Knee-length leather coats have become a sartorial trend among young North Koreans, Daily NK has learned.
“Leather coats have recently become a trend among young people in their 20s and 30s in Chongjin,” a Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province said recently. “Young people especially like coats that fall right above the knee.”
According to the source, leather outerwear is a status symbol typically worn by the children of wealthy families or officials.
People used to wear shorter leather coats that fell to the waist, but this spring, one can easily spot young people in longer leather coats on the streets of Chongjin.
“If it’s a trend, everyone wants to buy and wear it,” the source said. “Long leather coats, called ‘off-the-rack leather jumpers’ by locals, have recently become a trend, with children from wealthy families scrambling to find them in the markets.”
Wholesalers who import clothing from China previously imported a few leather coat samples, uncertain if they would sell. Initially finding few buyers, they placed no more orders.
However, the coats suddenly became popular after a few wealthy people wore them, and wholesalers quickly moved to secure more. Consequently, markets now have some stock of the coats.
The coats are not cheap, costing between 500 and 1,500 Chinese yuan ($70-$210), but they sell well due to high demand, the source said.
The long leather coat trend appears partly influenced by the attire worn by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, during a March 2024 visit to Kangdong General Greenhouse Farm. Kim Ju Ae appeared in a long, purple leather coat that fell to the knee.
“The response wasn’t particularly strong when the Supreme Leader’s daughter wore a leather coat around this time last year, but similar leather coats suddenly became a trend this spring,” the source said. “Wholesalers must carefully consider what they import since young people’s tastes change overnight nowadays.”
Leather coats are also trendy in Hyesan, Ryanggang province.
“Long leather coats that fall to the knee have recently become fashionable with young people,” a source in Ryanggang province said. “Both fitted coats that show off your figure and more standard cuts are popular.”
“Leather clothing is especially popular among everyone from soon-to-graduate high school students to young people in their 30s, with leather coats currently enjoying the most popularity,” the source said. “The only thing that has changed is the length, while the shape is evolving slightly to follow the trends.”
However, the leather coats also starkly demonstrate the gap between the rich and poor, the source said.
“Ordinary people cannot easily afford leather coats,” the source said. “As you can tell who comes from a wealthy family and who doesn’t just by looking at their clothes, people without the coats feel disheartened.”
April 10, 2025 at 05:20AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)