NC AI Partners with Textile Institute, Keimyung University for K-Fashion AI Transformation

NC AI, the artificial intelligence unit of NCSoft (036570.KS), announced Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Textile Development Institute and Keimyung University to support AI-based growth for fashion companies and establish a foundation for talent development to strengthen a sustainable K-fashion ecosystem.

The agreement covers three main areas: training practical AI talent for the fashion industry, fostering mutual cooperation to create an AI transformation (AX) ecosystem for fashion companies, and conducting joint research and information exchange to revitalize the fashion industry. The partnership aims to build an industry-academia-research collaboration system that strengthens the competitiveness of regional fashion companies through AI and digital technology while cultivating practical AI talent demanded by the industry.

NC AI will operate fashion AI education programs in connection with the Regional Innovation System and Education (RISE) project led by Keimyung University's Jisan Academy and the Fashion Marketing Department of the university's College of Fine Arts. The company also plans to strengthen practical industry-academia cooperation models using NC AI's Varco ArtFashion, including establishing new job-focused AI curricula for corporate employees and young professionals.

Varco ArtFashion is a fashion domain-specialized generative AI solution leading innovative AI transformation in the fashion industry. By learning from professional fashion images, fabric data, and trend information, it accurately reflects fashion terminology and aesthetics that general AI models struggle to replicate. Designers can generate design drafts simply by entering prompts and realistically synthesize new fabrics or patterns along garment folds. Varco ArtFashion can also mass-produce high-quality lookbook and product detail page images with various backgrounds and concepts using AI, without hiring actual models or conducting studio photo shoots.

The agreement is expected to provide practical benefits to both fashion companies and educational institutions. Companies can reduce marketing content production costs using AI and improve profitability through virtual consumer response testing for high-inventory-risk products. In educational settings, students can experience complex design practice using AI-based design tools without expensive equipment or fabrics.

"AI technology is a core tool that can maximize operational efficiency and creative outcomes for fashion companies," said Lim Su-jin, Chief Business Officer of NC AI. "Through cooperation with these three institutions, we will provide AI-based solutions and utilization models that fashion companies can actually experience, and actively collaborate on AI talent development."