2000Archives Steps Up Overseas Push After Jaded London and BIBI Team-Ups

2000Archives, the brand of Kyndof (chief executive Kim Seon-bin), is moving to establish itself as a next-generation brand house, and the response overseas is notable. In China, search volume for the brand is rising along a J-curve, and the company is reviewing offline touchpoints such as pop-up stores. In Japan, steady buying is coming through discerning select shops including GR8, Royal Flash, Beams and Nubian.

Rather than distribution centered on showrooms, 2000Archives is therefore pursuing an inbound wholesale strategy: communicating directly with global customers, building a base of fans, and developing its wholesale business on that foundation.

Kim said: "Building on our experience with collaborations and issue-making, we plan to keep creating stories in the global market and to strengthen communication with overseas customers. Through that we want to secure a broader overseas customer base and grow into a brand that resonates across a range of cultures." He added: "While proposing products with a strong point of view, we want to expand a lineup that is also practical, and become a brand that settles naturally into the daily lives of our 100,000 followers. This year we will keep generating global issues and strengthen our role in leading Korean fashion trends."

Domestically, the brand is concentrating on a D2C strategy centered on its own online store. From this year it plans to release collections in drops rather than on the traditional seasonal calendar, diversifying its points of contact with customers. It is also investing heavily in brand imagery such as lookbooks and campaigns, expanding fashion into an experience that is fun to watch, like entertainment. Chosen by fashion icons including Blackpink, NewJeans, aespa and Le Sserafim, it has been widening its connection with global fans as well. Its collaborations with Jaded London and the artist BIBI, both of which drew attention last year, were notable because in each case the other side made contact first.

2000Archives is a womenswear brand launched in Korea in 2021 by creative director Hong Da-eun. It proposes a distinctive style that combines vintage sensibility with a contemporary sports mood, and its name draws on the idea of a 2000s archive. The brand began with curated vintage pieces and is now expanding its own design collections.