The Korean Jewelry Brand K-Pop Idols Quietly Wear: KIMUNE (키뮤네)

If you've ever paused a recent NCT Wish or IVE music video to ask "where's that necklace from?" — the answer is increasingly the same: KIMUNE (키뮤네), a small Seoul jewelry label operating out of Euljiro that K-pop stylists have been quietly building into a go-to MV staple before international fans even learn the name.

Why KIMUNE is suddenly everywhere in K-pop visuals

KIMUNE landed on Korean trend magazine Careet's May 2026 list of "19 new hip brands the industry is watching before they break out." Stylists working with NCT Wish, IVE, ITZY's Yeji, and Red Velvet's Seulgi have all reached for the same indie label across recent music videos and editorials. That's an unusually concentrated stylist pattern for a brand that hasn't run influencer campaigns or paid placements.

The pieces themselves are minimalist sterling-silver and gold studies — chains, ear cuffs, pendants — designed to read clearly on camera without competing with hair or styling. That readability is exactly why MV stylists keep coming back: the jewelry survives heavy color grading and stage lighting, and reads as "expensive but unidentifiable," which is the current K-pop visual mood.

An Euljiro studio that skipped the influencer playbook

Founder and base

KIMUNE is run by founder Kim Ji-hye from a studio at 26-2, Euljiro 35-gil, in Seoul's Jung-gu district — the same Euljiro corridor that has produced most of Korea's recent indie jewelry, ceramics, and small-batch fashion brands. The brand sells direct through kimune.com and an English-language storefront at kimune-global.imweb.me.

Why small Korean jewelry brands are winning Gen Z

KIMUNE's rise sits inside a larger shift. In Careet's 2026 trend reporting, 85.6% of Gen Z respondents in Korea said they prefer small beauty and accessory brands over luxury houses. Stylist-led discovery — rather than influencer campaigns — is the dominant signal for which of those small brands actually break out. KIMUNE checks both boxes: tiny operation, repeat MV pickups across four major K-pop acts in a single quarter.

More underrated Korean brands on our Hip Now radar

• Nopicial Nopice — fashion label trending as the new "idol-approved" wardrobe pick across Aespa, IVE and Kiki.
• Needle Story — domestic knitting supplies brand that grew from KRW 9.1B (2023) to KRW 13.8B (2024), riding Korea's slow-craft revival.

Sources: Careet — 19 New Hip Brands the Industry Is Watching (May 2026) · KIMUNE official · KIMUNE Global