As scorching heat lingers after the End of Heat, home shopping puts more weight on transitional-season FW items

[Financial News] Although the End of Heat has passed, scorching temperatures and intermittent rain continue, prompting the home shopping industry to center its fall-winter (FW) strategy on transitional-season fashion. Companies are strengthening items such as cardigans, thin knitwear and vests that can be layered or used in a variety of settings, responding to the erratic weather.
According to the industry on the 26th, major home shopping companies are maintaining their focus on exclusive fashion brands while expanding transitional-season items ahead of the full 2026 FW season.
Hyundai Home Shopping Network Corp. has been concentrating its broadcast schedule on FW fashion brands since the 23rd, the End of Heat. It is rolling out a wide range of in-house brands such as La Ciento and Urban Around, along with exclusive labels. In particular, it is expanding product lines such as cardigans that can be layered lightly. A Hyundai Home Shopping Network Corp. official said, "Due to recent abnormal weather, summers are getting longer, and demand continues to rise for cardigans that can be layered lightly or fashion items that can be used regardless of the season." The official added, "We plan to expand related inventory by more than 30% from a year earlier."
GS Home Shopping is also holding its '26FW Fashion Showcase' through the 30th, presenting fall new arrivals from exclusive fashion brands on TV home shopping and its mobile app. Brands participating include Core Authentic, Rappiaf, Morgan and Studio D.P. GS Home Shopping also cited "weather" as the core of this season's product planning. A GS Home Shopping official said, "As the boundaries between seasons blur and temperature changes become harder to predict, demand is growing for items that can be used in a variety of ways rather than being limited to a specific season." The official added, "We have significantly expanded transitional-season clothing such as cardigans and strengthened items that can be layered, including vests and bustiers."
At Lotte Homeshopping, early FW demand has emerged as high prices and unpredictable weather have overlapped. Last month, FW fashion order value rose 40% from a year earlier as so-called reverse-season demand increased among shoppers looking to buy winter items at lower prices in the middle of summer. As the transitional season began, cumulative order value for the FW new-product special event 'Fashion is Lotte,' held from the 17th to the 23rd, also rose 30% from a year earlier. In response, Georges Rech has strengthened transitional-season items by introducing the brand's first 100% wool cardigan, while By Bridg:it has expanded its lineup to include fleece jackets and wool hoodies that can be worn from the transitional season through winter.
The industry believes that longer summers and unpredictable weather are changing the way FW fashion is planned. A Lotte Homeshopping official said, "In the home shopping industry, the move to expand transitional-season clothing in response to irregular temperature changes has become more pronounced." The official added, "We are strengthening items with high usability during seasonal transitions, such as thin knitwear and lightweight outerwear."
[email protected] Kim Hyun-ji Reporter