Merino aims for a hole in one in Korea
Capitalising on the huge popularity in South Korea of playing golf, Woolmark has collaborated with leading golfing brand TaylorMade to dress the country’s golfers in Merino wool.
The popularity of golf in South Korea is so large that the market for golf apparel in the East Asian nation now accounts for nearly half of the entire global market.
Even during the off-season, approximately two million Koreans enjoy golf tours abroad, ensuring a consistent demand for golf apparel throughout the year. Furthermore, golf is a sport that people tend to continue with once they have tried it out, which suggests the market will endure into the future.
This presents a great opportunity for Merino wool because golfers tend to prefer premium clothing and show great interest in the quality of the fibre used in their apparel. Merino wool’s premium, natural benefits of breathability, thermoregulation, elasticity, softness and odour resistance make it an ideal fibre for the sport.
Leading golf brand TaylorMade
Recognising the potential market for Merino wool, Woolmark undertook a collaborative marketing campaign last year with leading golfing brand TaylorMade to increase awareness and sales of its Merino wool apparel in Korea in the 2024 autumn/winter season.
The collaboration builds on the success of a similar joint campaign in the previous year. Based on those strong sales, TaylorMade almost doubled the amount of pieces for sale for the 2024 autumn/winter season.
TaylorMade is an American-based global golfing brand which boasts Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood amongst its many global ambassadors. The brand is licensed in Korea to HanSung F.I which has significant expertise in the premium golf apparel market in Korea. By forming a strategic partnership with HanSung F.I, TaylorMade is expanding its apparel line.
TaylorMade’s new ‘Merino Wool Edition’ includes men’s and women’s 100% Merino wool and wool blend jumpers. TaylorMade became a Woolmark licensee in June 2024, and more than a quarter of the garments in the new collection are Woolmark certified.
Merino wool golf apparel in the latest TaylorMade collection in South Korea.
AWI Regional Manager Japan & Korea, Samuel Cockedey, says brands are introducing more luxurious golf apparel products in South Korea, and Woolmark is making sure that Merino wool is well represented.
“Through our partnership with leading brand TaylorMade, we have emphasised to golfers the high-performance benefits that Merino wool apparel can provide, thereby increasing demand for the fibre,” Samuel said.
“We hope to encourage TaylorMade to develop more Merino wool products for future seasons, not only in South Korea but also in other markets such as the US.
“We also hope that other global golf apparel brands will see the success of TaylorMade’s use of Merino wool and introduce the fibre into their own collections.”
Marketing the Merino golf apparel
Woolmark’s latest collaborative marketing campaign with TaylorMade was launched in October and highlighted the premium, high-performance benefits of Merino wool, along with the fibre’s natural, biodegradable and renewable eco-credentials, and its easy-case properties.
The campaign primarily targeted customers in their 30s-50s through a combination of digital, social media and in-store marketing.
The digital element of the campaign included a home page feature on the TaylorMade website that drove customers to a landing page that highlighted the benefits of Merino wool alongside the new collection available to purchase. Four campaign videos promoted the collection online, along with paid social media advertising and influencer marketing.
In-store displays featuring the products were set up in 126 physical stores across South Korea to encourage purchases.
More information: www.taylormadeapparel.co.kr
This article appeared in the Autumn 2025 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine that was published in March 2025. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
