Johyungil, CEO of WeAdore, "K-Fashion Must Be Supported by Manufacturing Factories to Grow"

Designer-Apparel Factory Matching Platform 'Oseul' Operation
1,700 Factory Members, 6,700 Designer Members
Aiming for Growth of Multi-Product Small-Quantity Specialized Brands

Joh Hyeong-il, CEO of We Adder

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] "No matter how much we promote K-fashion, it will be nothing more than an empty shout if domestic clothing manufacturing factories do not support it. We will serve as a bridge connecting designers and factories and achieving intergenerational fusion."

Jo Hyeong-il, CEO of Weather, recently stated in an interview, "I want to create a society where anyone can manufacture and sell clothes." Established in April 2019, Weather operates the hub platform ‘Oseul,’ which connects fashion designers with clothing production factories. Oseul provides a one-stop service from factory search for garment production to consulting, sample making, electronic contracts, and delivery. When a designer registers the work information they want to produce, Oseul recommends the most suitable factory and delivers the factory information and estimates to the designer.

CEO Jo said, "For a designer to make clothes, they must go through an average of 30 steps from design to delivery," adding, "We will reduce redundant tasks and create a structure where both designers and clothing factories can win-win." Currently, Oseul has about 1,700 factory members and 6,700 designer members. Word of mouth has spread among designers who previously had to visit clothing factories in person, leading to a rapid increase in membership in a short period.

Recently, as online clothing sales channels such as Musinsa, Zigzag, and Brandy have diversified, the influx of emerging designers has become active, but the clothing manufacturing industry remains a declining sector. With production processes shifting to low-wage countries like China and Vietnam, the clothing manufacturing industry supporting K-fashion is also facing a crisis. The generational gap between designers and factories is deepening.

CEO Jo said, "Most factories are small-scale, with many elderly workers over 60 and foreign laborers," and added, "Young people are reluctant to learn clothing manufacturing skills or seek employment in factories." He emphasized, "Government support for the clothing manufacturing industry is necessary, but production efficiency must be improved independently, such as by reducing production costs." He also proposed the idea of deploying freelance teams of sewing experts at the right time and place to reduce labor costs.

Weather recently received pre-Series A investment and was selected as a First Penguin-type startup, enabling it to receive up to 3 billion KRW in support from the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund. The future goal is to build a smart factory and grow into a brand specialized in fast fashion and small-lot, multi-product production. CEO Jo stated, "We plan to establish our own direct-operated factory in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, this November," adding, "Through collaboration with partner factories, we will shorten the production period so that designer orders can be received and sold within a month."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.