Verutum Golf exits after 5 years

BYN Black Yak transfers Hillcreek rights

[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

As golf loses its appeal among the MZ generation, the golf apparel market is taking a direct hit — and a growing number of brands are shutting down entirely.

Contemporary fashion company Verutum recently decided to wind down its golf apparel business, according to industry sources Friday. The move comes five years after it launched Verutum Golf in 2021. With the exit decision made, the brand's official online store is now running a clearance sale — dubbed an "adieu sale" — offering discounts of up to 80 percent on remaining inventory. The event will end once stock runs out.

Verutum Golf entered the market with functional golf apparel built around a minimalist aesthetic, targeting younger golfers with styles versatile enough for both the course and everyday wear. The brand helped drive overall company sales growth, with revenue rising from 2.8 billion won ($2.09 million) in 2021 to 3.7 billion won in 2022 and reaching 4.2 billion won in the 2024–2025 period.

But as the pandemic era ended, younger consumers began drifting away from golf. Fatigue over conspicuous display on SNS, compounded by high inflation and an economic slowdown, has pushed many toward lower-cost sports such as running and hiking. The shifting business environment made the blow to golf apparel inevitable.

Verutum is not alone. BYN Black Yak halted production of fall-winter new arrivals for Hillcreek — a Japanese premium golf apparel brand it had operated domestically since 2018 — and transferred the brand's business rights to MMT I&C as of July. Hillcreek products also disappeared from BYN Black Yak's official online store after June. Before that, other brands targeting golfers in their 20s and 30s — including Maison Kitsuné Golf, Calvin Klein Golf and Random Golf Club — had already scaled back or discontinued their golf apparel operations.

The slump in the golf apparel market is showing up in corporate earnings as well. Creas F&C, which operates brands including Ping and Pearly Gates, saw its sales fall from 367 billion won in 2023 to 311.9 billion won in 2025, with operating profit swinging to a deficit of 4.7 billion won. However, both sales and operating profit returned to growth in the first half of this year. Roger Nine, which carries the PXG Apparel line, also posted a sales decline, from 89.1 billion won in 2024 to 85.1 billion won in 2025.


spa@heraldcorp.com