BIG IN SOUTH KOREA

The Kodak brand gets an unlikely second life

- DAVID ANDREATTA

Even among the flashy signs on the bustling main drag of Seongsu-dong, a former warehouse district turned hipster haven in Seoul, South Korea, the mustard-yellow facade of the Kodak Corner Shop stands out.

On a recent afternoon, the two-storey apparel store in what locals call the "Brooklyn of Seoul" teemed with shoppers. "Share Moments. Share Life" — a slogan Kodak launched nearly a quarter-century ago — was posted above the door. People browsed shelves of Kodak-branded clothing, including shorts, T-shirts, baseball caps, book bags, sundresses and sandals.

One of the shoppers, Erye An, 27, a film photographer, modelled a cross-body bag emblazoned with Kodak's signature red-and-yellow, camera-shutter logo, once among the most recognisable symbols in the world.

An, who mentioned that her refrigerator was packed with Kodak film and kimchi, said the shop mirrored the "dreamy" tones of analogue photographs and evoked for her a nostalgic feeling.

Her friend, Lee Young-ji, 30, a marketing student, offered an explanation for why the shop was so busy: "I think it's because Kodak hasn't lost its emotional touch."

The Eastman Kodak, a brand as big in its heyday as Apple or Google today and whose sentimental ads left lumps in the throats of generations of consumers, has become a cautionary tale for companies slow to adapt to change. At its headquarters in Rochester, New York, most of the roughly 200 buildings that once stood on its 525 hectare campus have either been razed or are occupied by other businesses.

But Kodak is having a moment again, mostly overseas, through trademark licensing agreements with manufacturers and retailers of a wide range of products.

The company's logo is being slapped on lifestyle items such as apparel, luggage, eyewear and paint; on hardware like such as solar panels, flashlights and power generators; and on audiovisual equipment such as televisions, voice recorders and binoculars.