Kidult fashion -- outfits for adults who have children’s emotions - is catching on in Korea. Sales of T-shirts featuring hit characters such as Mickey Mouse, Avengers, Star Wars and The Simpsons are rising in the local market, according to market watchers on Monday.

K-pop boy group EXO models for fashion brand SPAO, owned by clothing company SPA (SPA)

E-Land’s fashion brand SPA said it saw sales of its graphic T-shirts jump 250 percent from January to April this year, compared with a year earlier.

“Kidult culture has been limited only to the toy market, but it is becoming widely seen in the fashion market,” said SPA’s official said.

In line with the rising demand, the company unveiled Graphic T+Spot featuring 360 different design T-shirts. K-pop boy group EXO, who recently became a muse for the brand, is set to promote the new products.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)