Jeximix, Andar, Mulla Wear Accelerate Entry into Japan
Similar Body Types and High Average Spending Have Positive Impact
K-athleisure (everyday sportswear) brands such as Jeximix, Andar, and Mula Wear are accelerating their entry into the Japanese market.
According to the fashion industry on the 12th, Jeximix, the No. 1 athleisure brand in Korea, opened its second official store just two weeks after launching its first store last month at the Daimaru Department Store in Osaka.
Jeximix established its Japanese subsidiary in 2019 and began full-scale operations in 2020. After entering Rakuten, the largest local online shopping mall, it achieved the top position in the 'Yoga & Pilates Wear' category within three months. Since 2021, it has increased offline touchpoints by opening pop-up stores and shop-in-shop locations.
Including official stores, pop-up stores, and shop-in-shop locations, Jeximix currently operates about 110 stores in Japan.
Jeximix's Japanese subsidiary sales increased 2.4 times from 2.5 billion KRW in 2020 to 6 billion KRW in 2022, and last year's sales rose to 7.8 billion KRW. This year, the Japanese subsidiary aims to achieve sales of 15 billion KRW.
According to Yonhap News, a Jeximix official stated, "Popularity in Japan is spreading comprehensively, showing remarkable growth every year. To operate aggressively, we increased our product offerings by more than 70% compared to the first quarter of last year. In addition to the existing women-focused product line, we plan to introduce various products including men's and golf wear."
Andar, which entered Japan in March 2022 and launched an official online store, has been expanding its offline presence. Andar held a pop-up store from the 22nd to the 27th of last month at the Hankyu Department Store Umeda Main Store in Osaka, and during the event period, daily sales exceeded 1 million yen, achieving the highest sales ever among athleisure brands at the Hankyu Department Store Umeda Main Store.
An Andar representative said, "We are receiving numerous store entry proposals from various distribution companies," adding, "We are considering additional pop-up store operations and opening official offline stores."
Mula Wear is also operating a store in Tokyo while running an online D2C (direct-to-consumer) mall business on platforms such as Rakuten Japan.
The reason K-athleisure companies are focusing on the Japanese market is that, unlike Korea, they see growth potential in Japan's athleisure market. A fashion industry insider explained, "In the past, Japanese people only wore leggings for exercise, but now they have become popular enough to follow the legging fashion of famous Korean singers and actors. Because of the high growth potential, domestic athleisure brands are rushing to capture the market."
Compared to Korea, the relatively higher average spending per customer in Japan has also prompted attention to the Japanese market. According to Andar, the average spending per customer at the Osaka Hankyu Department Store pop-up was 43% higher than in Korea. The similarity between Japanese and Korean consumer body types also acted as a positive factor.
A fashion industry insider explained, "There is a lack of domestic legging-specialized brands in Japan," adding, "K-athleisure brands optimized for similar body types can have a competitive advantage."
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