"Is South Korea's sewing industry a sunset industry? Sewing is the invisible flower of fashion. It will not disappear. However, we must not fall behind the times. We will introduce an artificial intelligence (AI)-based automation system to revitalize the Korean sewing industry."
Park In-cheol, chairman of LTM ONE, noted in an interview with ChosunBiz on the 19th that he aims to lead the digitalization of the domestic sewing industry.
LTM ONE is a corporation that provides AI-based automation solutions to sewing corporations. Park, who previously served as the representative of the domestic leading sewing company Sunstar Precision, established the company in May of last year. While he led the growth of the Korean sewing industry in the past, he now plans to lead the globalization of K-fashion based on digitalization.
Currently, the Korean sewing industry is lagging behind other industries in digitalization. Additionally, it remains a labor-intensive industry where workers must directly operate sewing machines, resulting in orders shifting to Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, where labor costs are lower. Most domestic sewing corporations are small businesses with 3 to 7 employees, concentrated in areas such as Dongdaemun and Jongno in Seoul.
Chairman Park emphasizes that such crises in the Korean sewing industry can be overcome with advanced technologies like AI.
Currently, domestic sewing corporations rely on the experience of skilled workers. When they receive orders from clothing brands, skilled workers at the sewing corporations instruct other workers on sewing tasks. For example, in sewing a T-shirt, the skilled worker directs how many times to stitch the sleeves and how many times to stitch the neck round, assigning specific tasks to each worker.
Chairman Park pointed out that it is a 'system lagging behind in the current AI era' while explaining LTM ONE's 'Sew Smart' system.
"The Sew Smart system applies sensors, the Internet of Things (IoT), and AI technologies to sewing machines to produce optimal sewing task data for each process. When this data is input into the sewing machine, workers can immediately apply it during their tasks. It is the digitalization of the sewing industry."
Chairman Park also mentioned that by identifying where the work time is delayed in sewing processes, efficiency can be improved and noted, "By introducing the Sew Smart system, productivity can be increased by 30 to 50%."
Another competitive edge of Sew Smart is that it allows workers to perform sewing tasks through the system, enabling the quick production of various garments desired by brands. This aligns with the current fashion trend of producing many types in small quantities.
Chairman Park stated, "Currently, it is not easy to find factories that can produce high-quality goods in small quantities as desired by domestic fashion designers," and added, "Sewing corporations applying the Sew Smart system can achieve small-scale production at reasonable prices."
He further noted, "Recently, K-beauty has gained worldwide popularity, and we will lay the foundation for the globalization of K-fashion."
LTM ONE plans to expand its sales targeting large-scale sewing corporations both domestically and internationally. It has already provided the Sew Smart system in the domestic market and is increasing its client base.
Chairman Park mentioned, "We have recently completed the proof of concept (PoC) with large sewing factories in the U.S. and Bangladesh and are discussing the implementation."