"Only Around the Neighborhood"... One-Mile Wear Gaining Popularity with Cooling Effect Amid COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Jo] ‘One-mile wear,’ comfortable clothing suitable for enjoying a walk near home or light outdoor activities, is gaining popularity. As the heat intensifies with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, products that add cooling functions to the comfort of one-mile wear are emerging one after another.

Outdoor brand Mountia’s two types of Ice Gear T-shirts feature contact cooling materials combined with a visually refreshing effect. The moment you wear them, the temperature of the skin touching the fabric instantly drops, providing coolness and comfort simultaneously. The cooling function is applied directly to the yarn itself, maintaining coolness even after hundreds of washes.

The representative product, the ‘Nasty Shirt,’ combines contact cooling material with lightweight, highly elastic functional fabric to offer excellent mobility and comfort during summer outdoor activities. Both the men’s and women’s versions feature ice graphic patterns reminiscent of ice particles and Mountia’s unique pattern graphic printing, adding a refreshing feel.

The men’s ‘Moss Shirt’ also uses contact cooling material and enhances comfort by applying breathable mesh fabric in the armpit area, where sweat tends to accumulate. The tone-on-tone color design with a subtle stripe pattern allows for a cool and neat look.

Outdoor brand The North Face introduced the ‘Minus Tech Collection,’ which applies various functions necessary for summer clothing, such as cooling, antibacterial, and UV protection, to each product. Its unique cross-sectional fabric structure increases the contact surface with the skin, quickly releasing heat and sweat generated inside the body.

The representative product, the ‘Minus Tech Short Sleeve Round Tee,’ adds a dynamic feel with bold diagonal cuts and color blocking. Antibacterial processing keeps wearers comfortable during outdoor summer activities. The women’s products are available in Lemonade, Milky Blue, and Black, while the men’s products come in Midnight Blue, Lemonade, and Black.

Fashion brands pursuing various activities in daily life are also competing to release clothing emphasizing coolness. Athleisure brand Andar launched ‘Summer Life Techwear,’ which covers both everyday life and performance. The ‘Air스트 Dual 3-Part Shorts’ from the ‘Performance Wear Lineup’ offer a cooling function that provides a refreshing wearing experience and an instant cooling effect, making them ideal for wearing alone on hot days.

Online edit shop Musinsa’s private brand Musinsa Standard introduced the cooling clothing ‘Cooltandard Series.’ This series applies Hyosung’s functional yarns ‘Askinn’ and ‘Aero Cool,’ boasting excellent breathability and comfortable wear. It features contact cooling that feels cool to the skin, moisture absorption and quick drying, and UV protection, allowing comfortable wear even in midsummer.

The series offers a variety of styles suitable for everyday summer wear, including innerwear such as undershirts and camisoles, as well as main products like crew neck T-shirts and pique shirts, allowing customers to choose according to their preferences.

E-Land World’s SPAO expanded its cooling underwear ‘Cooltech’ series to casual lines including T-shirts, jackets, and slacks. The representative product, the ‘Cooltech T-shirt,’ features quick sweat absorption and release processing and ventilation for a comfortable fit, along with excellent elasticity for comfortable wear.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.