By Lee Hyo-sik
Uniqlo, Zara and other fast fashion brands have grown immensely popular with young, cost-conscious and trend-savvy consumers here.
Men in their 20s are found to be most fast fashion-driven by age and gender, meaning specialty retailers of private label apparel (SPA) companies may want to do more to attract young male customers.
According to a survey of 500 people residing in Seoul and its surrounding areas, conducted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Sunday, 42.7 percent of respondents said they prefer SPA brands to traditional fashion houses.
About 47 percent of men said they choose to wear clothes sold by SPA firms, with only 38.5 percent of women providing the same response.
By age, 50.5 percent of 20-somethings favored SPA brands over Beanpole and other more expensive stores, followed by those over 50 at 46.6 percent and 40-somethings at 42 percent and 30-somethings at 34.8 percent.
Of the 42.7 percent preferring to wear SPA brands, 84.8 percent cited low prices as the main reason, followed by the variety of clothes at 49.5 percent, design at 42 percent and product quality at 41.4 percent. They were allowed to give multiple answers.
About 35.1 percent said they bought SPA clothes mostly at department stores, followed by independently set-up shops in shopping districts at 16.2 percent, shopping malls at 13 percent and online at 8.6 percent. Shoppers were found to have bought mostly shirts and other casual wear.
``With the prolonged economic downturn, consumers have become more frugal, turning to low-priced clothing and other cheaper consumer products. This applies not only to low-income families but also wealthy households that are increasingly becoming price-conscious when it comes to clothes,’’ a KCCI official said.
The official said most popular SPA brands with local consumers are not Korean. ``In contrast, local SPA brands are still in their infancy. The country needs to nurture top-notch fashion brands as soon as possible.’’
About 76.4 percent of respondents said they bought SPA brand clothes at least once over the past year. Of them, 66 percent said they were satisfied, with only 3.5 percent regretting their purchase.