Lotte Department Store unveiled its export platform 'NextLab' on the 21st, officially launching a new horizon for 'K-fashion globalization' by leveraging its unique infrastructure of overseas directly-operated department stores to help K-fashion brands establish themselves in the global market. Lotte Department Store's exclusive 'two-track' strategy, which supports not just simple pop-ups but also official store openings overseas, is expected to provide a powerful growth driver for K-fashion brands.

NextLab aims to discover K-fashion brands with high growth potential and systematically support their global expansion. Lotte Department Store leveraged its unique advantage of being the only company in the industry to directly operate department stores overseas, presenting exclusive competitive strength to support official store openings through overseas directly-operated stores. This is materialized through a 'two-track' strategy of supporting pop-ups in partnership with overseas local retailers and supporting official store openings in overseas directly-operated stores, with the goal of establishing a virtuous cycle system of 'pop-up-incubating-opening.'

NextLab's first destination is 'Lotte Mall Westlake Hanoi' in Vietnam, where K-fashion preference and demand are high. 'MUSCENT,' which has drawn attention as 'K Street Wear,' was selected as the first featured brand. MUSCENT has accumulated pop-up experience in Japan and France, and is making its first entry into the Vietnamese market through this Hanoi pop-up. The MUSCENT pop-up will run for 12 days from July 24 to August 4. In Hanoi, pop-ups from five K-fashion brands including Setter and NOMANUEL are scheduled to follow MUSCENT.

[Photo=Yonhapnews]

Business expansion extends beyond Vietnam to Japan. Lotte Department Store plans to conduct additional pop-ups at major shopping malls in key commercial areas of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. Long-term plans include creating permanent K-fashion pop-up specialized halls in Vietnam and Japan by 2027, evolving beyond one-time support into a sustainable global expansion platform.

This business is being handled by 'NextContent Lab,' an in-house organization at Lotte Department Store launched in early 2026. NextContent Lab, in addition to the NextLab business, is pursuing innovative projects including differentiated space planning and intellectual property (IP)-linked content development, focusing on securing future growth drivers for Lotte Department Store.

Lotte Department Store's 'NextLab' is expected to provide an important stepping stone for K-fashion brands to establish themselves stably and grow in overseas markets through verified global infrastructure. This is anticipated to further strengthen the global status of K-fashion, while Lotte Department Store demonstrates its differentiated content discovery capabilities and secures new growth momentum. Lotte Department Store's NextContent Lab will present a blueprint for the company's evolution from a simple retailer into a content innovation company through wide-ranging projects including innovative space planning and IP-linked content development.