From pattern-cutting to sewing inspection, automation is moving beyond design studios in South Korean garment factories and onto the factory floor as the sector looks to offset labour shortages.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly migrating from South Korea’s textile design studios into its production lines, as manufacturers explore whether automation can help claw back manufacturing capability lost to decades of offshoring.
Industry sources say firms are now pursuing AI and robotics not just for sales forecasting or design generation, but for core manufacturing tasks such as fabric handling and pattern-making.
Apparel manufacturer Hansae has struck a partnership with robotic-gripper specialist Realworld to explore AI-driven robotics on its production lines, which aims to replicate human dexterity in handling materials.
Hansae, which set up a dedicated AI unit in 2023, has already been applying machine learning across design and product development, and is currently running a proof-of-concept with software firm CA Planet on technology that automatically resizes a single garment pattern across multiple sizes.
“A company representative said AI was being rolled out across production, development and quality-control functions,” Seoul Economic Daily reported.
Uptake is strongest among firms that retain domestic production capacity. Military and firefighting-gear specialist Bokwang INT is deploying AI to monitor fabric thickness and tension in real time, adjusting sewing parameters automatically and flagging minor surface defects, targeting processes historically dependent on individual worker skill and prone to inconsistency.
Elsewhere, another company Korean Friends is building software that converts generative-AI design output directly into production work orders, cutting out the manual step of redrawing designs into manufacturing blueprints.
Separately, three firms, Georim Trend, F&I Korea and Good Trust are collaborating with data specialist SIJE to track sewing workloads and equipment performance in real time and pinpoint production bottlenecks.
Government support is also materialising. South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has been gauging corporate demand for an “advanced future textile” programme worth roughly $224 million between 2028 and 2034.
This is intended to embed AI across the full manufacturing chain, from spinning and dyeing through to sewing. The initiative drew applications from more than 200 companies, exceeding expectations.
The trend is not confined to Korea. In the United States, where garment production shifted offshore decades ago, fashion-technology firm CreateMe, holder of over 95 relevant patents, is developing a system that assembles clothing by tracking fabric position automatically and has launched a domestic production initiative alongside agri-AI firm Avalo and fabric supplier Laguna Fabrics.
Underlying the push is concern over the erosion of Korea’s manufacturing base, which dominated exports in the 1960s and 70s before shifting to China, Vietnam and beyond as costs rose. An ageing domestic workforce has compounded the shortage of skilled sewing labour.
Industry figures warn that unless labour-intensive stages such as cutting and sewing are automated, Korea’s “K-fashion” sector risks being confined to design and planning alone, with production capability lost for good.
Image courtesy: Siemens
