I’m always thankful that The Wife is not a shopaholic. Whenever she buys clothes and accessories, which is not often, her priorities revolve around functionality, design and cost.
When we travel to fashion capitals like Seoul, I’m perfectly happy for her to step into a shop and browse to her heart’s content. In fact, I actively encourage her to take as much time as she needs.
During our recent trip, despite hours of window shopping at Starfield Coex, Hongdae and Ikseondong at local brands like Twee, Åland and Teterot Salon, she only ended up buying a simple work blouse at Gotomall.
That wasn’t the only thing she bought though, and the story started with me searching for some African coffee beans at the Bukchon Hanok Village.
Naver Maps charted out a mostly uphill walking route from Anguk station to Blue Bottle Samcheongdong. Along the way, we spotted a pretty hanok house and stopped to take photos.
The Wife was mysteriously drawn to the traditional wooden building (Naver Maps, Google Maps) with its characteristic tiled roof. And before I knew it, she had crossed the road and stepped through the large inviting door.
I followed her in and found myself surrounded by numerous displays featuring colourful bags of different sizes, all of them sporting a Pleats Mama label.
I had never heard of the brand before, but it seemed to be a Korean brand that was only recently launched in 2017.
From the bi-lingual posters that explained the shop’s brand story, I found out that their focus was on eco-friendly and sustainable fashion that emphasised the philosophy of “conscious consumption”.
Which I assumed was the opposite of conspicuous consumption, and a social movement designed to push back against the current overwhelming tide of fast fashion.
Apparently, their bags are made from recycled plastic, including discarded fishing nets and PET bottles recovered from Jeju, Busan and Seoul.
To drive home the point, clear perspex boxes contained the amount of discarded material used for specific bag designs — 16 plastic bottles to make one shoulder bag, for example.
As The Wife happily shopped away and was well taken care of by the young and friendly staff, I entertained myself with the large screen TV display that was looping a corporate video.
It illustrated how ocean-bound plastic that was destined to float aimlessly for close to an eternity was recovered, transformed to fibres and woven into colourful bags.
When my feet were tired from standing around, I sat down on the many cushioned seats scattered around the enclosed but brightly-lit inner courtyard.
Keeping me company were random boyfriends/husbands that were also biding their time. We smiled politely at each other, a silent acknowledgement that we were all there for the same reason.
After about an hour, The Wife was done. She stepped out from the cashier’s room with a big paper bag containing her haul.
Duty-free shopping was available on-site and the refund was processed immediately. All we had to do was scan the generated receipts at the airport before check-in, and then claim cash back after clearing customs.
We were also given several pieces of yakgwa as souvenirs, which I thought was quite a meaningful gesture on the part of the store. They didn’t taste particularly special, but they did make for a nice and light breakfast the next morning.
It turned out that the Blue Bottle was just down the road, and it was my turn to get some shopping done. The barista was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and we spent some time exchanging notes on coffee origins and brewing methods.
After I secured my stash of freshly-roasted beans from Ethiopia and Rwanda, The Wife gave me a sheepish look and asked: “Can we go back to Pleats Mama?”
Apparently, she had buyer’s remorse.
Not in the typical sense of regretting her purchases, but rather, of not buying enough. Half an hour later and several hundred thousand won lighter, she finally got everything out of her system.
So what did The Wife eventually buy?
For herself, she got a 2Way Shopper Bag in navy and baby blue. It had a short handle for easy pickup, as well as a long strap for slinging across the shoulder. The design was elegant yet functional, with a spacious interior and sturdy construction.
It looked like it was quite indestructible and would last her for a long time. Given what it was made of, cleaning it would be as simple as chucking it into the washing machine.
I’m happy to report that it has since entered into active duty, and has already garnered glowing reviews. I have a feeling that it’s going to be very well used in the coming months and years.
For her cousin, she got a Shoulder Bag. There were so many colours to choose from, and luckily she managed to contact her on WhatsApp and picked out the one she liked best.
The glitter blue bag was from the “Love Jeju” collection and made exclusively from recycled PET bottles from the island of Jeju. Staying true to their eco-friendly focus, the cardboard packaging was minimal.
For some of her friends, she got bags in other designs and colours, taking care to match them to their respective preferences.
I could tell that she was very pleased with her purchases, and I was pleased that she was pleased.
We walked into Pleats Mama by sheer coincidence that day, and almost didn’t make it back out. But I’m glad that we dropped in for a few hours of conscious consumption. I’m pretty sure The Wife would agree as well.
