THE ATELIER — FOUNDED 1979
WOOJIN ATELIER is a B2B handbag hardware atelier working with design-led brands on seasonal collections and custom hardware development.
When hardware becomes part of a brand’s identity, the challenge is not simply making the component.
It is making sure the design intent survives development, finishing, assembly, and production. Can it be made right — and made right again? That is where we work.
From signature locking systems and hand-set stone hardware to complex chain assemblies and surface development, we help brands turn design intent into distinctive, production-ready hardware.
1979. TWO COUNTRIES. ONE FIRE. ONE STANDARD.
Since 1979, WOOJIN has crossed borders, survived a devastating fire, rebuilt from zero, and adapted as markets and supply chains changed.
The circumstances changed.
The standard did not.
CHAPTER 01 — THE ORIGIN
1979 · Ansan, South Korea
Woo-jin Lee founded WOOJIN as an electroplating workshop in Ansan, South Korea. His guiding principle was simple:“Surface finishing is the soul.”
It became the foundation of how we judge metal — through color, texture, reflection, weight, and touch.
CHAPTER 02 — THE FIRE
2007 · Rebuilding from Zero
A devastating fire destroyed our factory and 28 years of accumulated experience, tooling, and equipment.
The factory was gone.The craft was not. In 2009, we rebuilt in Shenzhen, China.
A new factory.
The same standard.
CHAPTER 03 — THE PIVOT
2017–2018 · Beyond the Factory
As major brand supply chains moved to Vietnam, WOOJIN changed its business model without changing its craft.
In 2018, we entered global export trading and began working directly with international customers. We learned to look at hardware from both sides: what the brand intends — and what production demands.
CHAPTER 04 — THE NEXT GENERATION
2024
Megon Kim took over the legacy founded in 1979. The direction became deliberate: WOOJIN would become an atelier for design-led brands that need hardware to be distinctive — and dependable.
We work where design decisions become physical. Where a sketch becomes a component. Where an approved sample becomes a repeatable production standard.
Our role is not simply to make what is drawn. It is to carry the design intent into production.
WHAT WE DEVELOP
SIGNATURE LOCKING SYSTEMS — Distinctive hardware designed around a brand’s visual language.
HAND-SET STONE HARDWARE — Where stone, proportion, setting, and finish have to work as one.
MULTI-COMPONENT CHAIN ASSEMBLIES —Complex components developed as one visual and functional system.
CUSTOM SHAPES & MECHANISMS —Developed around the design rather than a standard catalogue.
SURFACE DEVELOPMENT—Finishes developed to support the character of the collection.
FROM DESIGN INTENT TO PRODUCTION
DESIGN INTENT → DEVELOPMENT → PROTOTYPE → APPROVED MASTER → PRODUCTION STANDARD
The goal is not simply a successful sample. It is a result that can be reproduced.
Hand-setting, surface finishing, dimensional control, assembly inspection, color evaluation, and approved master references provide the evidence behind that standard.
We don’t show process for process’s sake. We show proof that helps you decide.
DESIGN INTENT, CARRIED THROUGH.
The best hardware does not compete with the design. It makes the design more recognizable.
Since 1979.
Still the same standard.
—WOOJIN ATELIER TEAM