Was This the Reason for the Price Hike?... 100,000 Won vs 5,000,000 Won: Extreme Padding Prices [Chosun Price Records]

(40) Winter Essential Padding Prices Soar

As the solar term Ip-dong passes and the full onset of cold weather arrives, the prices of padded jumpers, essential winter clothing, continue to soar, increasing the burden on consumers. It has become common for padding sold by sports brands, not luxury brands, to easily exceed 1 million won.

Group (G)I-DLE's Minnie North Face Nuptse Padding Photoshoot. North Face Official Website

According to the fashion industry on the 10th, padding prices vary greatly depending on the brand and filling material, making simple price comparisons difficult, but overall, this winter's padding prices are higher than in previous years. The rise in padding prices is largely due to the increase in prices of goose and duck down fillings imported from China. China is the world's largest market for goose and duck down, and domestic fashion companies also rely mostly on Chinese raw materials for padding supply.

The price of goose down filling (90% down, white) distributed in China rose 6.94% from 1,069.66 yuan (about 207,900 won) per kg on May 4 to 1,143.92 yuan (about 222,300 won) on November 4. The price of duck down filling (90% down, white) also increased 11.15%, from 481.9 yuan (about 93,600 won) on May 6 to 535.62 yuan (about 104,100 won) on November 4.

In Korea, it is difficult to find padded jackets priced in the 100,000 won range except for lightweight padding in sports brands. Discovery's midwinter padding prices start from the high 200,000 won range. The cheapest padding at Discovery, the Women's Short Down Heiny Glow Down, costs 279,000 won. The price of K2 Women's Silkstar Wave Goose Down is 249,000 won (based on the discounted price on the official website). National Geographic's cheapest padding is the Women's Larus Cozy Duck Down mid-length hooded down jumper priced at 239,200 won.

The prices of The North Face padding have also risen sharply. The North Face was known as a representative 'backbreaker' brand due to its high prices around the 2010s. The 1996 Retro Nuptse Down Jacket (women's) was 269,000 won in 2018. Currently, both the 1996 Eco Nuptse Jacket and the 1996 Retro Nuptse Jacket are priced at 399,000 won, about 130,000 won higher than six years ago.

It is also easy to find padding priced over 1 million won. For example, K2's recently released Thin Air Absolute has a launch price of 1.1 million won, and the Alaya GTX Heating Down Jacket is priced at 1.09 million won.

SPA Brands VS Luxury Brands... Consumer Polarization

The rise in padding prices is a burden for consumers, and as consumer polarization deepens, young people with lighter wallets tend to flock to SPA brands. SPA brands manage all processes including clothing planning, production, distribution, and sales directly, offering reasonable prices and quickly reflecting fashion trends, making them popular among young consumers.

A representative SPA brand, Musinsa Standard, opened its first store in Hongdae in May 2021 and expanded to 17 stores by November, surpassing 10 million cumulative visitors (as of August). During the recent Super Sale (October 11 to October 20), Musinsa Standard's sales increased by 162% compared to the same period last year (October 13 to 22, 2023), with outerwear sales rising 309% year-on-year.

The most expensive padding at Musinsa Standard is the Women's Vegan Leather Puffer Short Padding Jacket priced at 159,900 won. Other SPA brands show similar trends. Spao's long padding using new filling materials costs 99,000 won, under 100,000 won. Topten's most expensive padding is the Super Air Short Down Jumper (women's) priced at 199,000 won.

Moncler Official Website

On the other hand, luxury padding remains highly popular. Italian luxury brand Moncler is known as the 'Chanel of padding' due to its high price range, with Moncler Korea's sales reaching 332.3 billion won in 2023, a 19.7% increase from 277.6 billion won the previous year. While padding is usually thick due to insulation, Moncler gained popularity by releasing a quilted down jacket line featuring a slim silhouette.

The most expensive padding at Moncler, the Valois Shearling Short Down Jacket, costs 5.57 million won. The cheapest padding is the Abadia Short Down Jacket priced at 2 million won.

How to Buy Padding Cheaply... 'Up to 70% Discount' Off-Season Sales

If you want to buy brand padding cheaply, using off-season products is a good option. Off-season refers to leftover stock from previous seasons. Padding and fur sold in the height of summer are typical examples. During off-season sales, most brands offer steep discounts of up to about 70%. For brands, it reduces inventory, and for consumers, it is an opportunity to buy quality products at low prices.