Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Fashion firms drop outdoor apparel for streetwear
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Models wearing outdoor apparel / Korea Times file
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Fashion companies are dropping “old-fashioned” outdoor apparel brands in favor of “casual” sports and street wear, industry officials said Monday.
Fashion group LF recently decided to withdraw its outdoor apparel brand Lafuma after 14 years in business. It will shut down 81 franchises across the country by the end of next year, the company said.
“We've decided to drop Lafuma from our brand portfolio due to declining sales,” an LF official said. “Instead, we will shift our focus to street wear and introduce easy-to-wear everyday clothing brands.”
The company official said LF has recently clinched a deal to exclusively sell Champion, a sportswear brand which is popular among teenagers.
“By focusing on sportswear and street wear, we will be able to attract younger consumers,” he said.
The market for outdoor apparel in Korea was booming between 2005 and 2014, expanding at a rate of as high as 20 percent as it became ubiquitous among middle-aged people. They often wore outdoor apparel when they went hiking or traveled abroad for vacations.
Following negative sentiment toward the omnipresent outdoor fashion, the outdoor clothing market fell to 4.7 trillion won in 2017 from 7 trillion won in 2014, according to the Samsung Fashion Institute.
Industry officials attributed the stagnation to consumers' changing preference for street wear and “athleisure.”
“Demand for outdoor apparel nearly halved in 2018 compared to 2014. People think outdoor clothing is outdated and for the elderly,” said an official at an outdoor apparel brand, who declined to be named.
The official said even if an outdoor apparel brand has repeat customers, it still needs to attract new customers in order to grow.
To target consumers in their teens and 20s, fashion brands have begun to focus on streetwear or sportswear, which can be used as fitness or yoga outfits.”
In 2015, sports apparel brand FILA suspended its business unit for outdoor shoes and apparel to bolster profitability.
Shoemaker Kumkang and Shinsegae International recalled their money-losing outdoor brands in 2016.
Samsung C&T's Beanpole Outdoor changed its name to Beanpole Sport in 2018, in a bid to transform into a fashion sportswear brand focused on lifestyle.
“We've decided to change the brand name and hire K-pop stars as brand models to appeal to younger customers,” a Samsung C&T official said.