Team Korea’s Olympic success boosts sales for sponsored apparel

[Photo by Yonhap]

Team Korea’s success at the Paris Olympics, where it won 32 medals, is drawing the spotlight to the brands that sponsored their uniforms.

According to the fashion industry on Tuesday, Youngone Outdoor Co.’s The North Face, the official sponsor of Team Korea, gained popularity during the Olympics with its Team Korea replica collection, which consists of 20 items. Nine of the top ten weekly selling items on The North Face’s official online store were from the Olympic-themed collection as of Monday.

The North Face Team Korea Replica. [Courtesy of The North Face]

The 189,000 won ($138.5) jacket inspired by the official awards ceremony uniform is the most popular item, with popular sizes selling out since late July 2024. Other top sellers include the Team Korea Coloring Short-Sleeve T-Shirt and the Team Korea Ice Day Short-Sleeve T-Shirt, both of which have also sold out in popular sizes.

The collection is designed to match the exact items worn by athletes at the Paris Olympics ceremonies, and the company said its lightweight windbreaker jacket offers versatility for a “replica” or “bloke core” look.

Fila Korea also received attention thanks to Kim Ye-ji, who won a silver medal in the women‘s 10m air pistol event. British fashion magazine GQ featured the black Fila Performance zip-up jacket that Kim wore during her competition. The black Fila short-sleeved T-shirts worn by gold medalists Ban Hyo-jin, Oh Ye-jin and Yang Ji-in in the shooting events also generated a significant promotional impact.

The hats worn by the national archery team, which won five gold medals, are also popular. The hat worn by athletes such as Lim Si-hyun during competitions is the Unisex Archery Hat by Kolon Sports, Kolon FnC’s outdoor brand, which is specially made with functional fabric developed by the Hyundai Motor Group.