Bean Pole

Bean Pole is a South Korean fashion brand owned by Samsung C&T Corporation. It was established in 1989 by Cheil Industries, the Samsung-affiliated company that was later merged into Samsung C&T, and was initially positioned as a neo-contemporary total-fashion brand for men aged 25 to 35. The concept emphasized coordinated apparel and accessories, with quality and a polished image intended to raise the perceived value of domestic casual fashion. During its early growth period, Bean Pole adopted a distinctive commercial policy for the South Korean market. In 1993, it introduced a no-sales policy, avoiding conventional discounting in an effort to strengthen consumer confidence in domestic brands. The policy was notable at a time when Korean labels were often associated with mid- to lower-priced merchandise and frequent promotions. From launch through 1996, the brand reportedly achieved average annual sales growth of approximately 30 percent. By 2000, it had obtained the largest market share among South Korea's traditional-casual brands. Bean Pole's development was supported by a broadening brand architecture. Rather than remaining a single menswear label, it created specialized lines covering men's fashion, women's fashion, children’s clothing, accessories, golf apparel, and sports fashion and equipment. Its principal sub-brands include Bean Pole Men, Bean Pole Ladies, Bean Pole Kids, Bean Pole Accessory, Bean Pole Golf, and Bean Pole Sports. A further sub-brand, 890311, was added toward the end of 2019. This structure allowed the company to present a consistent visual identity while adapting products to different customers and use occasions. Retail expansion was another important part of the brand's strategy. In 2003, Bean Pole opened a four-floor flagship store in Seoul's Myeong-dong area, described as the first flagship store of its kind for a South Korean brand. The location brought several Bean Pole lines together, including jeans, ladieswear, golf, menswear, and childrenswear, offering a unified alternative to the separated department-store fashion floors. A second flagship store opened in Daegu in 2009. The brand also pursued international creative partnerships. From 2010 onward, it worked with designers from outside South Korea, including Scott Steinberg of Band of Outsiders, Kim Jones, and Christophe Lemaire. These collaborations introduced limited or seasonal design input and helped Bean Pole associate its established Korean casual identity with internationally recognized fashion talent. The collaboration with Lemaire produced the men's line Novö. Bean Pole's earlier success reflected the strength of the Korean masstige segment, which combined broad accessibility with a more prestigious image. Like other brands in that category, it later faced pressure from the expansion of fast fashion and the continuing appeal of designer labels. In 2019, for its thirtieth anniversary, Bean Pole announced a rebrand scheduled to appear in the spring/summer 2020 season. The renewal included visual identity changes, including a new Hangul logo, and the introduction of 890311. The new line drew on Korea's industrialization period in the 1960s and 1970s, when Western cultural influences became increasingly visible in Korean society. The company also stated plans to pursue growth in markets such as Vietnam and North America.

Bean Pole was founded in 1989 by Cheil Industries, a Samsung-affiliated company that was subsequently merged into Samsung C&T Corporation. It entered the South Korean market as a neo-contemporary total-fashion brand directed initially at men between 25 and 35 years old. Its early proposition combined coordinated fashion categories with a quality-oriented image, differentiating the brand from domestic labels that were commonly positioned at lower or middle price points. In 1993, Bean Pole adopted a no-sales policy. The decision was intended to build consumer trust by limiting the discounting that was common in the domestic apparel market. Between its launch and 1996, the brand recorded reported average annual sales growth of about 30 percent. By 2000, it had the highest market share among South Korea's traditional-casual brands. Its performance was attributed to the perceived quality of its products and its ability to respond to customer needs, even as the Korean market experienced a rapid increase in the number of casualwear brands. The company progressively developed Bean Pole into a multi-line fashion portfolio. Bean Pole Men and Bean Pole Ladies extended the original customer base, while Bean Pole Kids, Bean Pole Accessory, Bean Pole Golf, and Bean Pole Sports addressed additional age groups, product categories, and activities. In 2003, the company opened a four-story flagship store in Myeong-dong, Seoul. The store brought together Bean Pole Jeans, Ladies, Golf, Homme, and Kids offerings. The format was designed to present the brand as a unified shopping environment rather than dividing categories across separate department-store floors. A second flagship store opened in Daegu in 2009. From 2010, Bean Pole expanded its use of international design collaborations. Scott Steinberg, associated with Band of Outsiders, worked with the brand on a capsule collection in 2010. English designer Kim Jones collaborated with Bean Pole for the spring/summer 2011 season and continued the relationship into fall/winter. Bean Pole later worked with Christophe Lemaire, then the womenswear director at Hermès, on the men's line Novö. The brand's earlier masstige model eventually encountered broader structural pressure. Fast-fashion companies competed through speed and price, while designer labels competed through exclusivity and creative prestige. These changes contributed to a decline in the wider masstige segment, including Bean Pole and comparable brands. For its thirtieth anniversary, Bean Pole announced a rebrand in 2019, scheduled for presentation in spring/summer 2020. The identity update included a new Hangul logo and the creation of 890311. The new line drew inspiration from the industrialization period of the 1960s and 1970s, when Western cultural influences became more prominent in Korean society. Bean Pole also expressed an intention to expand outside South Korea, citing Vietnam and North America as potential growth markets. The brand remains part of Samsung C&T's fashion business and continues to operate through a portfolio of apparel, accessory, golf, sports, and family-oriented lines.

• 2019

  Thirtieth-anniversary rebrand is announced

  [1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Bean Pole announces a brand renewal for the spring/summer 2020 season, including visual identity changes and the 890311 sub-brand.

• 2011

  Kim Jones collaboration expands

  [1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Bean Pole works with English designer Kim Jones for spring/summer 2011 and continues the collaboration in fall/winter.

• 2010

  International designer collaboration begins

  [1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Bean Pole collaborates with Scott Steinberg of Band of Outsiders on a capsule collection.

• 2009

  Daegu flagship store opens

  [1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  The brand opens a second flagship store in Daegu.

• 2003

  First flagship store opens in Seoul

  [1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Bean Pole opens a four-floor standalone flagship in Myeong-dong, bringing several brand lines into one retail location.

• 2000

  Bean Pole leads traditional casualwear

  [1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Bean Pole reaches the highest market share among South Korea's traditional-casual brands.

• 1996

  Early high-growth period concludes

  [1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  From launch through 1996, the brand reports average annual sales growth of approximately 30 percent.

• 1993

  No-sales policy is introduced

  [1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Bean Pole adopts a no-sales policy intended to improve consumer trust and reinforce the value of domestic fashion brands.

• 1989

  Bean Pole is founded

  [1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Cheil Industries establishes Bean Pole as a South Korean neo-contemporary total-fashion brand initially aimed at men aged 25 to 35.

Mid- to high-end contemporary fashion and lifestyle brand combining Korean casualwear heritage, coordinated family fashion, and premium brand presentation.

• Menswear

  Bean Pole Men

  The men's line is the closest continuation of Bean Pole's original positioning as a quality-oriented contemporary casual brand for adult consumers. It forms part of the brand's broader coordinated fashion system and is associated with polished everyday apparel rather than a narrowly specialized product category.

• Womenswear

  Bean Pole Ladies

  Bean Pole Ladies extends the brand's contemporary casualwear proposition into women's apparel. It is one of the core category lines used to build Bean Pole's family of coordinated fashion offerings and was represented in the brand's flagship-store format.

• Childrenswear

  Bean Pole Kids

  Bean Pole Kids adapts the brand's visual identity and apparel approach for children. Its inclusion in the flagship retail concept helped Bean Pole present itself as a family-oriented fashion house rather than only an adult casualwear label.

• Fashion accessories

  Bean Pole Accessory

  Bean Pole Accessory is the portfolio's dedicated accessories line. It complements the apparel categories and supports the brand's original total-fashion concept by extending the coordinated Bean Pole identity beyond clothing.

• Golf apparel

  Bean Pole Golf

  Bean Pole Golf applies the brand to golf-oriented clothing and lifestyle products. It is a specialized performance-lifestyle line that broadens the company beyond general casualwear while retaining the parent brand's premium Korean fashion positioning.

• Sports fashion and equipment

  Bean Pole Sports

  Bean Pole Sports covers sports fashion and equipment. The line represents the brand's move into activity-related products and provides a more performance-oriented counterpart to its traditional casual and lifestyle categories.

• Contemporary fashion · 2019

  890311

  Introduced around Bean Pole's 2019 thirtieth-anniversary renewal, 890311 draws on Korea's industrialization period in the 1960s and 1970s and the accompanying arrival of Western cultural influences. It was positioned as part of the brand's effort to refresh its identity for a newer market context.

• Menswear collaboration line

  Novö

  Novö was a men's line developed through Bean Pole's collaboration with Christophe Lemaire, then associated with Hermès womenswear. The project formed part of the brand's strategy of using international designers to introduce new creative direction into its established Korean fashion platform.

• 2011Kim Jones seasonal collaboration

  South Korea

  Bean Pole worked with English designer Kim Jones on the spring/summer 2011 season and continued the partnership into fall/winter.

  Outcome. The project extended Bean Pole's use of international creative partnerships across multiple seasons.

  Source
• 2010Scott Steinberg capsule collection

  South Korea

  Bean Pole collaborated with Scott Steinberg of Band of Outsiders on a capsule collection, beginning a documented period of partnerships with foreign designers.

  Outcome. The collaboration established an international-design component in Bean Pole's product development, although detailed commercial results are not documented in the reference material.

  Source
• Christophe Lemaire collaboration

  South Korea

  Bean Pole collaborated with Christophe Lemaire on the men's line Novö after its work with Kim Jones.

  Outcome. The collaboration produced a distinct menswear line; further campaign performance information is not available in the reference material.

  Source

• 2019

  Thirtieth-anniversary brand renewalStrategy

  Background

  Bean Pole and other masstige brands faced pressure from fast fashion and designer labels, prompting an effort to refresh the brand for a changing market.

  Action taken

  The company announced a rebrand for the spring/summer 2020 season, revised elements of its logo system, introduced a new Hangul logo, and added 890311 to its portfolio.

  Aftermath

  The renewal was also linked to plans to seek growth in Vietnam and North America. Detailed results are not provided in the reference material.

  Source

• 1993

  Adoption of a no-sales policyStrategy

  Background

  South Korean domestic fashion brands were often associated with mid- to low-priced products and promotional discounting.

  Action taken

  Bean Pole stopped using sales promotions as a deliberate policy intended to strengthen consumer trust and reinforce the value of its brand.

  Aftermath

  The brand subsequently recorded strong growth through 1996 and reached the leading market-share position among traditional-casual brands by 2000.

  Source

• 2019

  Bean Pole announces a thirtieth-anniversary rebrand[1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product launch

  Bean Pole announced that it would refresh its brand identity for its thirtieth anniversary, with the updated identity planned for the spring/summer 2020 season. The program included a new Hangul logo and a new sub-brand, 890311.

• 2019

  Bean Pole adds 890311 to its sub-brand portfolio[1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Product generation

  The brand introduced 890311 as a line inspired by Korea's industrialization period during the 1960s and 1970s and the growing influence of Western culture during that era.

• 2019

  Bean Pole introduces the 890311 sub-brand[1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Toward the end of 2019, Bean Pole added 890311 to its sub-brand portfolio. The line was inspired by Korea's industrialization period in the 1960s and 1970s and the growing influence of Western culture during that era.

• 2019

  Bean Pole outlines overseas expansion plans[1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  As part of its anniversary renewal, Bean Pole expressed plans to expand its presence into markets including Vietnam and North America.

• 2009

  Bean Pole opens a second flagship in Daegu[1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The brand expanded its standalone retail network with a second flagship store in Daegu.

• 2003

  Bean Pole opens a Myeong-dong flagship store[1]Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Bean Pole opened a four-floor standalone flagship in Seoul's Myeong-dong district. The store brought several brand lines together to create a unified, one-stop shopping environment.

1. 1Bean Poleen.wikipedia.org