SNU x PolyU joint webinar "AI & Metaverse x Fashion: Fashion in Hybrid Reality" with Mr. Andy Ku, Co-Founder and CEO of ALTAVA and winner of the LVMH Innovation Award!

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)’s School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT) and Seoul National University (SNU)’s Department of Fashion and Textiles once again partnered to host a webinar on December 12, 2024, titled "AI & Metaverse x Fashion: Fashion in Hybrid Reality" to provide students and graduates valuable insights regarding the potential opportunities within the virtual fashion industry as well as the difficulties that operators and marketers may face in the future.

Mr. Andy Ku, winner of the 2021 LVMH Innovation Award and the 2022 La Maison des Startups Award, was invited as the webinar's keynote speaker. He shared his journey as a gaming industry veteran who transitioned into a global leader in 3D fashion games and metaverse technology by establishing ALTAVA, an AI-powered platform that allows users to design, create, and sell digital fashion assets for use in metaverses, games, social networks, and virtual avatars.

During the webinar, Mr. Ku explored the possibilities of virtual fashion in the metaverse, emphasizing the difficulties in creating 3D assets and the need for direct brand access and expertise. He recommended employing AI technology and virtual production to develop a novel business model that may overcome the obstacles. Meanwhile, he mentioned the potential for virtual performances in entertainment and the ability to monetize fashion assets through licensing to virtual enterprises, emphasizing the possibilities of cooperating with celebrities and brands on new digital campaigns. His company, ALTAVA, which combines game developers and fashion designers, attempts to balance technology and fashion by working with luxury fashion companies and enterprises such as Prada, LVMH, VOGUE, SM Entertainment, and Hyundai Department Store, striking a balance between technology and fashion.

Special thanks to Prof. Christina Wong, Dr. Chloe Ki, Dr. Magnum Lam, Dr. Woojin Choi at SFT, and Prof. Yuri Lee, Prof. JaeHoon Chun, and Ms Jung Heekying at SNU for their invaluable support in organizing this webinar. It was a truly unique, interesting, and insightful sharing with all of the participants; not only did we understand that the metaverse will usher in a new era in the fashion industry, but we were also being inspired and encouraged to learn about digital trends by implementing the right business model and collaborating with the right program engineers for future growth.

This webinar was funded by the Teaching Development Grant Project "From University to Metaversity: A More Engaging, Liberating, and Fun Meta-Classroom for Fashion Retail and Marketing Education” (project ID: TDG22-25/VTL-25).