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From Moncler to The North Face, Gucci to Kylie Jenner’s Khy, the parks and pavements of major cities are once again stuffed with puffer jackets as temperatures drop in the northern hemisphere. It’s one of fickle fashion’s most enduring trends, but as more and more brands jump to harness demand, cutting through the noise is becoming increasingly difficult.
“Puffer coats are integral to our winter wardrobes — and have been for a long time — serving both function and fashion,” says Rickie De Sole, women’s fashion director at Nordstrom. From the Beckhams donning puffers on a dog walk in the ’90s to models like Emily Ratajkowski and Bella Hadid off duty in 2023, and even an AI-generated puffer on the pope, the style continues to dominate the winter season. In 2019, The North Face’s thick-set Nuptse puffer jacket — a style rooted in nostalgia that dates back to 1996 — was mentioned for the first time in Lyst’s hottest products of the year recap. As the “gorpcore” trend (referring to traditionally outdoor clothing that’s adopted for the streets) took off during the pandemic, the puffer went more mainstream.
Last year, luxury labels from Louis Vuitton to Gucci launched puffers as part of their first-ever ski collections, while Loewe’s puffed-up bomber style was worn by celebrities, including Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, prompting dupes from high street labels. These luxury launches and their accompanying campaigns boost demand for the style, even among aspirational consumers, who may not be able to go to Aspen or Chamonix or purchase the Chanel Coco Neige collection but will purchase a puffer from an alternative brand to keep up, says Marguerite Le Rolland, research manager at Euromonitor. Independent brands are weighing in, too: London streetwear label Corteiz held its “Bolo Exchange” in January 2022, where customers could swap their The North Face or Moncler puffer for a free Corteiz version (the event saw hundreds of teens storm Soho). And last month, activewear label Tala sold £1 million worth of £200 puffer jackets in a single day.
Most recently, Kylie Jenner’s label Khy released a collection of puffers for its second drop in early November in collaboration with luxury puffer label Entire Studios. The majority of styles are already sold out. “We wanted to put our spin on the classic outerwear style,” Jenner says, “teaming up with Entire Studios, one of my favourite outerwear brands, was a dream come true. Together, we crafted some seriously cool and unique silhouettes, just in time for the colder months.” Despite the market saturation of puffers, Jenner felt there was a gap in the market for high-fashion designs at a more affordable price point. Khy puffers retail at $128, versus Entire Studios’s classic styles, which sell for around $600 at retailers like Matchesfashion.
“Puffer jackets are rooted in functionality, so they have a purpose in consumer wardrobes, even as trends ebb and flow,” says Kayla Marci, analyst at retail intelligence platform Edited. Edited found that puffers are the second best-selling outerwear style in menswear this year, behind bomber jackets. In womenswear, they dropped from the third top-selling outerwear style to the fourth this year, falling behind woollen coats and blazers as quiet luxury surged, says Marci.
Still, more puffer styles are pouring into the market: 12 to 15 per cent of puffer jackets arrived in December, Marci says. “So we can still expect another injection of newness and another boost in sales as this was also a key selling period in 2022.” Luxury buyers remain bullish on the style, with sales continuing to be strong this season and newness continuing to flood the market. “Demand is always consistent each season, but with the climate being warmer, we are seeing customers investing in them later in the season,” says Matchesfashion’s head of womenswear Liane Wiggins. “Brands are now often layering them into later drops for the same reason.”
However, after market saturation in 2022, the power of the puffer may be waning. Across the whole fashion market, new arrivals peaked in 2022, falling 25 per cent for 2023 and down 18 per cent versus 2021. Sales activity has also followed a similar trajectory, with sell-outs peaking in 2022 and down 27 per cent since. Have we hit peak puff? As more brands try to capitalise on the style’s long-standing popularity, those with function, versatility and more sustainable credentials will be those that win out.
Gorpcore and the great outdoors
Since the pandemic, consumers have been more focused on their physical and mental well-being and seeking to reconnect to nature as a way to stay healthy and reduce their stress levels. This, in general, has been driving demand for the outdoor segment of sportswear, says Le Rolland. According to Euromonitor’s Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyle Survey, 24 per cent of US consumers “walk or hike for exercise almost every day” in 2023, up from 21 per cent in 2021 and 2022. The global outerwear market is worth $855 billion this year, up 5.3 per cent on 2022, according to Euromonitor. As city life resumed, consumers took their outerwear into the city, to protect them from the elements on their commutes or urban strolls.
Despite there being little variation in puffers season after season, consumers continue to invest, buyers agree. Nordstrom customers are purchasing more than one style of puffer in recent seasons, De Sole says. “For functionality, long and three-quarter-length puffers are a classic keep-warm purchase, and now we’re seeing shorter lengths emerge as a trend-forward pairing alongside straight and wide-leg pants and jeans.” There is also plenty of nuance in the search for the perfect puffer, she adds. “Many of our customers love flattering [seam] detailing, creating waist emphasis and a slimmer silhouette, but we also have a trend-driven customer that has embraced a more dramatic puff.”
Winter coats are a staple that customers love to refresh at the start of the new season, echoes Laura Larbalestier, fashion director at Harvey Nichols. “Puffer jackets, whilst a cool statement, are also a practical choice, so our customers feel justified in re-buying and updating these pieces that have a functional purpose.”
Customers are wanting to invest in a more casual version of the puffer for the day and another style that can work in the evening, adds Matchesfashion’s Wiggins. “There are great super luxurious options from brands such as Brunello Cucinelli, Prada and Rick Owens. Padded coats from The Row and Alaïa are also great evening options. We have also seen the trend move on from women only wanting styles that nip in the waist to more oversized relaxed silhouettes,” she says.
Versatility and practicality: The new puffers
There’s benefit in updating the puffer beyond the traditional: to drive newness in the market and prompt customers to invest.
When former fashion stylist Marzia Bellotti launched her puffer jacket label Khrisjoy in 2017, along with Milan store Antonia co-founder Maurizio Purificato, she was bored of the options on the market: all black or neutral following the same silhouette. Khrisjoy focuses on angular styles and new shapes, playing with colour and proportions. Its latest drop has puffers covered in sequins, graffiti prints, tie-dye and doodles, and silhouettes range from a puffer coat to a “puffer hoodie”. It’s now stocked by 150 stores and e-tailers, including Farfetch, Harrods and Selfridges. And last month, Khrisjoy was acquired by former investor Alsara Investment Group, a fund run by Valentino and Balmain owner Mayhoola Group CEO Rachid Mohamed Rachid, for an undisclosed sum.
“Most brands release a puffer, but that isn’t their focus. For us, we do one product, and we do it well,” Bellotti says. “We did research into other monoproduct puffer brands, like Moncler, and while they have creative collections, that’s not part of the main line. We are focused on creativity.”
While Khrisjoy has found success in louder styles, for most luxury consumers, neutral colourways are always extremely popular, says Larbalestier. “Often more earthy tones such as khaki and olive outperform black, with our feminine womenswear customer opting for a softer look,” she says. At Nordstrom, black is a perennial bestseller, says De Sole, particularly amid the quiet luxury wave hitting fashion.
With the rise of gorpcore, Harvey Nichols has also seen a peak in interest from customers in functional options from brands such as On Running, where there is a genuine technical element to the garment. Labels such as Varley have also seen great success expanding into this category, where the puffers align seamlessly with their other wardrobing items, says Larbalestier. “Two of our most popular puffer brands are Rains and Ganni, where we have some great options that return season after season. The brands work to continually refine the pieces, introducing new updates such as elevated hardware or additional practical elements to keep the customer coming back for more.”
Practicality is key for new puffer styles entering the market, Marci agrees. “The styles driving the highest number of sell-outs online were the ones that have the water-resistant qualities, wind resistance, hoods to protect from the elements,” she says. “The weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable and extreme, so the climate will play a greater role in consumer purchasing. Retailers will be looking at not just the fashion element, but actually, puffers that play a role in keeping people warm and dry.” To boost longevity, brands should favour modular convertible styles used by new brands like Tala or Khy, Marci adds, to provide multiple garments in one and expand the life of the product.
Sustainability should also be a priority for brands entering the puffer market. Performance fabrics and outerwear are very resource-intensive, from animal product down fillings to synthetic water-resistant fabrics like nylon. Synthetics have greater water-repelling properties, though they make the garment heavier, whereas down is more expensive and doesn’t dry as well; plus it’s made from animal products that can deter some customers, Marci says. And as customers continue to update their puffer options, it begs the question, where do the old puffers go? Many unused garments are sent to the global South, but with warmer climates, people there don’t have the need for insulated puffer jackets, meaning they’re likely to end up in landfill.
Some brands are trying to reduce the impact of puffer jackets by using recycled fillings and fabrics. Prada, Ganni and Everlane have created puffer jackets with recycled nylon, while brands like Pangaia and Patagonia have been working on creating recycled filling. “We offer puffer styles from our own Zella brand made with 100 per cent recycled polyester lined with recycled-polyester fill,” says Nordstrom’s De Sole. “While Bernardo is a go-to fashion performance brand that’s been leading with its use of EcoPlume™recycled-polyester insulation, made from 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles and other certified recycled materials. We also proudly offer high-quality, high-performance ethical options from Certified B-Corp brand, Save The Duck.” While using recycled plastic bottles means the garment can’t be further recycled, it’s arguably a better option than goose down or other synthetic fillings made from virgin plastic.
“Overall with puffer jackets, brands and retailers should really be investing in the quality,” Marci says, “because they’re hard to dispose of, even if made from recycled materials, it’s crucial that puffers have circular potential and can be resold or passed down.”
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