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29 Apparel Brands: What Each Generation and Gender Searches For
UNIQLO ranks first across all age groups, but relative search indices vary by age among SPAO, MIXXO, ARKET, emis, and Thursday Island.
Data reportKim SanListeningMind's AI data analyst · checked by the editor-in-chief·Updated 2026-10-22 05:12 KST·History · 2 contributorsEditSign in to edit
Who searches for apparel brands most
According to monthly average search data compiled for 29 apparel brands in the South Korean market from 2025.09 to 2026.08, 77.0% of searchers in the apparel genre are women. While search volume does not indicate actual purchase amounts or sales volume, the search behavior of entering brand names to find information is concentrated among female users.
Looking at the distribution by age, people in their 30s account for the largest share at 30.8%. People in their 40s follow at 27.5%. In contrast, teenagers aged 13-19 account for 5.6%, and those aged 20-24 account for 8.4%, showing that search volume from teenagers and young adults in their early 20s is relatively small. Those aged 25-29 account for 12.0%, and those aged 50 and older account for 15.6%.
Across the genre as a whole, search activity by women in their 30s and 40s is predominant. However, when looking at individual brands, age and gender composition varies significantly. Using the genre average distribution as a baseline to compare each brand's searcher profile reveals the relative interest concentration of specific groups.
Which brands are searched most by age group
The brand with the highest number of searches across all age groups is UNIQLO (South Korea, monthly average from 2025.09 to 2026.08). It accounts for 29.0% within the 13-19 age group, 27.4% within the 20-24 age group, 28.5% within the 25-29 age group, 28.4% within the 30s age group, 24.3% within the 40s age group, and 25.2% within the 50 and older age group. In terms of share within each age group, UNIQLO maintains a consistent level across all demographics.
However, calculating the index (brand search share in a specific age group / brand search share across all age groups) to see which brands a specific age group searches for intensively compared to the overall average reveals a different pattern. In the 13-19 age group, the search index for SPAO reaches 2.64x, well over twice the average. In the 20-24 age group, MIXXO records 2.46x, and in the 25-29 age group, MIXXO shows a search concentration higher than average at 1.81x.
Starting in the 30s, the brands with higher-than-average search indices diverge clearly by age bracket. In the 30s, ARKET stands out with an index of 1.27x above average. In the 40s, emis records an index of 1.62x. In the 50 and older group, Thursday Island records the highest search concentration index at 2.86x.
When reading this table, absolute shares and relative indices should be examined separately. To identify brands that a specific group searches for noticeably more than the market average, look at the relative index. These search patterns serve as foundational data for practitioners identifying the real interests of target generations when moving from search signals to hypotheses.
| Age group | Share of genre searches | Most searched brand (Share within age group) | Brands searched more than average (Index) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ages 13-19 | 5.6% | UNIQLO (29.0%) | SPAO (2.64x) |
| Ages 20-24 | 8.4% | UNIQLO (27.4%) | MIXXO (2.46x) |
| Ages 25-29 | 12.0% | UNIQLO (28.5%) | MIXXO (1.81x) |
| 30s | 30.8% | UNIQLO (28.4%) | ARKET (1.27x) |
| 40s | 27.5% | UNIQLO (24.3%) | emis (1.62x) |
| 50 and older | 15.6% | UNIQLO (25.2%) | Thursday Island (2.86x) |
How search brands differ between women and men
While the female share across all apparel genre searchers is 77.0%, the gender distribution across brands ranges from 33.5% to 97.5% (South Korea, monthly average from 2025.09 to 2026.08). Search data indicates the scale of interest, and gender skew reveals the nature of the interest that each brand captures.
Among brands with a high female search share, MIXXO ranks highest at 97.5%. SHESMISS follows at 96.2%, and emis at 90.3%. The vast majority of searchers for these brands are women. With female shares well above the genre average of 77.0%, male search share remains under 10% for each.
Conversely, some brands show a low female share and a relatively concentrated male search volume. Among the 29 brands, the brand with the lowest female search share is Levi's at 33.5%.
Differences in gender share show which gender forms the primary searcher base for a brand. From an intent intelligence perspective, checking gender profiles clearly identifies who generates the search demand for that brand.
| Brand | Female share | Monthly average search volume | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High female share | MIXXO | 97.5% | 254,477 |
| High female share | SHESMISS | 96.2% | 146,606 |
| High female share | emis | 90.3% | 211,295 |
| High male share | Levi's | 33.5% | 342,823 |
| High male share | Stüssy | 59.9% | 566,913 |
| High male share | Lacoste | 63.1% | 344,615 |
How to apply generation and gender profiles from search data in practice
Age and gender search profiles directly inform decision-making baselines for business practitioners. First is target setting. Marketers and strategic planners often make assumptions about their brand's primary audience. By examining the age groups where actual searches concentrate, such as emis showing an index of 1.62x in the 40s age group, practitioners can adjust target generation hypotheses using objective indicators. Conversely, identifying age groups with minimal search volume for a brand serves as a baseline to inspect search barriers among non-customers.
Second is media selection and ad execution. Advertising teams select ad placement channels that match age and gender concentration.
Third is product curation and merchandising planning. Merchandisers and product planners can incorporate the characteristics of brands that receive higher-than-average responses in specific age brackets into promotional features. For example, recognizing that Thursday Island has an index of 2.86x among people aged 50 and older allows teams to design product placement strategies tailored to items searched by that demographic.
Fourth is communication messaging. Even for UNIQLO, the interests driving searches among teenagers, where it holds a 29.0% share, may differ from those among people aged 50 and older, where it holds 25.2%. Search profiles provide the starting point for deciding what message to convey to whom. Search volume is not sales volume, but it provides objective observational data tracking under which age and gender conditions people seek information.
Methodology
- Data: ListeningMind Brand Finder Korea edition, 48 months from 2022.09 to 2026.08. Combined monthly search volume from Naver and Google.
- Monthly average search volume: Average over the most recent 12 months (2025.09 to 2026.08). Combines standalone brand name searches and 'brand + product/modifier' searches.
- Year-over-year: Compares the most recent 12-month average with the preceding 12-month average. Compared to 3 years ago: Compares with the initial 12-month average (if the initial 12-month value is less than 10% of the recent value, it is left blank and marked 'New').
- Share within genre: Ratio against the total search volume of the 29 brands included in this genre. Inclusions follow the genre rules of Brand Finder.
- Age and gender: Searcher distribution (measured). Index = Brand share within that age group ÷ Overall brand share. Selected from brands with a share of 1% or more within the age group.
- Search volume represents the scale of interest and is not a statistic for sales volume or market share.
- Other articles in the same genre are available in the Apparel Genre Collection.
Questions
- Which apparel brand was searched most across all age groups?
- Based on the monthly average from 2025.09 to 2026.08 in the South Korean market, UNIQLO ranked first in search share across all age groups, from ages 13-19 (29.0%) to ages 50 and older (25.2%). In terms of absolute search volume, UNIQLO maintains an even search scale without skewing toward a specific generation.
- Which brands are searched noticeably more than average by each age group?
- In data for the South Korean market (monthly average from 2025.09 to 2026.08), SPAO had a high search index for ages 13-19 (2.64x), while MIXXO led in the 20s (2.46x for ages 20-24, 1.81x for ages 25-29). ARKET in the 30s (1.27x), emis in the 40s (1.62x), and Thursday Island in the 50 and older group (2.86x) showed high relative search indices compared to the market average.
- What is the age distribution of searchers in the apparel genre?
- In monthly average data for the South Korean market from 2025.09 to 2026.08, apparel genre searchers comprised 30.8% in their 30s and 27.5% in their 40s. These were followed by 15.6% aged 50 and older, 12.0% aged 25-29, 8.4% aged 20-24, and 5.6% aged 13-19.
- Which brand recorded the highest share of female searchers?
- In the monthly average survey from 2025.09 to 2026.08 in South Korea, MIXXO recorded a female share of 97.5%. SHESMISS followed at 96.2%, and emis at 90.3%. During the same period, the female share across all apparel genre searchers was 77.0%.
- Which brands have a relatively low share of female searchers?
- Based on the monthly average from 2025.09 to 2026.08 in South Korea, the brand with the lowest female share was Levi's at 33.5%. Stüssy followed at 59.9%, and Lacoste at 63.1%. Search volume figures indicate the scale of interest and do not represent sales volume.