testing new markets and engaging consumers. Finally, the June 2025 Parco-Hyundai partnership illustrates how cross-cultural collaborations are setting new standards for fashion retail and cultural integration in the region.

Korean fashion giant Shinsegae debuts in Singapore with Metro