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Handsome unveils AI-designed clothes

Handsome unveils AI-designed clothes

Domestic fashion brand SJYP is now selling Korea’s first AI-designed clothing in stores.

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SJYP’s newest hoodie features the brand’s logo and the image of a dinosaur embedded with Lego blocks.

The design was algorithmically generated and is the result of a collaboration between Hyundai’s casual clothing brand SJYP and artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Designovel utilizing its Style AI program.

“We began this collaboration to see if it was possible to create AI-generated designs for real-world use,” said a spokesman from Handsome, Hyundai’s fashion subsidiary. “It is a global fashion and e-commerce trend for firms to work with AI. U.S. fashion start-up Stitch Fix is making huge sales with clothing that is designed using AI.”

Style AI employs Convolutional Neural Networks. This technology enables the program to recognize, process and categorize images for the development of new styles and designs.

“The AI program studied over 330,000 images related to our brand’s logo, character and design concepts prior to suggesting the design for the hoodie,” said the SJYP designers who worked on the product. “The program then chose a design that was closest to SJYP’s usual style, and we continued giving it our feedback and requests for revision until we acquired the final product.”

The hoodie, priced at 239,000 won (US$212), can be purchased offline at Hyundai Department Stores nationwide as well as at SJYP stores in Sinsa-dong in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, and Myeong-dong in central Seoul.

They are also available for sale at Hyundai’s online shopping site H Fashion Mall.

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Following introduction, Handsome is hoping to improve the AI program’s machine learning capabilities and continue producing algorithmically-designed clothes.

“Using AI allowed us to save a lot of time and skip basic steps, like sampling,” said a Handsome spokesman. “We will review the possibility of integrating AI technology into other aspects of our fashion business, like personalized design and outfit recommendations for consumers.”