GLOWNY’s pop‑up in Los Angeles has officially burst onto the Melrose Avenue scene, turning the city’s fashion pulse strawberry‑sweet and anime‑bright. Launching with an exclusive VIP soirée and marching into Week 2 of its California residency, this Korean-born women’s lifestyle brand is flexing a playful, cross-cultural aesthetic that screams millennial sophistication.
Growing Roots: From Seoul to Melrose
Founded in 2020 by sisters Jane and Jiho Choi, GLOWNY emerged from Seoul’s underground scene, armed with hand-drawn prints, nostalgic silhouettes, and a gentle yet bold color palette. The sisters—Forbes 30 Under 30 alumni—have quietly built a cult cross-border following with an empowering slogan, “You Glow Differently.” Their identity—like their clothing—is at once youthful, confident, and serenely imaginative.
Their LA debut follows a packed VIP launch night on June 6, attended by an impressive cohort of Angeleno tastemakers: Nava Rose, Doyoung Kim, Amber Park, Princess Gollum, and many others. The next day, a line formed, snaking around the block as eager fans waited to shop the label’s colorful past collections and sleek basics.
Visitors are currently able to peruse more than 250 styles—ranging from the signature HOT Summer collaboration with Simi and Haze to capsule basics like crisp black-and-white tanks and high-rise denim echoing Seoul’s street‑chic spell. It’s a refined mix: the sweet youth of bubblegum colors interlaced with serious wardrobe workhorses.
The Melrose Haven: A Pop‑Up Like No Other
Upon stepping in, guests were greeted by the sisters’ carefully curated aesthetic: pastel-hued nooks, summer inspired swimwear, and an upstairs loft reminiscent of a dreamy Korean webtoon. There, a celestial cheese-and-charcuterie extravaganza sits beneath trailing jasmine vines and whimsical fruit trellises—with offerings so divine they could have been conjured by Greek gods.
But flair isn’t the only flavor—there’s substance. The event featured rotating collaborations, anchored by a standout strawberry-lounge collection created in partnership with Tanaka Farms, the family-owned gem renowned for premium berries grown near Irvine. Inspired by the iconic Tanaka strawberry—sweet, creamy, and aromatically intense—the collection includes playful crop tops, caps, and totes splashed with strawberry‑red accents.
Strawberry Shortcake Meets Korean Cool
Culinary highlights included strawberry shortcake donut sandwiches, ingeniously produced by Cafe Knotted using Tanaka’s berries, and Tanaka-themed cocktails and strawberry serve‑ups. Imagine: sugar donut halves hugging heaps of cream, crowned with fresh strawberries—the ultimate Korean flex on L.A.’s love of whimsical cuisine. Add in a full-service bar with signature strawberry libations and perfectly sweet hibiscus iced tea from 7Leaves Café, and you’ve arrived at an aesthetic-foodie nirvana.
To the public, Saturdays serve as a rotating playground: guests can nibble on Cafe Knotted’s Donut Sandwiches, sip 7Leaves’ Hibiscus Tea, or sample Fluffy’s Ice Cream. Sundays flip the creative script—with nail-art salons, floral‑arranging workshops, and bag‑charm making, all in the brand’s animated voice. It’s a lush, hands‑on celebration of “You Glow Differently,” with guests invited not just to buy, but to glow.
Tanaka Farms x GLOWNY: Agriculture Meets Aesthetic
The GLOWNY x Tanaka Farms capsule—exclusively LA-bound—pays homage to California’s premier agritourism pioneer. Established in 1940 and relocated to its current farm in Irvine in 1998, Tanaka Farms is a fifth-generation, Japanese-American family operation known for U-pick strawberry tours and community-driven practices. Their strawberries—rich, fragrant, and creamy—are the bedrock of this collaboration.
Featured GLOWNY pieces include:
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The “Strawberry Top” in white, a cropped tee dotted with hand‑sketched berries ($66)
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A strawberry/cream baseball cap ($48) and a tote bag ($88) to match
These items aren’t just merch—they reflect the rosy reverie of the season, the brand’s youthful ethos, and the sister duo’s Korean-American identity.
The Cultural Crossover
The GLOWNY pop‑up is not just a retail moment—it’s a cultural statement. It’s where Asian-Angeleno identity, strawberry‑sweet agritourism, and contemporary fashion collide. The anime‑tinged drawings echo Seoul street culture, while the event’s workshops cultivate creativity and community.
By partnering with Tanaka Farms, the sisters spotlight a Japanese-American agritourism legacy—rooted in Great-Grandfather Takeo Tanaka’s family farming since 1940 and Farmer Tanaka’s later shift to agritourism in the late ’90s. That lineage is seamlessly woven into the event’s narrative: every strawberry-topped donut, floral installation, and art workshop honors stories of diaspora, craft, and creative self-expression.
What to Expect Through June 22
The GLOWNY pop‑up remains open Wednesday–Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Sunday, June 22.
Highlights include:
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Saturday pop-ins by Cafe Knotted, 7Leaves Café, and Fluffy’s Ice Cream.
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Sunday community workshops (nail art, flower arranging, bag charms).
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250+ GLOWNY SKUs—past and present, inclusive of the limited Tanaka capsule.
Though U.S. expansion is in early stages, this pop‑up marks a major milestone: LA is the first stepping stone in a path that will next traverse Tokyo, Macao, and Taipei, each reflecting GLOWNY’s wave‑riding global momentum.
Stitching the Global Narrative
In four short years, GLOWNY has carved a distinctive global lane. Their Seoul flagship is met—literally—with an immersive space on Melrose, merging aesthetic authenticity with LA’s creative zeitgeist. They’ve tapped into contemporary demands for fashion grounded in story, community, and sensory delight.
In LA, the sisters have curated not a pop‑up shop, but an experience: a strawberry‑tinted bridge connecting agrarian roots, Korean creative vision, and a millennial appetite for playful sophistication. They’ve managed to feel intimate—for VIPs and drop‑in consumers—yet unpretentiously celebratory, with a consistent message: this is women’s wear as life wear. It’s casual and curated, whimsical yet wearable.
What This Means for LA Fashion
The success of GLOWNY reveals two major currents: 1. the rising global tide of Korean contemporary fashion, and 2. the increasing appetite for hybrid brand events—spaces that blend retail, food, art, and community engagement.
Brands like GLOWNY are moving beyond e‑commerce and Instagram into the domain of lived aesthetic experience. They prioritize playful engagement, artist-level storytelling, and cultural authenticity. To LA’s fashion‑savvy core, this isn’t just about style—it’s about tribe, ritual, and multisensory delight. GLOWNY meets this demand with a Korean sister-led aesthetic that’s as soft as it is powerful.
Final Reflections
GLOWNY’s LA popup transcends the transactional. It’s a joyful fusion of global identity, summer‑tinted aesthetics, and culinary allure. Beneath the strawberry donuts and anime pastels lies a smarter play: the brand, started by two visionary sisters, is staking its position as the aesthetic voice for a generation seeking authenticity and delight on their own terms. You Glow Differently isn’t just their slogan—it’s their invitation.
As they prepare to expand into Tokyo, Macao, and Taiwan, L.A. stands as the launchpad for a global moment. In a city that thrives on curated creativity, GLOWNY has arrived both organically and theatrically—and it’s unforgettable.
FAQ
When and where is the GLOWNY pop‑up located?
It’s open through Sunday, June 22, 2025, Wed–Sun 11 a.m.–6 p.m., at 8013 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles.
What are the event highlights?
From their VIP debut to weekend‑long lines, the pop‑up showcases over 250 SKUs, rotating culinary activations from Cafe Knotted, 7Leaves Café, Fluffy’s Ice Cream, DIY workshops, and a serene upstairs loft with gourmet bites and floral‑veiled installations.
What is the Tanaka Farms collaboration?
A limited-edition capsule—cropped tops, caps, totes—celebrating premium California strawberries from the multi‑generational Tanaka Farms; the lifestyle activation also includes strawberry cocktail and dessert pairings.
What makes this pop‑up culturally significant?
GLOWNY blends Korean concept art, Californian agritourism, and female-led creative agency—offering a multisensory celebration of diaspora, craft, and community. It also signals the global rise of Korean contemporary fashion in a market often behind fast fashion.
Can I still shop Tanaka Farms strawberries at the pop‑up?
Yes—star‑studded strawberry bites and cocktails are available while supplies last.
The GLOWNY pop‑up Los Angeles represents a milestone in Korean‑American fashion storytelling. With immersive design, strawberry‑sweet collabs, and creative workshops, the brand offers a new standard for experiential retail—affirming that in 2025, style is more than clothing. It’s culture.
