Polo shirts, classic sports fashion sees revival in Asia

Ralph Lauren Corp., the world-renowned fashion firm that features timeless design and a classic sporty style with its trademark Polo brand, is seeing a revival in Asia with soaring sales in South Korea and Japan.  

Some Korean fashion brands that feature "American casual wear" are also gaining ground locally and in the Chinese market with increasing duty free shop sales.    

The American casual sporty style is coming back in Asia after a slowdown in the last decade as more consumers are eyeing retro trends, according to Korea's fashion industry sources.  

AMERICAN TIMELESS, CASUAL LOOKS BOOM IN KOREA, JAPAN

Ralph Lauren Korea Ltd. posted 383.8 billion won ($279.4 million) in revenue in 2021, up 39.6% from 274.9 billion won in 2020, according to the Financial Supervisory Service’s disclosure on Sept. 5.      

The US fashion company's first-quarter revenue in China dropped 10%, compared with the previous quarter, hit by the COVID-19 lockdown there. But it was offset by more than a 30% increase in both Korea and Japan during the same period.

Its first-quarter revenue increased by 15.9% on average in the entire Asian market, compared with the previous quarter. To boost sales in Korea, the fashion brand re-opened an online store in the country after six years.      

Ralph Lauren reduced its business size in the Asia-Pacific in 2016 through restructuring. Other US fashion brands, such as Abercrombie & Fitch, GAP and American Eagle Outfitters also restructured in the mid-to-late 2010s.

The American sporty style has been back in the spotlight since COVID-19 with a retro boom, fashion industry sources said.

HAZZYS, WHO.A.U EXPAND SPORTS FASHION MARKETING

Some Korean fashion brands are bolstering the marketing of their American casual and sporty looks.

Hazzys, Korean fashion firm LF’s flagship brand, has been promoting its Iconic Collar T-shirt since mid-May. Revenue during the first month of the promotion soared 150%, compared with the same period of 2021.  

WHO.A.U., Korean retail giant E-Land Group’s low-priced casual clothing brand, is gaining ground again after closing its flagship store in Myeong-dong, Seoul in 2020. The brand is gaining popularity in China and is set to enter that market soon.

It is among the top three casual fashion brands in terms of domestic duty free shop sales, alongside F&F Co.’s MLB and APR’s Nerdy, according to industry sources.

Chinese merchandisers have been increasingly buying WHO.A.U. clothes from Korean local shops since around 2019 as the Korean low-priced products’ designs are similar to that of Ralph Lauren's, an E-Land official said.

E-Land forecasts this year’s revenue from WHO.A.U. to increase 45% from the last year’s 55 billion won.

Write to Jeong-Cheol Bae at bjc@hankyung.com
Jihyun Kim edited this article.