"Even Wearing Off-the-Rack Clothes, I'm a Saeppin" As Male Dance Programs Rise... E-Commerce Also Caught in 'Dance Craze'

Street Fashion Product Sales Noticeably Increase
11st Men's Padded Vest Sales Up 18 Times

Contestants dressed in street fashion are performing on Mnet's male dance competition program 'Street Man Fighter.' (Photo by Mnet)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Recently, with male dance competition programs such as 'Street Man Fighter' and the 'Saeping Challenge' gaining attention, clothing and shoes in the dancer style are showing growth centered on e-commerce. Male dancers tend to prefer loose and wide street fashion items such as boots, wide pants, and training suits to highlight their dance lines.

According to 11st on the 21st, from the 1st to the 19th of this month, sales of men's padded vests increased 1654%, or 18 times, compared to the same period last month. Bomber jackets rose 468%, wide pants 196%, and training suit sets 141%. Boots worn by dancers also grew by 311%. In fact, sellers are attaching names like 'broadcast dance' or the competition program title to bomber jackets, wide pants, and training suits when selling them.

Sales of jewelry, which men rarely purchased before, are also on the rise. When a male dancer wore a pearl necklace on a dance competition program and it became a hot topic on social media (SNS), the transaction amount for men's pearl necklace purchases increased by 80% year-on-year during the same period.

A 11st official said, “With the recent dance craze, street fashion is gaining spotlight, and diverse demands are emerging mainly among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z). Reflecting this, we have opened and operated a dedicated fashion corner for retro styles since early this year.”

In the case of Gmarket and Auction, men's training suits grew 26% compared to the same period last year. Men's sleeveless T-shirts, which usually sell well in summer, saw sales increase by 25% despite it being mid-October, and sports headbands and bandanas also rose by 17%. Sales of henna and tattoo stickers, which can add points to style, increased by 48%.

At Lotte ON, sales of men's sweatshirts preferred as street fashion increased by about 60% compared to the same period last year. Training suit sales also more than doubled during the same period.

An industry insider said, “Due to the dance craze, demand for street and retro fashion is noticeably increasing, diversifying fashion product demands mainly among the MZ generation. Since fashion demand is recovering recently due to the endemic, the industry will respond overall by increasing events tailored to this trend.”