MUSINSA TRADING, a subsidiary of MUSINSA specializing in fashion brand business, has tripled domestic sales just one year after entering into a partnership with global workwear brand Dickies. By targeting subculture-savvy consumers and reinforcing the brand’s heritage, MUSINSA TRADING’s branding strategy served as a turning point in driving Dickies' resurgence in Korea.
Dickies, established in 1922 in Texas, began as a workwear brand producing coveralls and denim. Today, it is recognized as a global fashion brand with a strong presence in over 100 countries, including in streetwear and subculture communities.
MUSINSA TRADING became the exclusive distributor of Dickies in Korea in January 2024, launching the brand across all online and offline platforms. In its first year, Dickies' domestic sales in 2024 tripled compared to the previous year. The strong momentum has continued into the first quarter of 2025, with sales nearly doubling year-over-year.
The renewed spotlight on Dickies, a brand with over 100 years of history, can be attributed to a branding strategy that maximized its appeal by highlighting its unrivaled heritage in workwear. In addition, a strong product strategy — which turned new items like △Double-Knee 85283 pants, △Work Shorts Collection, and △Twill Work Jacket into bestsellers — also played a key role in driving sales growth.
MUSINSA TRADING leveraged its years of expertise in the fashion brand business to launch collaboration collections tailored to the Korean market. By expanding its marketing efforts into subculture spaces — including digital content and offline events — the company successfully attracted a new customer base. Notably, MUSINSA TRADING has continued to collaborate with rising Korean brands such as YESEYESEE and THUG CLUB in partnership with Dickies. These collections, which reinterpret Dickies’ workwear heritage through a contemporary lens, have resonated strongly with younger consumers and helped establish a strong brand fandom among younger consumers.
Synergy with MUSINSA has also played a significant role in Dickies’ growth. Through various content initiatives — including showcase editorials, curated brand features, and campaigns — MUSINSA created more opportunities for customers to rediscover the brand’s authenticity and product appeal. As a result, Dickies-related searches on MUSINSA surged by over 160% year-over-year in Q1, underscoring a sharp increase in customer interest and brand visibility.
MUSINSA expanded offline customer touchpoints by opening Dickies’ first domestic retail store, the Dickies Seongsu Store, in March 2024 on Yeonmujang-gil in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. The store serves as a flagship space where customers can experience the brand’s signature items and latest collections first. In particular, the synergy between Dickies’ workwear heritage and Seongsu’s industrial roots has helped the store emerge as a globally recognized brand destination.
An official from MUSINSA TRADING stated, “Dickies is focused on maximizing its brand value by staying true to its heritage of over 100 years and its renowned durability, while continuing to evolve around classic workwear.” They added, “This year, we are actively considering the launch of additional retail formats, such as shop-in-shops, in response to growing customer demand for in-person brand experiences.”