Not Just a 'Fleece' of Tacky Fashion... Rapid Rise as Winter Easywear

Fleece Sales Soar, Up to 6x Increase on Gmarket and Auction
Fashion Brands Race to Launch New Products Considering Style

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Lightweight and highly insulating fleece has become a central winter fashion item. This trend follows the preference for comfortable loungewear as people have refrained from going out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Gmarket on the 15th, the sales volume of fleece products in October this year increased by up to six times compared to the same period last year. Among fleece items, vests (36%), jackets (19%), and sweatshirts (520%) styles were particularly popular.

The situation was similar on Auction. During the same period, fleece sales on Auction increased by 45%. Especially, fleece sweatshirts, which are comfortable to wear, recorded the highest sales growth rate at 230%.

This is analyzed to be due to the high utility of fleece in weather with large temperature differences between morning and evening. Easy care such as washing and relatively reasonable prices are also cited as reasons for its popularity. As a result, various designs have been released mainly by fashion companies, capturing the hearts of young consumers in terms of style as well.

The ‘Yan13 Double Fleece Long Jumper,’ which ranked as a best product on the funding & curation platform Hago, is a fleece jumper with a long length that covers the knees to maximize warmth. It uses fleece material throughout, reminiscent of a long padding coat, and includes a hood, making it wearable from late autumn to winter.

Outdoor brand NEPA launched the ‘NEPA Paris’ product, a new term combining padding and fleece. It features a double-sided material with one side as a down jacket and the other as fleece. This year, they enhanced the stylishness compared to before and introduced a roomy hoodie design. The North Face also released the ‘Be Better Fleece Jacket,’ a reversible design that can be used as both fleece and short padding, which is selling well on Gmarket.

A representative from Hago said, “Comfortable loungewear that can be worn from the transitional season to midwinter is gaining great popularity,” adding, “Besides fleece, products such as vests and lightweight padding are expected to maintain steady popularity until early winter.”

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