With a budget of more than 2 million euros, South Korea intends to demonstrate its expertise in eyewear manufacturing and explore the high-end fashion market.
The Korean eye optics industry promotion agency, Korea Eye Optics Industry, was established in 2004 with the support of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy and the city of Daegu to the development and innovation of the Korean eyewear industry. With 72.5 percent of Korea’s 841 eyewear manufacturing enterprises, the city of Daegu forms a designated industrial cluster, in 1998, a regional specialty.
In order to create new bases for the sustainable growth of the industry and move it away from the OEM model (industrialists who manufacture original equipment, components or spare parts for the products of another company), three billion won ( 2 million 130 thousand euros) are intended to provide direct or indirect support to this sector.
“Based on 76 years of manufacturing technology know-how, Korean eyewear is recognized worldwide in various fields such as materials and design, and is in the top ten of eyewear frame exports”, we say Korea Eye Optics Industry officials. A craze that rhymes, according to them, with the wave of K culture, such as Korean Pop and K-Drama (Korean television series), and the honoring of Korean brands like Gentle Monster, Project Product or Carin.
This project to help explore the high-end fashion market is the subject of a collaboration with the Parisian showroom Romeo, responsible for orchestrating their visibility with international buyers.