A future of AI jackets and body-enhancing suits is getting closer, textile experts say

“Functional clothing” was top of mind at the Korea Federation of Textile Industries' (Kofoti) Textile Fashion and Strategy Forum, a discussion of the fashion-technology trends that company's showcased at this year's annual tech trade show.

Hurotics founder and CEO Lee Gi-uk describes the startup's exoskeletons at the Textile and Fashion Strategy Forum hosted by the Korea Federation of Textile Industries at the Tex+Fa Campus hall in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 21. [KOREA FEDERATION OF TEXTILE INDUSTRIES]

Korea's textile industry, like many other sectors, is searching for ways to integrate the well-funded and highly hyped technologies of AI and robotics into its products.

“Functional clothing” was top of mind at the Korea Federation of Textile Industries' (Kofoti) Textile and Fashion Strategy Forum, a discussion of the fashion-technology trends that companies showcased at CES 2025.

At CES 2025 earlier this month, companies focused on taking further steps toward commercializing AI-integrated clothing. The invited speakers at Kofoti's forum on Tuesday spoke of a future in which, for example, people wear jackets that self-regulate moisture, medical and physical capacity-boosting exoskeletons and motion capture suits on a daily basis.

Park Jin-ha, head of Metaverse startup iPop Korea, addressed the reality of how far away such technology is in a session at the forum, acknowledging that “we're still in the age of 'putting on'” such futuristic apparel, but that “there'll be an age where we wear this functional clothing daily.”

Similarly, Hurotics founder and CEO Lee Gi-uk said he was looking to commercialize the startup’s exoskeleton for a larger audience. While Hurotics is currently testing its technology for medical usage in rehabilitation centers such as to help people with paraplegia walk, it could also be used for daily or athletic enhancement, such as to help golfers swing better.

The company aims to create higher-tech robotic exoskeletons from fibers that are lighter and less clunky than current products, which include heavy motors and batteries, Lee said.

Jeon Sang-bin, CEO and co-founder of startup MeTown, said he saw opportunities to integrate AI into online shopping sites, where the majority of shoppers now buy their clothing. MeTown operates Ethereal, a 3-D modeling tool that uses AI to more accurately and quickly emulate the texture of products.

The event was open to researchers, business owners and other stakeholders in the textile and fashion industry. The interest in technology was palpable; more than 181 people attended the event, twice the amount the Kofoti had anticipated, according to the organization.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]