K-Fashion: How Did It Succeed and Where Is It Heading?
Why Is K-Fashion Getting Attention on the Global Stage?
Hello!
I'm Luna, a marketer at Spray, bringing you marketing insights across various fields.
In my previous article, I examined cases of K-fashion brands that successfully established themselves in overseas markets.
These brands had something in common—they conducted marketing through collaboration with local influencers.
K-fashion, which didn't receive attention in global markets in the past, now generates such intense interest that popup stores sell out completely.
So how was this transformation possible?
In this article, I'll examine the background behind K-fashion gaining global consumer attention and the direction domestic fashion brands should pursue within this trend.
K-Fashion: Riding the Korean Wave to the World
The background enabling domestic fashion brands to gain attention in global markets lies in the cultural factor called the Korean Wave.
Like the 'Not Your Rose' case introduced earlier, idols' airport fashion and stage costumes were naturally exposed to global consumers, making brands known.
Overseas fans who directly search for clothing worn by domestic K-pop idols and purchase Korean brand products also become actual customers.
This shows how admiration for favorite stars manifests as "ditto consumption" phenomenon.
What is 'Ditto Consumption'?
Ditto consumption refers to the consumer trend of purchasing products exactly as recommended by celebrities, influencers, specific content, or commerce channels.
K-drama fashion also became a powerful promotional tool.
For example, brand 'Dint' featured in dramas like <The Glory>, <Reborn Rich>, <Sky Castle>, and <Penthouse> gained attention for chaebol looks and office looks. After these dramas aired, products reportedly sold out on overseas shopping sites or received additional order inquiries.
According to the 《2025 Overseas Korean Wave Survey》 conducted by the Korea International Cultural Exchange Foundation across 28 countries, 66.2% of respondents purchased Korean fashion products within one year of encountering Korean Wave content.
This clearly shows how natural exposure through K-pop and K-dramas directly leads to Korean fashion product purchases.
Why Could the Korean Wave Spread?
Behind these changes lies the development of SNS and digital platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
While fashion trends previously spread through magazines or collection photos with inevitable time delays, now influencers' and SNS stars' lookbooks and fashion trends are shared in real-time through short-form content.
As existing spatial and temporal constraints disappeared due to digital platform growth, effects are particularly pronounced in the rapidly changing fashion industry.
The previously mentioned K-content also spread rapidly through SNS, attracting global consumer interest.
Drama scenes are reprocessed into short-form content creating viral moments, and dedicated accounts introducing K-pop idols' outfit information are gaining popularity.
K-Fashion's Real Power Proven Through Style and Quality
Along with Korean Wave content influence, Korean fashion's own competitiveness also became an important factor captivating overseas consumers.
For example, while Korean clothing previously gained attention for 'cost-effectiveness,' recent industry interviews indicate growing interest in domestic designer brands now evaluated as 'hip and sophisticated.'
According to the Korea International Cultural Exchange Foundation survey, 42.1% of overseas consumers cited 'good design and style' as a favorable factor for Korean fashion, while 30.8% responded 'excellent quality'.
These results show overseas consumers don't simply consume Korean fashion as part of Korean Wave content but highly evaluate the design completeness and quality itself.
Essential Strategy Fashion Brands Should Focus On
Within this trend, K-fashion brands need strategic development aligned with rapidly changing competitive environments and consumer trends to gain more attention in overseas markets.
Particularly as influencer influence grows, domestic fashion brands also need to actively utilize influencer marketing.
Key challenges and future prospects to focus on are as follows:
1. Increased Competition and Costs
The influencer marketing market faces intensifying competition as participating brands steadily increase.
As of 2023, approximately 67% of global fashion brands are expanding influencer marketing expenditures.
This shows more brands competing to secure influential influencers, with collaboration costs rising significantly for popular influencers.
This increases marketing cost burden for small and medium fashion brands.
Therefore, strategies collaborating with multiple micro-influencers to improve cost efficiency will be more effective than relying on a few expensive influencers.
Additionally, when conducting influencer marketing, brands must consider not only costs and competition but also which consumers to target and how to reflect each market's cultural characteristics.
2. Changing Target Consumers
Globally, young demographics like Gen MZ and Gen Alpha are emerging as new consumption leaders.
These groups are familiar with short-form platforms and prefer participatory content.
Accordingly, influencer selection criteria are also changing.
Rather than mega-influencers with many followers, micro-influencers who actively communicate with fandoms and form empathy are gaining increasing influence.
In fashion, creators who can deliver authentic stories will likely receive more attention going forward.
3. Localized Marketing
Success in global markets requires strategies reflecting local consumer sentiment and culture.
For example, when targeting Middle Eastern markets, careful collaboration with local fashion influencers is needed to avoid conflicting with religious and cultural norms.
Furthermore, as local influencers' roles become increasingly important in forming empathy within each cultural sphere, collaboration with them remains a challenge fashion brands must consider.