My case study was on a collaboration between Gentle Monster and KPop Demon Hunters to create an exclusive eyewear line that highlights the visual storytelling of each brand.
The 8 VCU recipients of the 2026 Fashion Scholarship Fund
Below is my full case study
While the FSF case study is an independent submission, the research and brainstorming phases included peer collaboration, shared critique, and ongoing support from professors. I developed all final designs, writing, financials, and strategy myself, but I leaned on conversations, feedback loops, and shared resources to refine and elevate the project.
My peers helped challenge my ideas, and my professors guided structure, clarity, and strategic framing. The final case study represents my personal vision, sharpened by a collaborative academic environment.
I began by analyzing both brands independently. Gentle Monster’s avant-garde identity, immersive retail, and fast-growing global footprint and K-Pop Demon Hunters’ cultural impact, mythology, and record-breaking popularity.
I then developed the collaboration concept: Gentle Demon Hunters, an exclusive eyewear line that fuses Korean folklore, K-pop aesthetics, and Gentle Monster’s sculptural design language.
Using lyrical references from Huntrix’s songs, I drew five custom eyewear styles which were Jagged Edges, Colors in My Head, Darkness & Harmony, Your Idol Saja, and Derpy & Sussie, each designed in Illustrator and presented as a realistic Gentle Monster web layout.
I followed with a full six-month merchandising plan, complete with SKU breakdowns, pricing logic, unit buying, projected sales, and visual merchandising allocations across five flagship stores.
This project reinforced how powerful cross-industry collaborations can be and how a fashion brand and an entertainment IP can create something that resonates far beyond the product itself. Working on Gentle Monster x K-Pop Demon Hunters helped shape my vision for the kind of dynamic, culturally relevant merchandising strategy I want to build in my career.
