Overview

As an architecture photographer Based In Seoul, Freitag commissioned myself to documented the Freitag Apgujeong store in Seoul, South Korea. Freitag, founded in 1993, is known for producing bags and accessories made primarily from recycled truck tarpaulins and other used materials. The Seoul store reflects that same material-driven philosophy within its architectural design.

The Apgujeong location functions as both retail space and brand environment. Structural elements remain exposed, materials are left honest, and surfaces emphasize texture rather than decoration. My role was to photograph the space prior to full daily operation, allowing the architecture to be read clearly without distraction.

As an architecture photographer working in Seoul for Freitag, I focused on spatial clarity and proportion. Wide compositions establish the relationship between exterior façade and surrounding urban context, while interior frames highlight vertical lines, shelving structures, and the modular display system. Light transitions across concrete and metal surfaces played an important role in defining atmosphere.

Rather than staging the space heavily, the approach remained restrained. The goal was documentation rather than dramatization. Retail architecture requires attention to circulation and sightlines, and the photographs needed to communicate how customers move through the store.

Freitag’s identity is rooted in reuse and transformation. The architectural language of the Apgujeong store mirrors that idea through industrial materials and practical detailing. The final image set presents the store as an urban retail environment shaped by material logic rather than decorative concept.

This project reflects my broader architectural photography work across Seoul, particularly within cultural and retail spaces where brand identity and spatial design intersect.

PHOTOGRAPHER

NILS CLAUSS

CLIENT

FREITAG