The hanbok market, which used to be crowded ahead of the holidays, seems to be moving to a virtual space with artificial intelligence (AI). This is because more and more people are buying “digital equipment” made of pixels instead of silk.
Recently, the use of hanbok photo-making functions of major shopping apps is increasing significantly ahead of the Lunar New Year.
When a user uploads a picture on the app, AI changes the person in the picture to another outfit such as Hanbok.
For example, in the case of Curly, more than 70,000 images were generated within a week of the launch of the service on the 12th of last month. The utilization rate of the service that makes pets dressed in hanbok in the first week of the new year has soared 248% compared to the end of last year.
Users can also make their own designs with smartphones. For the latest Galaxy model, users can roughly draw a picture of a hanbok on top of a photo and turn it into a hanbok by themselves using AI function built into a device.
Analysts say that the background of the trend is a combination of “cost” and “certification shot culture.” A woman raising a four-year-old child said, “A decent child’s hanbok costs about 100,000 won, but it is too much to buy it every year just because they have a big child,” adding, “AI services feel efficient.”
In the fashion industry, there is also an atmosphere to see the growth potential of the “virtual fitting” market beyond changes in the Lunar New Year landscape due to AI development.
An official from the fashion industry said, “The biggest disadvantage of online shopping is that you can’t try it on yourself, and you can intuitively see if the shape or color of your clothes match using AI. Consumers will be able to reduce the probability of shopping failure and companies will be able to reduce returns.”
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
