With a sharp drop in temperatures after the recent late heat bringing wide daily temperature swings, lightweight padded jackets that are light yet highly insulating are emerging as the "main trend" in the apparel industry. With cold weather also expected to arrive later than usual this year, their unique versatility—good as fall outers and easy to layer in midwinter—has recently boosted the popularity of lightweight padding.
The fashion industry, including both outdoor and SPA (manufacturing and retail integration) brands, is rushing to launch new products and increase volumes to capture peak-season demand. In the process, it is expanding color options and releasing hooded products so that lightweight padding can serve as a distinctive outer, reflecting a trend toward greater design diversity.
According to the style commerce platform ably on Oct. 20, searches for "lightweight padding" products rose 190% year over year during the month from Sept. 17 to Oct. 16. Transaction value during the same period also increased 161%. In particular, the hooded "hooded lightweight padding" keyword saw search volume jump 810%, with transaction value up 671%.
This fall's popularity of lightweight padding was signaled as early as midsummer. At LF Mall, operated by LF, searches for the keyword "lightweight" in August and September more than doubled from a year earlier. Naver's limited-edition transaction platform KREAM also saw saves (wishlists) for some popular lightweight padding products in August rise as much as 244% from the previous month.
In response, the fashion industry is moving up new product launches and increasing quantities. Musinsa Standard, the PB (private brand) of Musinsa, released lightweight padding in mid-September last year, but began selling it in August this year. Its flagship product, the "City Leisure Hooded Light Down Jacket," surpassed cumulative sales of 30,000 units on Oct. 13, about 50 days after its Aug. 21 release.
Starting this season, Musinsa Standard sharply increased the number of lightweight padding colors from four to 13. It also released women's and kids' lightweight padding products. In addition, it expanded choices with various designs such as anoraks, vests, and short-sleeve styles.
At SPA brand SPAO of E-Land World, lightweight padding sales through last month rose 288% from a year earlier. Accordingly, SPAO plans to produce 50% more lightweight padding this year than last year. Topten, an SPA brand under SHINSUNG TONGSANG, also recently entered the lightweight padding market with its new "AIRTECH" series.
Outdoor and sports brands are also joining in aggressively. The North Face more than doubled the volume of its lightweight padding lineup, including its signature "Bube Jacket," for fall compared to last year. It diversified colors into four options—black, navy, brown, and charcoal—and broadened designs to include hoodies, bombers, and short hoodies.
LF's sports brand Reebok recently launched a new "Premier Track Lightweight Padding" collection. Until last year, LF offered a product lineup that moved from windbreakers in September to thick padding in November, but this year it planned lightweight padding for the first time. Kolon Sports also increased production of its main lightweight down padding "Sotsot Down" by 30% year over year.
Lightweight padding is also establishing itself as a key keyword in the global fashion market. The boundary between everyday wear and outdoor wear is blurring, driven by growing consumer preference for light and functional apparel.
Uniqlo, which has the hit product "Ultra Light Down" in the related category, introduced new lightweight vests and jackets using "Pufftech" fill in this year's fall-winter (F/W) collection. Pufftech is a technology co-developed with Toray of Japan that uses ultrafine fibers to secure an air layer, creating a material that combines lightness and warmth.
Patagonia also revamped its main fall-winter lightweight padding lineup, "Nano Puff," this year. It switched to 100% recycled polyester fill and completely replaced the outer with a waterproof coating that uses no harmful chemical substances "PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)." It also improved the design by reinforcing quilted stitching lines and raising the neck (collar) to enhance wind blocking.
Italian luxury down brand Moncler also unveiled the urban lightweight padded jacket "Bretagne" as a new fall-winter product this year. It uses traditional goose down fill but minimizes the fill amount to reduce weight.
A fashion industry official said, "In the past, lightweight padding was simply considered "functional cold-weather wear," but now the trend is to diversify colors and designs to make it fully suitable as an outer for going out," adding, "Products that balance practicality and style are becoming the standard for consumer choice."