Demand for sun shade umbrellas soars among Korean men amid heatwave

(MUSINSA)

South Korea‘s record heatwave is reshaping summer wardrobes, with men increasingly opting for long sleeves and UV-blocking umbrellas once seen as accessories for middle-aged women.

As daytime temperatures approach 40 degrees Celsius, fashion retailers are seeing a sharp rise in sales of lightweight, sun-protective clothing and parasols, reflecting a broader shift toward practical, heat-resistant gear.

Fashion platform Ably reported that sales of long-sleeve cardigans jumped 336 percent year-on-year between June 1 and July 29.

Orders for long-sleeve shirts and T-shirts rose by 30 percent each, while overall sun-blocking items climbed 87 percent during the same period.

“Thin layers that shield the skin from the sun and offer breathability have become essential,” said an official from Ably.

At Zigzag, another women‘s clothing platform, sales of long-sleeve cardigans also rose 50 percent in July from a year earlier. Sales of Tencel and seersucker items—favored for their lightweight properties—also surged 66 percent and 100 percent respectively.

Demand for sunshade umbrellas has spiked across demographics.

Fashion platform Musinsa said searches for umbrellas rose 205 percent in the past two months, with a 396 percent jump among male users.

Men‘s fashion site 4910 saw sun umbrella sales climb 954 percent year-on-year, while umbrella-related searches rose 467 percent.

At LF Mall, an online shopping website run by LF Corp., searches for men‘s umbrellas increased 14 times, with Daks-branded models seeing the strongest sales growth, particularly among customers in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

“Consumer perception is changing,” said an official from LF. “Men are increasingly viewing umbrellas as practical items, not gendered accessories.”

With extreme weather becoming more common, analysts expect the demand for functional summer apparel and accessories to remain strong in the coming years.