A Jacket Made from a Car Seat
The most interesting piece of clothing I own was once part of a Hyundai sedan. Continew — a Korean brand that upcycles car leather seats into bags and accessories — launched a limited jacket collection last year using leather salvaged from end-of-life vehicles. The leather is already broken in, already patina’d, already unique. My jacket cost 380,000 KRW and every time someone asks about it, the conversation gets interesting. That is the magic of Korean sustainable fashion — it does not just reduce waste, it creates pieces with stories that conventional fashion cannot replicate.
Seoul Fashion Week FW26 had sustainability running through multiple collections, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government is actively promoting eco-fashion as part of Korea’s broader climate commitments. But the brands doing the most interesting work are not new — some have been upcycling for years, quietly building a movement that is now reaching mainstream consciousness.
RE:CODE: Military Textiles Reborn
RE:CODE is the grandparent of Korean sustainable fashion. Founded by Kolon Industries, the brand takes deadstock military uniforms, parachute fabric, and tent canvas, and transforms them into premium streetwear and outerwear. A RE:CODE parka made from military surplus fabric costs about 450,000-650,000 KRW, and each piece comes with documentation of its source material. The quality is exceptional — military-grade textiles are built to withstand far more punishment than anything fast fashion produces. I have owned a RE:CODE field jacket for two years, and it shows zero signs of wear.
ul:kin and Danha: Unexpected Materials
ul:kin creates ready-to-wear clothing from upcycled fishing nets, buoys, and other marine waste. Their signature pieces incorporate visible fragments of the original materials — a blue streak from a fishing net running through a blazer, a texture variation from repurposed rope. The visual effect is striking and completely unique. Pieces range from 200,000 to 500,000 KRW. Danha takes a poetic approach: they deconstruct abandoned wedding dresses and remake them into modern hanbok-inspired garments. A Danha piece is part fashion, part cultural statement, part environmental activism. Prices start around 350,000 KRW.
PLEATSMAMA, Continew, and Kanghyuk: Industrial Waste as Raw Material
PLEATSMAMA creates bags from recycled PET bottles — each bag uses approximately 16 bottles. The bags are lightweight, water-resistant, and available in a range of colors at 89,000-150,000 KRW. They are the most accessible entry point into Korean sustainable fashion. Kanghyuk uses deflated car airbags as their primary material, creating jackets and pants with a distinctive translucent, papery texture. It is probably the most avant-garde of the sustainable brands, with prices reflecting the labor-intensive process (500,000-900,000 KRW).
Where to Shop Korean Sustainable Fashion
Musinsa Earth is the best online starting point — it curates sustainable Korean brands in one place. For in-person shopping, the Seongsu-dong neighborhood in Seoul has multiple sustainable fashion showrooms and pop-ups. PLEATSMAMA has a flagship in Samcheong-dong. RE:CODE is available at select Kolon Sport stores nationwide. For international buyers, most brands ship globally through their own websites or through platforms like W Concept Global.
Korean sustainable fashion proves that environmental responsibility and cutting-edge design are not opposites — in the hands of these brands, they are inseparable.
