"Skoolooks Is Evolving Beyond School Uniforms Into a Lifestyle Brand," Says Oh Hyun-taek, CEO of The Engine [fn People]

"Skoolooks is moving beyond a school uniform brand, expanding into sports marketing, and evolving into a 'teen lifestyle brand.'"
Oh Hyun-taek, CEO of The Engine (Photo) entered the textile industry in the early 1980s by founding Changil Corporation, a fabric wholesaler in Dongdaemun. After more than 20 years of moving between factories and school sites across the country and learning the business firsthand, he came to believe that the school uniform market, dominated by large companies, was ignoring the body types and sensibilities of the students who actually wear them. After much reflection, he founded The Engine's Skoolooks in 2004 with the goal of creating "school uniforms for real students."
As an early mover, Skoolooks became established quickly by conducting the industry's first "Wanna Be Body Project," in which it measured the body types of 2,000 male and female middle and high school students directly. Based on those findings, it developed ergonomic uniforms that took into account the physical changes and movement patterns of teenagers.
But with the number of school-age children plunging as birth rates decline, the industry as a whole is facing a crisis. On the 25th, Oh said, "We set a strategy to turn this crisis into an opportunity to expand and diversify the brand," adding, "The key is evolving from a 'student uniform brand' into a 'teen-focused lifestyle brand.'"
To that end, the company is upgrading its online mall, Market School, into an experience-driven distribution platform tailored to teenagers. Beyond uniforms, it is also introducing goods created in collaboration with global IP such as Disney and Marvel, as well as student stationery, fashion accessories, and casual wear. Even if the absolute size of the target market shrinks, the company aims to deepen its involvement in each student's daily life and strengthen brand loyalty.
More recently, it has also been making a mark in sports marketing and merchandise. The company says the body-analysis data and packaging and sourcing infrastructure it accumulated over 20 years in the school uniform business are creating synergies in sports. Last season, it signed an official partnership with Seoul E-Land FC and handled the production and merchandising of the team's uniforms. More recently, it teamed up with KT Wiz to launch a new fashion collection aimed at female fans, the "KT Wiz Women's Capsule." By proposing "girl-core" items that can be worn in everyday life, such as stadium bomber jackets, nylon windbreakers, and one-shoulder sweatshirts, the company is being credited with transforming sports goods into a fashion lifestyle category.
Backed by its apparel manufacturing and sourcing infrastructure, the company is also expanding into B2B uniform business. Working with its in-house fabric production affiliate Kingtex, it has built a system that covers everything from planning and material development to production and distribution. On that basis, it is also supplying functional uniforms to hospitals, the military, police stations, and fire stations. The company says its expertise in making school uniforms, where mobility, durability, and safety are essential, directly translates into competitiveness in the B2B uniform market, helping it build a stable business portfolio that is not limited to any single age group.
Oh said the value he places most highly in management is "people and life, not numbers." Just as school uniforms accompany students through some of the brightest years of their lives, he said he wants the company to grow beyond the category of students and become an "integrated apparel brand company" that comfortably embraces the daily lives of people of all ages and professions.
Oh added, "My final goal and ambition, after 40 years on a single path in textiles, is to be remembered even 100 years from now as the most trustworthy and warm brand in consumers' daily lives."