FASHION INDUSTRY TURNS DIGITAL

[Anchor Lead]

Korea’s fashion market has been stagnant for years now, particularly because of the pandemic. But some fashion companies are trying to find a breakthrough by blending fashion with digital technologies.

[Pkg]

The textile market in Dongdaemun, Seoul is the largest of its kind in South Korea. It’s home to some four thousand textile stores.

[Soundbite] Chung Hyun-ji(Designer) : "Oftentimes I had to tour markets all day. It’s hard to find the right fabric."

The emergence of a digital wholesale textile market can save the trouble for many. It’s based on a big data technology that allows users to find the right product among more than 1.4 million kinds of fabrics.

[Soundbite] Chung Jong-hwan(CEO of digital textile wholesale market) : "Our market offers convenience both to textile makers and fashion companies."

Digital technology is also being used in apparel distribution. When a consumer views a certain outfit on the Internet, AI finds products of similar fabrics and designs right away and recommends them to the user. When an outfit is viewed through a camera lens, AI can automatically recognize not just the type of outfit, but also the precise location of buttons. So far, the program has learned some 25 million images of clothing. They can be used to recommend and sell fashion items to consumers.

[Soundbite] Jeon Jae-young(AI image recognition company) : "The program can help compile data more accurately and follow fashion trends."

Korea’s fashion market reaches 40 trillion won, but it’s been stagnant for years and recently posted a deficit. The sector is trying to bring about needed changes through artificial intelligence and big data tech.

[Soundbite] Yoon Sang-heum(Korea Institute of Design Promotion) : "The fashion and design sectors are expected to generate new added value after the pandemic by blending fashion with cutting-edge technology such as AI."

The government plans to provide greater support to the fashion industry by unearthing promising companies and helping them establish partnerships with conglomerates.