When the mission to develop products for delivery riders landed on Kim Kwan-woo’s desk nearly two years ago, he knew there was only one way to get it right: get out there and ride. Kim, head of the Rider Design Task Force at Woohan Youth—the logistics arm of Baedal Minjok (Baemin), South Korea’s leading food delivery platform—led his team into the streets, braving rain and snow, to experience firsthand the challenges that delivery riders face. Their hands-on approach would spark a revolution in rider gear and set a new standard for user-centered design in the gig economy.
That revolution took shape in January 2025 with the launch of Baemin Riderwear, a brand tailored exclusively for riders and featuring 19 products from vests and padding to helmets and top boxes. According to Ditoday, the market response was immediate and enthusiastic: when the Baemin vest debuted in June 2024, all 3,000 units sold out on the very first day. By the end of 2025, more than 50,000 items had been sold—an astonishing figure for a brand that hadn’t spent a single won on marketing. Instead, word-of-mouth and a reputation for quality and affordability did the heavy lifting.
But Baemin Riderwear’s success wasn’t just about numbers. In February 2026, the brand made history as the world’s first rider-only brand to win a global design prize: the prestigious iF Design Award. The judges praised Baemin Riderwear for “simultaneously achieving social value and design, becoming a brand riders seek out voluntarily.” For Kim and his team, who had never developed physical products before, the recognition was both a validation and a lesson. As Kim put it, “If we hadn’t left our desks and run around on two feet, we never could have made products that riders would truly be satisfied with.”
Their approach was simple but not easy: the answer, Kim says, is always with the user. The team’s most popular innovation, the Baemin vest, was born from the realization that existing work vests were stiff and poorly ventilated, making them uncomfortable—especially in Korea’s humid summers. By using outdoor-grade nylon for flexibility and breathability, and still keeping the price lower than comparable products, they struck a winning balance. “We focused on the principle that it had to be more comfortable,” Kim told Ditoday. “That’s why we got such a good response.”
Other products followed the same logic. The Baemin top box, for example, uses magnets instead of zippers or velcro, recognizing that riders open and close their boxes dozens of times a day. The delivery backpack was reimagined with expandable storage at the bottom, letting even a large (13-inch) pizza fit with ease. “If I hadn’t delivered myself, I never would have noticed these points,” Kim said. “Opening and closing zippers all day is more tiring than you’d think, so we switched to magnets. And for walking deliveries, the old backpacks were just too small for pizzas, so we added expandable compartments. With the new backpack, you can deliver three orders—including a pizza—in one trip.”
The project’s impact has gone well beyond product design. According to a September 2025 survey by Baemin and OpenSurvey, 80% of respondents said they trusted deliveries made with the brand’s distinctive mint-colored gear. Kim sees this as proof that the right gear builds not just comfort and safety, but also trust between riders and customers. “Delivery gear shapes consumer trust and creates a positive delivery experience overall,” he explained.
Baemin Riderwear’s business model is just as unconventional as its design process. The company insists it’s not in it for profit—quite the opposite. “Some people say we started this to make money, but honestly, we’re running at a loss,” Kim admitted. Woohan Youth describes the project as a branding and customer experience initiative, part of its broader mission: “to keep everything in the world from getting cold.” The focus, they say, is on coexistence with riders. The company intentionally sets prices below those of similar quality products, sourcing from overseas factories to keep costs down. Continuous improvement is baked into the process, with feedback gathered from interviews at rider meetups and coffee truck events, and even direct tweaks like switching from fixed magnets to D-shaped hooks on vests after riders reported issues with magnet placement.
Getting there wasn’t always smooth. The brand’s aggressive pricing initially raised doubts about quality, and established competitors pushed back. Kim’s solution was to collaborate rather than compete—he approached well-known brands in each product category and asked them to manufacture Baemin Riderwear’s designs. The result was a win-win: Baemin handled main product sales, while partner companies sold accessories and consumables, boosting their own brand recognition and sales. Today, those partners are so engaged that they often suggest new product ideas themselves.
Meanwhile, Baemin’s parent company, Woowa Brothers, has been rolling out other support measures for its ecosystem. On April 8, 2026, the company announced it would distribute two million plastic bags for free to small restaurant businesses via its Baemin Sanghoe platform. The move came in response to a crisis: recent turmoil in the Middle East had sent crude oil prices soaring, leading to plastic bag prices nearly doubling in a single week—from 60,000 KRW to 117,000 KRW per 1,000 bags, according to small business associations cited by News1. The price of disposable food containers also spiked, putting additional pressure on small restaurants already struggling with supply shortages.
This support package followed an April 1, 2026 meeting with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, small business representatives, and Korea’s three major delivery platforms (Baemin, Coupang Eats, Yogiyo). Woowa Brothers is also diversifying its packaging suppliers, monitoring inventory to prevent shortages and hoarding, and imposing purchase limits on popular items. “Plastic bags are essential for our restaurant partners,” Baemin Sanghoe chief Ko Gwang-jae told TechM. “As soon as we heard about the supply crisis, we secured the support volume in consultation with stakeholders. We’ll keep a close eye on the market and continue to offer practical, hands-on support.”
But the company isn’t stopping there. Its logistics subsidiary, Woohan Youth, is making major changes to its rider app, Roadrunner, after negotiations with the delivery platform labor union. By the second half of 2026, the controversial ‘schedule’ function—which let riders pre-book delivery slots but was criticized for limiting their autonomy—will be phased out. Instead, a new app will assign deliveries in real time, with pilot regions expanding through 2026. The company says it will keep working closely with riders and their union to ensure safety and flexibility. “Responding quickly and sincerely to union requests is the starting point for a sustainable relationship,” said Woohan Youth CEO Kwon Oh-jung. “We’ll keep communicating on the ground so riders can work in better conditions.”
Looking ahead, Baemin Riderwear has its sights set on even more user-driven innovations: more stain-resistant mint-colored materials, improved insulation, and top boxes made from EPP—a high-strength, lightweight, eco-friendly plastic—at lower prices. For Kim and his team, the lesson is clear: “You can’t design from behind a desk,” he reflected. “If we hadn’t delivered ourselves, we never would have noticed the subtle differences in pocket placement or stitching. The same principle applies to digital projects—understanding the real user environment is what makes a product truly complete.”
With its blend of hands-on research, relentless user focus, and ecosystem-wide support, Baemin is showing what’s possible when a tech company puts people—both customers and workers—at the heart of its business.