Kim family fashion drives custom tailoring boom among North Korea’s wealthy elite

Wealthy North Koreans are commissioning custom-tailored suits modeled on the outfits worn by Ri Sol Ju and Kim Ju Ae at official state appearances in 2026, with the trend spreading quickly among donju families in South Pyongan province.

A source in South Pyongan province told Daily NK on Tuesday that donju — North Korea’s emerging class of affluent private traders and entrepreneurs — and their children in Pyongsong have been visiting tailors to request suits closely resembling those worn by Kim Jong Un’s wife and daughter at public events. The women of the Kim family have effectively become unofficial style references for the country’s wealthiest households, the source said.

Suits were traditionally reserved for important ceremonies and formal gatherings in North Korea. Among donju families, however, tailored Western-style clothing is increasingly being worn as everyday attire, and the styles being commissioned are evolving to reflect that shift toward practicality, the source said.

The most popular order at present is a three-piece set consisting of a jacket paired with both trousers and a skirt, allowing the wearer to alternate between the two depending on the occasion. Fabrics that drape softly rather than cling to the body are preferred, and colors tend toward navy blue and pale sky blue and other lighter tones.

Kim Ju Ae’s style sets the trend for younger donju

Donju with daughters enrolled in primary or secondary school have been particularly drawn to the style Kim Ju Ae wore when she accompanied Kim Jong Un aboard the newly commissioned destroyer Kanggun during its sea trials on June 4. The jacket from that appearance featured a slightly flared silhouette with an emphasized waistline, setting it apart from conventional suit jackets.

“The jacket the marshal’s child was wearing had a slightly flared shape that accentuated the waist — people say it looks cute and refined compared to a regular suit,” the source said. “That style in particular has become very popular among young women.”

Donju women in their 40s and 50s, meanwhile, have been studying Ri Sol Ju’s public appearances and ordering suits with a similar cut: a jacket with a modestly open neckline and just one or two buttons, worn with straight-leg or bootcut trousers rather than a skirt.

The surge in demand has come as welcome relief for tailors who had gone through lean periods with few orders, according to the source.

A complete tailored set — fabric and labor included — costs a minimum of $270 to $370, equivalent to the market price of 460 to 630 kilograms of rice in North Korea. That price puts the suits entirely beyond the reach of ordinary North Korean people.

That gap has transformed what began as a fashion trend into something more pointed: among donju circles, commissioning a suit styled after the Kim family’s wardrobe has become a marker of wealth and economic standing.

“Ordinary people can’t even dream of having a suit made because of the price, but donju actually prefer clothes that cost more,” the source said. “Having a high-end suit made in a similar style to what the marshal’s family wears is seen as a sign of their own elevated economic position.”

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