[Edaily KYUNG GYEYOUNG Reporter] As professional baseball attracts a fan base of women in their 20s and 30s, the fashion industry is also stepping up its sports marketing efforts by releasing collaborative merchandise. With women’s fashion brands and e-commerce platforms jumping into collaborations that combine team uniforms with character intellectual property (IP), the “sports x fashion” market appears to be expanding.

According to industry sources on the 3rd, “KNOCKIT,” a fashion curation service operated by Naver (NAVER(035420)), followed up on its April collaboration between lifestyle brand Nice Weather and the Hanwha Eagles by exclusively launching a line of clothing, bags, and fashion accessories from the collaboration between Matin Kim and the LG Twins online on the 20th of last month.

The first and second live shopping events hosted by Knock It on the 20th and 23rd of last month surpassed a total of 1.3 million views, and popular items sold out completely during the live streams. Even during the second release, a significant number of products sold out, leading to a switch to pre-order sales.

COYSEIO, which gained popularity among teens and young adults in their 20s after being worn by the idol group NewJeans, launched a line of apparel and accessories in collaboration with the Samsung Lions last June. The products were so popular that they sold out immediately after going on sale.

Fashion Platform Co.,Ltd. is now taking the lead in planning collaborations that blend sports and fashion. W Concept facilitated a collaboration between the running-focused sportswear brand Minasu and the SSG Landers, exclusively unveiling the products. This collaboration was conceived based on the commonality that both running and baseball are enjoyed in daily life, centered around fan communities.

Just one day after the Minasu and SSG Landers collaboration products were unveiled on the 24th of last month, all sizes of some items were sold out, and by the following day, the 25th, stock at the pop-up store set up at SSG Landers Field in Incheon had also quickly run out.

Jansport, a backpack brand officially distributed by Musinsa Trading, released backpacks and accessories in collaboration with the LG Twins on the 28th of last month. The bags feature the stripes that characterize the LG Twins’ uniforms.

The reason fashion brands and platforms are putting so much effort into collaborations with baseball teams is that women in their 20s and 30s—their primary consumer base—have formed a professional baseball fandom, leading to a sharp increase in related spending. According to KREAM, a limited-edition trading platform, sales of baseball team collaboration merchandise last year increased by 433% compared to the previous year. The proportion of female spectators at professional baseball games (according to the Korea Professional Sports Association) exceeded half last year.

Major brands and platforms are preparing to continue their collaborations with sports. Knockit is preparing collaboration products with professional baseball teams and brands this month, targeting people in their 20s. W Concept, which has proposed brand products linked not only to professional baseball but also to running, yoga, and hiking, plans to continue its collaborative projects that blend sports and fashion.

An industry insider stated, “As the core of the professional baseball fanbase has shifted to women in their 20s and 30s, there has been a growing demand to enjoy baseball as a fashion statement,” adding, “Given the confirmed demand for collaborative products within the sports fanbase, we expect to see a continued stream of differentiated collaborative projects that blend sports and fashion.”