On Friday after work I wanted to walk around an unexplored part of Seoul, so I of course went to a place I've been dozens of times, Dongdaemun! I usually go to district one, which is full of beautiful, trendy clothes and people. Also, there are lots of outdoor performances in district one, usually by teenage boys dancing to pop songs. On Friday, I ventured into District Two.
Never have I ever been allowed into wholesale stores before. The showrooms in France would let me in sometimes, but would never tell me a price, let alone allow me to buy something! In the States, I'm not even sure how I would go about finding a wholesale warehouse that would let me in to nose around. So after toujours hearing "non", there was something really exciting about being able to just walk in, no questions asked.
I've been really curious about the facade that goes into selling clothes. My Economics professor insisted that all prices are exactly equal to their worth, but after working retail I think that's ridiculous. After watching Calvin Klein underwear go down from $12/pair to $4/pair, and seeing people pay both prices, I think it's all about luck. After all, fashion doesn't change so quickly that those basic pink briefs could be outmoded by 66% in two months. Somebody got ripped off, but because not enough people fell for it, the rest of us got the price we deserved (excess supply!) Anyway, every time I buy clothes and accessories, I get caught up in the same question: what is this actually worth? Straight from the distributor, what did the shop-owner pay?
The answer is, from a brief survey in Konglish, that clothes tend to be marked up about 300%, and bags maybe 200%. Of course, with clothes, you're paying for the convenience of a dressing room, something not available from wholesalers. In fact, at the wholesalers market, you can't even try on button-up sweaters. However, after visiting the "French Bag Market", I'm really glad that I never bought a pricey bag a block away in District One. In District Two, I found a high-quality, trendy leather bag for under $60.00. The price tag says $140.00, a price that I would have found completely reasonable (even on the low side) in District One.
Directions to Gwanghee Fashion Mall, where wholesale leather goods are sold: From Dongdaemun Stadium Station, walk down the street towards the N. side of the stadium (Migliore, Doosan Tower on your left.) Follow the stadium around, there will be a Coffee Bean on your right and an Art Gallery, keep going. The Gwanghee Fashion Mall is on your left. It doesn't open until about 9:00 PM, though, so don't show up early and then overstay your single beverage at a busy coffee shop! (Whoops.)
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