South Korean luxury eyewear brand Gentle Monster has opened an eye-catching new store in London.

The 450sqm store was launched in the city’s West End, representing the initial step in a broad-ranging plan to expand the firm’s business in Europe.

The new London flagship is enhanced by robotic installations and an “active volcano” described by one fashion scribe as “spectacular”. The firm has previously invested in a South Korean robotics factory.

Gentle Monster MD Garry Bott said, “We are very much focused on creating a sensory experience for the customer, even down to the individual fragrance for each of our flagship stores.”

Future stores are expected to open in Paris and Dubai.