See-through and breathable: mesh shoes and jelly flats are summer's hottest items

As sweltering heat grips the country, summer fashion items made from breathable mesh — including shoes, bags and jelly sandals — are flying off shelves.

Mesh flats and sneakers featuring perforated fabric have been rolling out in quick succession, according to the fashion industry. The material's strong ventilation suits hot, humid weather, while its coverage of the toes still gives wearers a neat, put-together look.

Kolon Industries' fashion label Archive Appk recently launched the Homaike Core Sneakers, a sock-fit mesh sneaker that wraps snugly around the foot. As of the second week of this month, the style had sold through 90 percent of its stock and has gone into a sixth reorder.

The brand's established bestselling flat shoes have also drawn attention in a new mesh version for summer. Also crafted in mesh, the Love Basket Bag has likewise been gaining popularity for its light weight and breezy silhouette.

Sports brands are also jumping on the trend with mesh sandals of their own. Pro-Specs launched a sandal called the Shift, made from mesh to keep feet comfortable even in the summer heat.

Jelly shoes — with their wider, net-like openings — have been popular even longer. Particularly in vogue is the practice of customizing them with interchangeable decorative charms, a trend known as "jelkku" (decorating jelly shoes) or "shinkku" (decorating shoes).

Lotte Department Store moved early to capitalize on the craze, hosting a pop-up for leading jelly shoe brand Heavenly Jelly that drew strong interest from female shoppers in their 20s and 30s. The pop-up ran through July 5 at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil and through July 9 at the Busan flagship store.

Fashion platform Zigzag analyzed one month of purchase data from May 10 to June 9 and found that jelly shoe transaction volume jumped 3,397 percent year-on-year. During the same period, transactions for "mesh sandals" surged 238 percent and "mesh Mary Janes" 493 percent. The platform attributed the gains to the styles' versatility on both rainy and sunny days.

Fashion app Ably conducted a big data analysis covering May 14 to June 14 and found that "jelly flats" — which give a subtle, sheer look at the toes and instep — posted a 505 percent jump in transaction volume year-on-year, while "mesh flats" surged 926 percent over the same period.