Custom-made clothing soon to be fitted online

Trying on clothes while shopping online may no longer be the stuff of dreams, or scenes from sci-fi movies. The Ministry of Commerce announced yesterday that it had opened a new center to develop a computer system that will enable online shoppers to adjust the size of clothes through virtual icons. The ministry and Seoul’s Konkuk University opened the “i-fashion technology center” in downtown Seoul, where 11 local clothing manufacturers will work on commercializing the technology, which was so named to signify the combination of information technology and fashion. Web surfers are able to buy clothes online already, but the items are not tailor-made for them. Using the new technology, Internet shoppers would input their body sizes, measured by a body scanner and saved for later use, and have an avatar, or a virtual simulation of the user, model the clothes of their choice. The online shoppers would also be able to choose preferred fabric patterns or colors and alter the existing designs. Once users decide to buy, their measurements and choice of garments would be sent to the manufacturer. “Some companies will be able to start a test run of the technology as early as the end of this year,” said Park Chang-kyu, a professor of textile and apparel engineering at Konkuk University. He spearheaded the development of the technology and is chief of the newly-opened center. The ministry will invest more than 7 billion won ($7.6 million) through 2011 on the project. by Yoo Jee-ho