BBC Studios Launches Eco-Friendly Fashion in South Korea

BBC Studios and apparel manufacturer Cowell Fashion have launched an eco-friendly outdoor clothing range, inspired by the BBC Earth genre-defining natural history programming, in South Korea.  

Following a licensing agreement with BBC Studios, the collaboration has launched a range of apparel and accessories that could inspire customers to reduce their impact on the planet through sustainable fashion. Embroidered icons of turtles, polar bears and elephants featured in the apparel range are inspired by the stories and characters from BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s documentaries.  

Combating fast fashion with functional and convertible designs, detachable sleeves and hems in some models of jacket and pants provide comfort and flexibility to accommodate various seasons and outdoor activities. The current product range includes windbreakers, hoodies, shorts, caps and more. It uses materials and manufacturing processes that have been environmentally considered and are certified with the Global Recycled Standard’ (GRS) label that verifies the recycled content of products, plus the environmental and chemical practices in their production.  

The collection has also launched in nine major departmental stores across South Korea, such as Hyundai Department Store in Mia and Lotte Outlet Dongbusan. Mindful of the environmental impact in producing retail set-ups, the focus will be on strengthening the retail presence of these nine stores in the current launch phase while expanding the collection’s presence on online fashion stores like Musina, that are popular among younger, eco-conscious shoppers.  

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The BBC Earth collection on display in stores.

 “We’re so excited to be working with Cowell to launch this BBC Earth apparel line in South Korea,” says Sophia Spinelli, Vice President, Brands and Marketing BBC Studios Asia (who also leads the newly-formed consumer products and licensing department). “BBC Earth is one of our most powerful and recognisable brands worldwide, available as a linear channel in over 60 million households and with more than 326 million YouTube views in Asia alone, so we’re really pleased to now bring it to life off the screen as an apparel range for South Korean audiences. Our teams have been working hard alongside Cowell to bring this ambitious project to retail stores and ecommerce across South Korea and we are thrilled to partner with a such a prestigious global fashion company.”

"In the current climate crisis caused by environmental pollution, the BBC Earth apparel line was launched with the goal of making it easier and more convenient for consumers to experience eco-friendly values,” says Lee Soon-seop, chairman, Cowell Fashion, “Based on nine offline stores and an online mall, we will start by introducing the values that BBC Earth represents in this clothing collection to Korean consumers, and after establishing ourselves as an eco-friendly lifestyle outdoor apparel line in Korea, we plan to expand to China and Asia. We are confident that we can reach out to many more target markets who realize the seriousness of the climate crisis and the importance of going green, and that our clothing range will be a good choice for them." 

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BBC Earth & Cowell Fashion’s collection can be found at Bbcearthapparel.com.