Fashion Industry Competes in Lightweight Padded Jackets to Capture the Winter Peak Season

[Financial News] Lightweight padded jackets are gaining popularity for both winter preparation and use as transitional-season outerwear. Fashion companies are bringing forward the launch of these jackets, which have become a signature fall/winter item, and stepping up their marketing efforts as they compete for the winter peak season.
According to industry sources on the 6th, transaction value for lightweight padded jackets on fashion platform MUSINSA rose 128% year on year in September. Total transaction value for padded jackets increased 85% over the same period. The increase came as outerwear consumption grew after the hot weather subsided and autumn began. Lightweight padded jackets, in particular, are becoming a staple for the transitional season. They can protect consumers from changing weather and are easy to layer in winter.
Brands are also moving up their launch schedules to meet transitional-season demand. Outdoor brand BLACKYAK previewed its lightweight padded jackets through MUSINSA in early August to target early demand. Discovery by F&F and SPAO by E-Land World also launched their lightweight padded jackets about two weeks earlier than the previous year. The competition to capture early demand has intensified, with launch schedules that began in mid-September last year being moved up to August.
Brands are also highlighting the versatility of lightweight padded jackets. Samsung Fashion Research Institute, affiliated with Samsung C&T Fashion Group, said the fashion market is entering a period of “weatherless” seasons, in which traditional seasonal distinctions are disappearing. It analyzed the growing demand for layering lightweight outerwear as part of this trend.
In line with this trend, more ultralight padded jackets emphasizing reduced weight are coming to market. 8seconds' new All-Day AIR series, launched this year, focuses on reducing the weight of its fill. LF's new lightweight padded-jacket line, NOVA, introduced ultralight goose-down products in its kids' collection.
Technological competition is also intensifying, particularly among outdoor brands, with companies developing high-performance down fill and lighter fabrics. The North Face under Youngone Outdoor launched a padded jacket with a 10-denier outer fabric early last month. Denier (D) is a unit used to indicate yarn thickness, and fabrics of 10D or less are classified as ultralight. NEPA recently launched an ultralight padded jacket made with 10D fabric as well. It emphasized lightness by removing the intermediate fabric surrounding the fill.
An industry official said, "Lightweight padded jackets are becoming outerwear that can be worn from the transitional season, when daily temperature differences are large, through the middle of winter." The official added, "As brands ranging from outdoor companies to casual labels actively enter the market, competition is also intensifying among products differentiated by weight, warmth, and design."
[email protected] Kang Myeong-yeon Reporter