They say that nothing is safe from innovation, and the same is true for fashion. A growing company in South Korea is making a name by applying this exact same principle. Through the help of artificial intelligence or AI, Designovel uses one of the most advanced fashion techniques in the world.
Designovel’s AI creates some of the most eye-catching designs by collecting data around the world. The system also provides its customers with comprehensive reports on the fashion industry. These customers include both large and small companies such as Hyundai and other fashion brands.
A tech-lover himself, Designovel’s CEO Shin Ki-young envisioned a fashion company that does not solely depend on manpower, but also computer power. During an interview, he said, “While production skills were developing, design skills appeared to remain the same in the fashion industry. And as Korea’s fashion industry largely depends on people’s physical labor, there was little room for technology to join. So we thought our skill could contribute to the industry to make a less labor-intensive environment.”
During his early years as an employee, Ki-young never saw himself as the head of a fashion business. Although it was always his dream to become a CEO, he was more focused on tech-based industries. For this reason, he found himself working for Samsung and IBM for a few years before going back to school to study natural language processing at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH).
There he found colleagues that shared his dream to create a booming business. They, however, had to face many difficulties, such as failed startups before finally hitting gold with Designovel.
“It is basic for a fashion designer to gather information about fashion trends, which was done manually and took a long time. Our AI technology can cut labor and time in the basic steps,” Ki-young said while discussing the benefits of Designovel’s technology.
Besides loyal customers, Designovel has also won various awards in the past. These awards include receiving POSCO Idea Marketplace’s (IMP)’s Best Startup award last April 2019. It is also part of Google’s Campus Seoul program, which helps startups with exceptional artificial intelligence expertise to grow. KBS also included the company in Future Planning 2030, a documentary on innovative companies in South Korea.
Designovel made headlines in November 2018 when Hyundai released a hoodie their AI system designed. The media was quick to catch the story as they were the first company to achieve such amidst other competition. Designnovel is reportedly in collaboration with another large retailer to help distribute their products. The retailer is still unknown as of reporting.
Featured image grabbed from Designovel website.
