Why women are buying menswear: Korea’s oversized fashion shift
Two women’s outerwear styles released on a trial basis by LF’s Italian menswear brand Allegri for the 2025 fall-winter season / Courtesy of LF
"I bought it as a birthday gift for my husband, but after trying it on, I wanted to keep it for myself. I was looking for an oversized coat with some thickness, and after reading reviews I ordered it. I think women could get a beautiful fit just by choosing a small size."
This online review of a Balmacaan coat from HIS HAZZYS — a casual menswear line by Korea’s LF targeting men in their 20s and 30s — reflects a growing shift in fashion consumption: More women are buying menswear for oversized styling.
As minimalist, gender-neutral aesthetics gain traction, several menswear brands are expanding into womenswear to capture this demand.
According to industry findings by the Hankook Ilbo, Allegri — LF’s Italian-origin premium menswear brand — introduced two women’s outerwear styles for the first time in its 2025 fall-winter season. Launched in Korea in 2013, Allegri has catered mainly to fashion-conscious men in their 30s and 40s with high-end fabrics and precise tailoring.
The move followed repeated requests from female shoppers visiting stores with male customers. Many asked whether Allegri had a women’s line, saying such materials and craftsmanship were hard to find in womenswear. The experimental release drew stronger than expected demand: Despite premium prices in the 1.3 million won ($980) range, the two “Ultra Light Italian Goose” outerwear styles surpassed an 80 percent sell-through rate, while the flagship “Fur Down Jumper” neared a sellout.
Encouraged by the response, Allegri plans to officially launch a full women’s line for the 2026 spring-summer season. An LF official said the brand would apply its modern, restrained identity to womenswear rather than emphasizing overt femininity, highlighting lightweight comfort and a subdued color palette as key strengths.
HIS HAZZYS — a sub-label launched in 2021 targeting Gen Z consumers — has likewise drawn female buyers with minimalist designs despite its menswear base. Women accounted for about 30 percent of HIS HAZZYS purchases last year. Building on that interest, the brand recently unveiled its first womenswear capsule, including cotton and leather shirts, at a pop-up store emphasizing a genderless mood.
Products from Korean minimalist contemporary fashion brand Coor, launched in 2017 / Courtesy of Coor
Coor, a Korean minimalist contemporary brand launched in 2017 and known for practical designs popular among young men, debuted Coor Women in 2024 and recorded sales of about 2 billion won last year. Initially, the brand tested smaller “women’s sizes” of its existing designs for the 2024 spring-summer season while keeping the same aesthetic. Strong market response led to a formal womenswear line.
Draw Fit — a Korean label known for silhouette-focused “boyfriend look” menswear since 2014 — launched Draw Fit Women in 2023. Ami, the French designer brand under Samsung C&T Fashion, also began as menswear in 2011 and entered womenswear in 2019; it opened its first standalone women’s store last May.
An industry official said the shift reflects both the normalization of genderless fashion and women’s growing preference for the bold, clean lines typical of menswear.
"For casual brands, expansion often comes through oversized silhouettes that both genders can wear. For premium labels, women tend to enter through the aesthetic appeal already established among male customers," the official said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.