CreatripTeam

Several homegrown Korean fashion labels that had struggled are enjoying a comeback by using social media (SNS) to engage young consumers and quickly reflect feedback in production. Casual brand WHO.A.U (후아유) is forecast to post record sales of 120 billion won this year, more than double its slump-era levels. Founded in 2000, WHO.A.U lost youth appeal in the 2010s but regained it via a rapid “2-day/5-day” production system: brief pre-releases measure sales and SNS reactions for two days, and popular items are mass-produced within five days. The brand also expanded offline stores from 67 in 2021 to 92 by October. Athleisure label Andar (안다르), once near bankruptcy with operating losses in 2019–2020, revived after developing its own fabrics, upgrading production and logistics, and repositioning as premium athleisure; it posted 236.7 billion won in sales and 32.7 billion won operating profit last year. Analysts say combining SNS-driven consumer insight, fast production, and selective offline expansion helped lift consumer satisfaction and attract younger shoppers.