Dong-Ik Kim, the CEO of Relabel, has carved a distinct path in the vast ocean of online fashion retail. Despite a name that might evoke images of a hip-hop entertainment company, Relabel is a fashion powerhouse, overseeing brands like Crump, Flavorism, Purple Label, and THISRESPECT.
Among these, Crump stands out as a sport-inspired streetwear brand rooted in hip-hop culture. It gained initial traction through the hip-hop fashion platform HIPHOPER and expanded to major online fashion platforms such as Musinsa, Zigzag, and 29CM. Within just six years, Crump has grown to generate an impressive annual revenue of 6 billion KRW (approximately 4.5 million USD).
Source: CRUMP Website
“The first step is setting the mood and style. I draw inspiration from my favorite brands and lookbooks to plan the direction. Before creating Crump’s collections, I studied early street fashion brands in Korea, like Brownbreath and Critic.”
“I’d say our key differentiator is Sportism. My previous job involved working with sportswear like soccer uniforms, where I gained experience with functional fabrics. That’s why Crump integrates sports materials into everyday apparel. We use high-quality spandex from reputable manufacturers or add water-repellent treatments that cause water droplets to bead and roll off the fabric.”
“The biggest impact has been reducing the time needed for design planning, allowing us to focus more on quality control. With generative AI, we can quickly generate design concept images based on learned trends, and then dedicate more effort to perfecting the final product.