Traditional casual (TD) fashion is undergoing a transformation. Brands that have maintained their authenticity by centering on familiar items such as shirts, knits, and collared tees are introducing new products by changing materials, fits, and silhouettes. Rather than repeating designs that previously sold well, these brands are adopting a strategy of maintaining their unique heritage while reshaping the form of their products.
According to fashion industry sources on the 6th, LF's traditional casual brand Hazzys is attempting change by altering materials and silhouettes. Instead of the cotton material primarily used in existing TD brands, lightweight synthetic fibers have been applied to trench coats and Harrington jumpers. The brand also unveiled outerwear that reinterprets leather material in a coat form. Cumulative sales for Hazzys Women's "Leather & Suede" series increased by approximately 420% year-on-year this year.
An LF Hazzys official said, "Rather than simply repeating items and fits that previously sold well, we are continuously proposing new materials and silhouettes, and these products are translating into actual sales performance."
In denim, the brand has moved away from a product lineup centered on semi-wide and wide-fit styles. New silhouettes such as flare fit and barrel fit have been applied. In particular, flare-fit denim rose to the top of online sales, confirming demand for new fits.
For this FW season, the boundaries between materials and items have also expanded, with goat skin material utilized in menswear and leather jackets in a car coat form—typically seen in womenswear—introduced as men's TD products. Applying white color to suede, which had been dominated by brown and dark shades, is another example of breaking existing conventions.
The fashion industry can connect this trend to "Form Factor Shift," one of the 2027 consumer trends proposed by Kim Nan-do, Distinguished Professor at Seoul National University. This refers to the phenomenon where products maintain their essential functions while changing form and structure to create new experiences and demand, a trend now appearing in fashion as well.
Such changes do not stop at in-house product planning. The brand is also attempting to modernize classics through collaborations with heritage brands. Hazzys collaborated with Barstool to reinterpret beach cloth material from 1930s-1940s workwear and vintage down jackets in modern silhouettes. In its collaboration with Rocky Mountain Featherbed, the brand maintained the Western yoke design, a symbol of the partner brand, while newly designing the materials, volume, lining, and accessories.
What the industry is paying attention to is that this approach differs from simply adopting trending designs. It involves reflecting elements that consumers will perceive as new in products while maintaining the identity built by the brand over a long period. This is interpreted as a strategy to retain existing customers accustomed to classic designs while also attracting younger consumers who perceive past TD fashion as an outdated style.
A fashion industry official said, "The more classic a brand is, the greater the challenge of creating new demand while maintaining the identity expected by existing customers," adding, "Even small attempts to change materials and fits can become a competitive advantage in creating differentiated products that preserve the brand's unique sensibility."
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