SKREAM is a fixed-gear bicycle brand based in Hong Kong.
Kevin, the owner of SKREAM, had long shown a strong interest in the Korean market. When he first visited Korea in January 2026, we met and spent the entire day discussing the local fixed-gear market and culture. We also visited several fixed-gear shops together, giving us the opportunity to observe the market firsthand and explore its potential.
In April 2026, while I was in Taiwan for the Taipei Cycle Show, Kevin and I held a video meeting where he proposed that I take on the role of SKREAM’s official distributor in Korea. From that point, the project began with the goal of officially launching the brand in June 2026, following the resolution of its trademark issues in Korea.
Throughout the process, I gained firsthand experience in registering a foreign brand’s trademark in Korea and navigating potential conflicts with several existing brands. Working through these unfamiliar legal and operational challenges became a valuable learning experience and laid an important foundation for SKREAM’s launch in the Korean market.
The SKREAM content featured on this page was not photographed by me. However, the project reflects a wide range of practical experience I have gained through my previous work.
As part of a sales and marketing team, I learned how to position a brand within the market, promote products effectively, and communicate their key strengths. Through Backstage, a fixed-gear shop in Jamsil that I help operate, I also gained firsthand experience in product distribution and developed a deeper understanding of the market and its ongoing trends. In addition, Project HARU allowed me to practice building product detail pages and managing various aspects of online e-commerce.
These experiences, gained across different roles and environments, played an important part in shaping the direction of SKREAM’s entry into the Korean market.
Launching Event
My previous experience in planning and managing various events played an important role in organizing the SKREAM launch party.
For this project, I wanted to introduce SKREAM through a launch format that had rarely been seen in Korea. Kevin also envisioned an event where he could ride with local cyclists, take part in mini-games, and connect naturally with the community over pizza and beer.
With the support of the #0nstag3 members who helped organize the event, we planned the riding route in advance and developed mini-games that participants could enjoy together. As the event included a large group ride, we also carefully prepared staff roles, riding procedures, participant guidelines, and on-site response plans to ensure the event could be operated safely.
The group ride was completed safely without any major incidents.
On the evening before the event, we gathered the SKREAM Team and #0nstag3 members at the accommodation to review the safety guidelines and operational plan. Anticipating a large number of participants, we decided to divide the riders into separate packs based on their riding ability and pace. This approach proved highly effective during the event.
During the ride, the slower pack was briefly stopped by the police following a report. After explaining the purpose of the event, outlining how the ride was being managed, and demonstrating that the group was following the planned safety procedures, we were able to continue without further difficulty. Thanks to the calm and coordinated response of the staff, the overall schedule proceeded smoothly despite the unexpected situation.
I would once again like to thank the SKREAM Team, #0nstag3, and the members of SMR Squad for helping manage the group ride safely.
Although I wanted to join the group ride and photograph the event from within the ride, I was unable to participate in my role as both the brand’s Korean distributor and the organizer responsible for the overall event.
Instead, I remained at the main venue and focused on preparing and managing the central event. BYCLIPSE, a fixed-gear shop located in Sangsu-dong, and its manager, @byclipse_es, provided significant support throughout this process.
Before the event, we determined the most effective positions for displaying the bicycles and arranged a space where participants could gather and interact comfortably. We also planned how to manage the venue as the crowd grew, and reviewed the order and operation of each program in advance to ensure the event could proceed smoothly.
It is always exciting to be involved in creating something new within a field I genuinely enjoy. Being directly part of that beginning and building a shared experience with so many people made this event especially meaningful.
Through the launch event, SKREAM created its first direct connection with riders in Korea and introduced the brand’s identity and direction to the local community. The process also reminded me that an event like this can only be completed through the collaboration of many people, including the brand, organizers, shops, crews, and riders.
However, the launch event was only the starting point for introducing the brand. The next stage involved creating online product detail pages and preparing offline distribution so that the products could reach customers through local retail shops.
Online, Offline shops
Online sales have become an essential part of operating a brand today. However, the bicycle industry has a distinctive distribution structure that sets it apart from many other markets.
Many bicycle distributors manage both wholesale and direct-to-consumer retail. In some cases, distributors reduce the wholesale margin offered to local shops or lower their online retail prices to increase direct sales and retain a larger share of the profit. As a result, independent retailers may struggle to maintain a sustainable margin while selling the same products.
Based on my previous experience working for a distributor in another industry, I do not believe that this approach is necessarily wrong. It is often a business decision made for survival, shaped by the circumstances and priorities of each company.
However, generating a large profit from SKREAM in a short period of time was never my primary goal. As this project is also not my main occupation, I wanted to focus less on maximizing immediate direct sales and more on building a structure in which both the brand and its retail partners could grow sustainably. Rather than placing the distributor and local shops in direct competition, I believed there was an opportunity to improve the existing structure by allowing each side to maintain its role and contribute to the long-term growth of the brand.
To put this approach into practice, I personally visited bicycle shops and introduced SKREAM directly to their owners and managers. During each meeting, I explained the products and their key features, as well as the brand’s intended distribution model and long-term direction in the Korean market.
For online sales, I maintained consistent retail pricing to ensure that offline retailers would not be placed at a disadvantage through price competition. I also offered highly competitive dealer margins and established retail partners across different regions to avoid concentrating sales in a limited area. This distribution network continues to expand.
Through direct communication with these shops, I also discovered that many retailers struggled to manage their online channels and produce content while focusing on daily store operations and customer service. I therefore decided to go beyond simply supplying products and support each shop with the content and operational resources needed to present and sell SKREAM effectively online.
The experience I gained from Project HARU played an important role in creating SKREAM’s online product detail pages.
I believe that a product page should do more than simply provide information. It should also communicate the visual identity and overall atmosphere of the brand. Rather than presenting customers with a basic collection of photographs and descriptions, a carefully designed product page can communicate the product’s strengths more clearly while leaving a stronger and more consistent impression of the brand.
With this in mind, I organized the key information and features of each product in an accessible format while designing the overall layout to reflect SKREAM’s visual identity. The completed product page materials were then shared with each retail partner so they could upload and use them in their online stores without additional production costs or workload.
This approach reduced inconsistencies in how the brand was presented across different retailers and helped ensure that SKREAM’s visual identity and product information remained consistent throughout its online sales channels.
