Wellness wear catches on in Korean fashion

The fashion industry is turning its attention to wellness wear, driven not only by a growing number of people who exercise regularly but also by rising consumer demand for everyday comfort and recovery.

Musinsa has entered the wellness wear market through its in-house SPA brand Musinsa Standard, recently launching a "recovery" collection made with functional fabrics. The line uses MEDIQ™, a material co-developed with Hyosung TNC, and is designed with physical recovery in mind. The products have also been certified for far-infrared ray emission performance by the Korea Far Infrared Association.

The collection includes a hooded zip-up, short-sleeve T-shirts, pants and five-inch shorts — mix-and-match setup items that can be worn in various combinations. Prices start at 29,900 won ($22) and go up to 69,900 won.

Musinsa appears to be betting on the market's growth momentum. Sales of related products on Musinsa Store jumped sharply in the first nine months of this year: transactions for yoga and Pilates products rose 108 percent year-on-year, while fitness product sales climbed 166 percent over the same period. At Musinsa affiliate 29CM, fitness product transactions jumped 189 percent, with running-related sales up 91 percent and yoga and Pilates products up 30 percent. "We will lead the wellness wear market, which has strong growth potential," the company said.

29CM also exclusively launched NikeSKIMS' fall collection on its online platform last month, ahead of other platforms. The collection features more than 240 items — including tops, bottoms, sports bras and leggings — distinguished by designs that emphasize the female form alongside functional performance. Several items, including the SKIMS Lift Mesh Shoes and the SKIMS Stretch Nylon Oversized Jacket, sold out immediately after launch.

Exercise has become a bigger part of daily life in South Korea. According to the 2025 National Leisure Sports Survey released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in January, 62.9 percent of the population participates in recreational sports at least once a week for 30 minutes or more per session — up 2.2 percentage points from the previous year.

Participation was slightly higher among women (63.3 percent) than men (62.6 percent). By age group, all cohorts except teenagers (43.2 percent) and those 70 and older (59.5 percent) recorded participation rates above 60 percent. Running was the most popular activity at 40.5 percent, followed by bodybuilding at 17.5 percent and hiking at 17.1 percent.

Major retailers are also moving quickly to bring wellness wear brands into their lineups. A Vuori store opened this month at the Yeoju Premium Outlets, operated by Shinsegae Simon. Founded in California, Vuori is considered a premium wellness wear brand alongside Lululemon and Alo, and the outlet has been steadily expanding its wellness wear offerings after first bringing in Lululemon — sometimes called the "Chanel of yoga wear."

Lululemon, which marks its 10th anniversary in South Korea this year, now operates 26 stores in the country. Shinsegae Department Store has been running Lululemon's first men's-only pop-up store in the main building of its Gangnam branch since last month. Alo entered the Korean market in July last year and has since grown to six stores in Seoul — all either standalone flagship locations or counters within premium retail channels such as Lotte Department Store and Hyundai Department Store.

The wellness trend is also showing up in footwear. Oofos, distributed in South Korea by LF, is a prime example. The recovery shoe brand, founded in Massachusetts, focuses on reducing foot strain through its proprietary OOFOAM™ material and biomechanical design. Cumulative domestic sales surpassed 150,000 pairs through July this year. "We will expand beyond flip-flops and slides to build a year-round footwear portfolio by broadening our fall-winter lineup to include clogs, mules and sneakers," LF said.