The domestic menswear market is growing fast, while overall spending on apparel remains lackluster amid a protracted economic slump, a survey indicated.

The apparel market for men grew 35 percent to 2.19 trillion won ($1.85 billion) in the first half from a year earlier, in comparison with the flat 0.9-percent increase in the overall apparel industry, the Korea Federation of Textile Industries said.

In the same period, spending on women''s wear dropped 18.7 percent to 2.48 trillion won. On the whole, the portion of men''s clothes out of total domestic apparel spending rose from 35 percent in 2002 to 45 percent this year.

"Looks are an increasingly important factor in an individual''s competitiveness," a federation official said. "Male customers in Korea pay more for their clothes and nice appearance."