A study on changes in clothing expenditure during COVID-19

This study analyzed changes in apparel expenditures before and after COVID-19 by households using raw data from Statistics Korea&quots Household Trends Survey. It was expected that domestic apparel consumption, which had contracted due to social unrest and economic instability, would show a changed pattern of apparel expenditure in the new normal environment of social distancing and telecommuting. Using various regression analyses to examine clothing expenditure from 2017 to 2023, we found that clothing expenditure varied by income group, spending level, and household characteristics. The largest decline occurred in 2020, followed by a recovery trend. Results revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary macro shock rather than fundamentally changing consumers&quot spending patterns. This contributes to our understanding of economic shocks and changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which could be used for formulating policy responses and economic strategies.