Parents breathe easier as affordable SPA brand puffer jackets win over kids

"My daughter asked for it herself." Shin, a 41-year-old parent raising a fifth-grade elementary school student in Seoul, had braced for the worst when taking the child winter clothes shopping recently. Shin expected a demand for an expensive outdoor-brand puffer jacket — but the daughter zeroed in on a lightweight SPA (specialty store retailer of private-label apparel) brand jacket priced under 100,000 won ($75). Having watched a sibling cave to a nephew's pleas and spend close to 1 million won on an imported brand jacket a few years ago, Shin said the relief was palpable. "There may be differences by neighborhood, but the mood around me is similar," Shin said. "Kids' jackets get washed more often and they outgrow them quickly, so SPA brands make more sense."

Park, a 40-year-old parent of two — an elementary schooler and a kindergartner — had a similar experience. After moving to a neighborhood known for its schools, Park had worried about keeping up with other families' winter wardrobes, but was reassured to see other parents dressing their children in SPA brand puffer jackets. "Hagwon fees have gone up, so clothing costs could have been a real burden," Park said. "I'm going to buy a lightweight puffer in a trendy design from an SPA brand."

The puffer jacket — once synonymous with the Korean term "deunggol breaker," or a coat so expensive it breaks a parent's back — is changing. The era when every teenager had to wear a pricey, status-signaling jacket is fading. As price ranges and brands have diversified, so have children's preferences. SPA brands, which keep prices low while offering on-trend designs, are drawing attention as a sensible alternative, particularly as prolonged high inflation weighs on household budgets.

According to Shinsung Tongsang, sales of the flagship lightweight puffer jacket from its children's clothing brand Topten Kids jumped 3.1 times — up 214.7 percent — year-on-year from Aug. 19, when this year's fall-winter season began, through Tuesday. The comparison is between this year's lead product, the "Airtech Parka," and last year's "Airtech Lightweight Jumper."

Anticipating growing demand for children's lightweight puffer jackets, Topten Kids expanded its design lineup this year from a single round-neck style to two options — a round neck and a hooded version. Launched in 2016, the brand started with a focus on indoor wear before broadening into outerwear in 2023. It has since made outerwear a core category and concentrated its inventory there.

Spao Kids is seeing similar momentum. Spao, operated by Eland World, is offering its popular lightweight puffer series "Thinlight" — which drew strong demand last year — in children's sizes this year in addition to adult sizes. Sales of the youth and children's Thinlight line rose 320 percent year-on-year from Aug. 1 through Wednesday. Demand has outpaced supply, and the product is now in its third reorder. Spao Kids plans to add six new colors in December, reflecting customer feedback.

"Unlike high-end puffer jackets that can run from hundreds of thousands to millions of won, ours can be bought at a reasonable price, and they've gone hugely viral online among parent customers as the 'back-saver,'" a Spao official said.

Musinsa Standard, which has been expanding its kids' category, is also riding the wave. Its lightweight puffer, the "City Leisure Hooded Light Down Jacket," has spread by word of mouth for its duck-down fill, five color options and 99,900-won price tag. The pistachio colorway topped the kids' category rankings on the Musinsa website in the second week of October, beating out a North Face puffer jacket. The blue-gray and cloudy-blue colorways also ranked third and fourth.

Musinsa Standard had originally offered children's products in its signature "City Leisure" line only on a limited, seasonal basis, but has since expanded it into a year-round core line in response to customer demand. The share of kids' products within the City Leisure lineup grew from 3.8 percent last year to 26.9 percent this year — roughly a sevenfold expansion. For this fall-winter season, the brand added 17 new styles, including the "Sheer Hooded Light Down Jacket," widening the range of choices.

The trend is equally visible on online platforms. On Naver Plus Store, the share of kids' puffer jacket sales priced under 100,000 won more than doubled year-on-year over the two weeks from Oct. 14 to Tuesday. Parents are prioritizing lighter outerwear — lightweight puffers and fleece — over heavy-down jackets, factoring in children's outdoor activities and daily temperature swings.

Several factors have driven the popularity of mid-to-low-priced SPA brand puffer jackets. In the 2010s, expensive brand-name puffer jackets functioned as a "second school uniform," determining whether a child fit in with peers. More recently, comfortable casual wear and athletic wear have become the norm over school uniforms, and layering — hooded zip-ups, lightweight puffers and fleece — has grown common as children move between heated indoor spaces and outdoor activity.

The spread of a more practical clothing culture has been compounded by persistently high prices. According to the Ministry of Statistics, the consumer price index for jackets stood at 120.59 (base year 2020 = 100) as of September, up 6.3 percent from the same month last year — more than double the 2.9 percent rise in overall consumer prices over the same period. SPA brands' appeal lies in their ability to offer trendy designs and reasonable quality without the price burden.

"Demand for light, practical outerwear is spreading beyond adults to children's clothing," an industry official said. "As more parent customers seek SPA brand products that combine affordability with functionality, the range of options in the kids' outerwear market is also expanding."