“From Namdaemun Back to the World”…26-Year Accessory Co...

JOY YOU, a fashion accessory manufacturer and trading company that has been based in Seoul’s Namdaemun Market for 26 years, is seeking to reconnect with overseas buyers in a market environment reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded as a trading business in 2000, JOY YOU met buyers from around the world through overseas exhibitions supported by KOTRA and later opened a store in Namdaemun at the recommendation of overseas clients. Today, the store serves not only as a retail point for finished products, but also as a meeting place for domestic and international clients and buyers. Drawing on experience with pearls, crystals, stainless steel, OEM/ODM projects and sample development, the company is preparing for new markets.

[Korean Today] CEO Jung Cheo-young works with domestic and international clients at the JOY YOU store in Seoul’s Namdaemun Market. Founded as a trading company in 2000, JOY YOU has spent about 26 years in Namdaemun, manufacturing and selling fashion accessories and conducting overseas business. © Reporter Ji Seung-ju

Namdaemun Market’s accessory district in Seoul.

Inside the buildings, narrow corridors are lined with shops selling earrings, necklaces, pearls, crystals, hair accessories and decorative items. Products fill walls and display cases, while merchants and customers move through the aisles. One company that has kept its place here for many years is JOY YOU.

The store itself is not large. Behind the displays, however, are roughly 26 years of design, sample development, made-to-order production and export experience.

JOY YOU’s story is more than the history of a single shop in Namdaemun. It is also a record of one company that has lived through the years when Korea’s fashion accessory industry traded actively with overseas buyers, as well as the market changes that followed COVID-19.

From banking careers to the accessory trade

CEO Jung Cheo-young entered the accessory business around 2000.

She did not begin by opening a shop in Namdaemun. Jung and her husband had both worked in banking. Through her husband’s cousin, who was living in France, they were introduced to the accessory business and eventually entered international trade.

There were mistakes in the early days. Jung recalls one order in which a request for 1,000 units was mistakenly understood as 10,000.

Those mistakes became experience. JOY YOU began participating in overseas exhibitions through organizations including KOTRA and met buyers from many countries. Clients were developed in the United Kingdom, Brazil and other markets. Some overseas buyers advised Jung that having a physical shop in Namdaemun would make business easier.

The reasoning was simple: overseas buyers were more likely to trust a supplier if there was a place in Korea where they could visit, inspect products and hold discussions. That advice became the reason JOY YOU opened its Namdaemun store.

The Namdaemun store: both retail shop and compact buyer showroom

The JOY YOU store displays a wide range of fashion accessories, including earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets and anklets.

Pearl pieces, crystal-based items and decorative products in many colors and forms also stand out.

But the store is more than a retail outlet.

It is a place where existing clients inspect products and discuss orders, while new buyers can see first-hand what JOY YOU has made over the years. In that sense, it also functions as a compact showroom.

[Korean Today] A variety of fashion accessories, including earrings, necklaces, pearls and crystal-based pieces, are displayed at the JOY YOU store in Seoul’s Namdaemun Market. The range of designs accumulated over many years also serves as a reference through which buyers can assess styles and manufacturing possibilities. © Reporter Ji Seung-ju

Walking through the store with Jung, it is easy to see that even earrings of the same general type differ in design, color, length and decorative construction. Multiple components and materials can be combined in one small accessory, and trends change quickly. In this business, the ability to understand a buyer’s design request quickly and turn it into a manufacturable product is an important competitive advantage.

The meaning behind “JOY YOU”

One thing that stood out during the interview was the company name.

JOY YOU.

At first glance, the English name may suggest the idea of “bringing joy to you.” Jung explained, however, that it carries a deeper meaning. She said JOY represents “joy,” while YOU refers not only to a person but, from her perspective as a person of faith, also carries a meaning directed toward God. She described the name this way:

“It means that we want to make products that bring joy to God, and through those products also bring joy to people.”

The company name, in other words, is connected to the way Jung thinks about business.

Her aim is to make good products, bring satisfaction to customers and business partners, and share with others what has been gained through the business.

As the market changed, the products changed too

The fashion accessory market of today is very different from the market JOY YOU entered around 2000.

In the early years, the company supplied large quantities of cast-metal products and other items to overseas markets including the United States.

As fashion trends, consumer tastes and material preferences changed, the product mix continued to evolve.

Today, JOY YOU works with major material categories including pearls, crystals, brass and stainless steel.

The range extends from statement drop earrings to simpler designs, pearl pieces, necklaces, bracelets and anklets.

Many items displayed in the store also carry a “Made in Korea” label.

[Korean Today] Various fashion accessories displayed at the JOY YOU store, including earrings, pearls and crystal-based products. A “Made in Korea” label can be seen on some items. © Reporter Ji Seung-ju

From finished-product sales to OEM and ODM

For overseas buyers, JOY YOU’s value lies in more than the number of items on display.

For many years, the company has manufactured products to order for domestic and international clients. It has handled OEM production, in which a client provides a design and specifications, and it has also supported projects that begin with a concept or idea and move through design development and sample making before becoming a finished product.

For a new item, a sample can be produced first so that materials and design details can be checked before moving into full production.

Order quantities vary depending on the product type, materials and manufacturing difficulty.

Jung explained in the interview that in some cases where a separate sample fee applies, orders may proceed at around 100 units, while more standard production cases may begin at around 300 units.

These figures are not fixed rules for every item; actual terms are discussed according to the product and production conditions.

“Delivery dates are promises” — trust built over 26 years

One word Jung emphasized repeatedly during the interview was trust. She said that the fact that both she and her husband came from banking backgrounds also influenced the way they run the business. New clients generally begin with a partial deposit before production starts. But long-term business, she says, is built on more than a contract.

Above all, Jung considers keeping promised delivery dates essential. She said the company has kept almost all of its delivery commitments, even using the expression “99.9%” during the interview.

The company has also handled after-sales issues when problems arise after delivery. In large-volume production, some defects or issues are always possible. Jung’s view is that the important point is not to claim that problems never occur, but to respond responsibly when they do.

At one time, overseas business accounted for 90%

During JOY YOU’s strongest growth period, exports were at the center of the business. According to Jung, overseas transactions once accounted for about 90% of total business. The company worked with buyers in the United States, Japan, Europe, Brazil and other regions. At that time, foreign buyers came directly to Namdaemun Market.

Buyers would inspect products in the store, select samples, and discuss preferred designs and quantities. Namdaemun Market was not simply a tourist destination; it also served as an important wholesale market where overseas fashion-related businesses searched for Korean products.

The rise of Chinese manufacturing — and COVID-19

Then the business environment changed significantly. Chinese manufacturing became more competitive, while online distribution expanded rapidly.

COVID-19 added another shock. International travel virtually stopped, and visits from overseas buyers disappeared.

Some long-standing clients closed their businesses, and JOY YOU was also heavily affected.

Before the pandemic, the company had grown to around 20 employees in Korea and approximately 200 workers at its production site in Qingdao, China, Jung said.

The Qingdao operation was later handed over to local employees, and the Korean business also had to be scaled back. Because many employees had worked with the company for a long time, reducing the organization was not easy, she said. Today, the sales mix is more domestic than in the past. Jung described the current structure as roughly 70% domestic business and 30% overseas.

Still, JOY YOU did not leave Namdaemun

The market changed, but Jung did not leave Namdaemun. The company is smaller than it once was, yet it continues to operate the store, make products and stay in contact with business partners. Jung believes that Namdaemun Market and Korean accessory companies now need to promote themselves more actively to overseas markets.

Simply waiting for overseas buyers to return as they did in the past is no longer enough. She believes Korean companies need to participate in international exhibitions and use online channels to present their products and manufacturing capabilities. Chinese products have also advanced rapidly not only in price competitiveness but in design and quality.

For that reason, competing on price alone is difficult. JOY YOU sees its strengths in the design experience, sample-development capability, quality control, delivery performance, client response and manufacturing know-how accumulated over 26 years.

Today, overseas buyers can find Korean suppliers online

Twenty-six years ago, overseas buyers came to Korea in person. They visited Namdaemun Market, touched and inspected products, selected samples and placed orders. Today, the situation is different. Buyers anywhere in the world can search online for Korean manufacturers, review product photos and videos, send inquiries by email and request samples.

Domestic consumers, too, can now browse and purchase products online without visiting Namdaemun Market in person.

JOY YOU is adding online channels to its long-established offline store and manufacturing experience. That is also why Korean Today is presenting this JOY YOU feature in three parts: the store, the consultation/sample room, and the manufacturing site. The series is intended to show what kinds of samples and production processes stand behind the finished products displayed in one shop.

“When it comes to accessories, we are confident”

Jung was asked what she would like to say to an overseas buyer discovering JOY YOU for the first time.

Her answer was simple.

“If you trust us and do business with us, we will do our very best.”

She then added:

“When it comes to accessories, we are confident.”

That confidence comes from 26 years of making countless products, responding to buyer requirements and delivering orders.

JOY YOU is not simply trying to return to its former peak. It is looking for new ways to meet new buyers in a changed market.

JOY YOU.

Just as its name reflects the wish to bring joy to God and to the people who use its products, JOY YOU is once again opening a door from Namdaemun to the world.

If you have an idea, it can become a real product

It can be difficult to judge production feasibility from a photo or sketch alone.
Start by reviewing JOY YOU’s actual OEM/ODM portfolio and manufacturing video.

For international buyers: View our OEM/ODM portfolio and manufacturing video before contacting us.

▶ View actual production examples
https://pscoinc.co.kr/portfolio

▶ Watch the manufacturing process on video

Custom production is available for jewelry, fashion accessories, goods and other items. Sharing your preferred design, estimated quantity and target delivery date will help make the discussion more specific.