EPHEMERA Brings Korean Accessories Brand HAIRYMASK to the U.S.

The Seoul label built on braided hair texture launches in NYC in Fall – 10 styles across five categories, on EPHEMERA’s online store and at its New York pop-up

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, August 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — EPHEMERA, the New York–based retail platform for Asian contemporary designer brands, today announced a U.S. launch partnership with HAIRYMASK, a Korean accessories brand based in Seoul. HAIRYMASK will debut in North America in fall 2026, arriving simultaneously on EPHEMERA’s curated online store at ephemeranyc.com and at the platform’s first New York pop-up.

HAIRYMASK builds its entire line from a single idea: hair as a material. Braided texture runs from bags and scarves through hair accessories and jewelry, giving the brand one visual language across categories that are usually designed separately — a position it holds on its own in Seoul’s contemporary accessories scene.

The first North American assortment comprises 10 styles across five categories. It includes the brand’s signature HAIRY SCARF and BRAIDED TOTE BAG, alongside braided hair clips, bangles, and SPECIMEN — a jewelry series named for the archival specimen. Products range from ₩35,000 to ₩199,000 at Korean retail. The selection was built for downtown New York’s appetite for layering, where scarves, bags, and jewelry are worn together rather than chosen between.

Under the partnership, EPHEMERA handles U.S. customs clearance, inventory, fulfillment, shipping, and returns, and produces the brand’s American-market content in New York, including a lookbook campaign shot with local models. HAIRYMASK reaches U.S. customers without a U.S. entity or local staff.

The structure addresses a documented gap. According to a 2025 report from Insight Korea and Tin News, fashion is the top spending category among U.S. consumers of Korean content, and the largest barrier to purchase is access: roughly one in three interested consumers cannot find a trusted place to buy.

“HAIRYMASK is a rare case of a brand designed outward from its material,” said Zia Oh, co-founder and brand director of EPHEMERA. “Turning something as private as hair into an object is a point of view that needs no translation, which is exactly why it travels. It didn’t hurt that their jewelry line is called SPECIMEN — that instinct to preserve something is the same one behind our name.”

“We built the brand with customers outside Seoul in mind, but the operational barrier to the U.S. market was real,” said Kim Taeyoung, founder of HAIRYMASK. “This lets us stay on product and design while the brand gets introduced properly.”

HAIRYMASK will be stocked on the EPHEMERA online store at ephemeranyc.com from fall 2026 and shown offline for the first time at the New York pop-up that season. U.S. customers can buy HAIRYMASK products at ephemeranyc.com. Pop-up location and dates will be announced separately.

About HAIRYMASK
HAIRYMASK is a Korean accessories brand based in Seoul that treats hair texture and braided construction as both material and motif, across bags, scarves, hair accessories, and jewelry. More at hairymask.com.

About EPHEMERA
EPHEMERA is a New York–based fashion retail platform that brings Asian contemporary designer brands to North American customers. Through a curated online store, recurring New York pop-ups, and cinematic content produced locally, EPHEMERA introduces labels from Seoul, Tokyo, and Shanghai to U.S. shoppers, while running the full U.S. retail operation for its partner brands — from customs and logistics to content and community. EPHEMERA is operated by Raw Thoughts Inc. More at ephemeranyc.com.

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