I found Marymond Lounge (마리몬드 라운지) purely by accident during one of my neighborhood exploration walks. The weather was hot and after almost an hour of walking around, I was craving for something cold and refreshing and this place came into my view at the right timing so I decided to go in. Marymond Lounge is not only a cafe, but also a store as well as a community place from what I gathered after I went in and spent a good hour there. At first, I thought it was a normal store that sells goods ranging from clothing, bags, accessories, and phone cases. But then I saw a sign saying that they are also supporting some kinda of a cause. My Korean vocabulary wasn’t good enough to understand what the whole statement meant, so I decided to google it. And here’s what I found out:

“Marymond started eight years ago as a way to help restore the dignity of the victims, euphemistically called comfort women, who were forced to work at frontline brothels for the Japanese army.

A bracelet attached with a small charm of a girl statue - a symbol of comfort women - is sold at 12,000 won (S$14.50), while an eco-bag with simple Marymond logo is 10,000 won. Proceeds from the sale goes into a fund to care for the 37 surviving victims and to establish a sex slavery museum.

The company's success is not just driven by public interest in the unsolved issue, a long-standing thorn in Korea-Japan relations, but also reflects the rise of "conscious" consumption, experts say.”

Source: Strait Times (Read the full article here)

I think it’s cool what they are doing with the brand and how it raises awareness to different social issues in the community. Plus I think the items are very well-designed too. After I finished my drink, I left the lounge right before they were closing it for a private gathering of a group of young people. Also, I believe I’ve seen their products on different stores around Seoul so if you’re interested in buying any of the Marymond products, just keep an eye on them when you go shopping.