alchedek September 2025

The global competitive structure of the fashion industry is rapidly evolving, focusing on technology, design, and sustainability. It is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the expectations of global consumers with traditional clothing manufacturing methods alone. Innovative products that combine functionality and emotion, along with eco-friendly production processes, are establishing themselves as new standards. Particularly, major brands in Europe and the United States are accelerating their transition to digital-based design, AI predictive production, and the circular economy, leading to a reconfiguration of the global market paradigm. As eco-friendly consumer awareness rises worldwide and ESG(Environmental, Social, and Governance) management spreads across industries, building a sustainable textile and fashion industry is recognized as a necessity rather than a choice. K-fashion has quickly adapted to these changes, enhancing its own competitiveness. SMEs with extensive…

Presenting a fashion business model encompassing production, logistics, and sales, Zara emerges as a symbol of global SPA brands. The history of the global fashion brand Zara, which has built a consumer-centric business model based on consistent innovation, begins with the first store opened by Amancio Ortega on Juan Flórez Street in La Coruña, Spain, on 9 May 1975. Having operated Confecciones GOA for over a decade since 1963, producing women’s clothing, Ortega paved the way for a new turning point in clothing production and distribution. Subsequently, in 1977, he established headquarters and a factory in Arteixo near La Coruña, expanding the business to major shopping areas in Spain. In 1984, the first logistics center with an area of 10,000m 2 was established, creating an environment where all stores could…

Leading the evolution of sports and culture based on the philosophy of ‘the fastest products for the fastest athletes in the world’ In July 2025, Arthur Hoeld, who has accumulated extensive experience in the global sports market, was appointed as the new CEO of PUMA. Having been a handball and track and field athlete, he joined adidas in 1998, serving, amongst other positions, as the Managing Director EMEA and a Chief Sales Officer. His track record includes growing adidas Originals to a scale of 7 billion euros. For a long time, PUMA has built a sports heritage under the slogan “The fastest products for the fastest athletes in the world”, transforming both sports and culture. The origin dates back to the shoe factory ‘Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik’, established by brothers Rudolf…

The ‘LifeWear’ Philosophy that Transformed Japan’s First SPA Brand into a Global SPA Brand Loved Worldwide Under the mission of “changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom, and change the world”, UNIQLO has realized the LifeWear philosophy of creating “high-quality casual wear that enriches the lives of all people”. As Japan’s first SPA(Specialty store retailer of Private label Apparel) brand, it revolutionized the industry structure. The introduction of an integrated management system for product planning, production, distribution, and sales marked the beginning of this transformation. At the time of UNIQLO’s founding, the clothing industry was widely perceived as a saturated market where it was difficult to make a profit regardless of sales volume. However, UNIQLO challenged this notion by offering timeless designs that boasted reasonable prices and commendable quality. At the core…

One-Stop Distribution Platform ‘SHAKALAKA’ that Connects Korean-Indie Fashion Brands and Overseas Resellers Established in 2022, Owl Society is a K-indie fashion resale startup that believes brands people love hold more value than famous brands. As a ‘technology partner’ that organizes the complexities of clothing distribution such as price, logistics, customs, and sizing into product- and market-specific rules, it optimizes and connects the two players in the K-indie fashion market: wholesale brands and overseas resellers. This approach builds a differentiated fashion business infrastructure that aligns the strengths of Dongdaemun with global demand. “Owl Society’s management team has a combined 36 years of experience in the Dongdaemun wholesale market. We are committed to solving problems identified through our long involvement in the fashion industry and are constantly exploring ways to achieve the…

The recent launch of the National Bio Committee and the government’s announcement of the goal to ‘cultivate 110,000 talents including physician-scientists by 2027 and become one of the top five global bio powers within 10 years’ herald a new turning point in Korean medicine. The cultivation of physician-scientists, who are key personnel connecting clinical practice with research and development to drive industrial innovation and enhance public health, has become a global topic. The Korean government is also expanding the MD-Ph.D. production ratio from the current 1.6% to the advanced countries’s level of 3% and is establishing a systematic training system through the introduction of integrated curricula. As physician-scientists capable of integrating advanced technology with our nation’s already advanced clinical capabilities are being produced in earnest, the global competitiveness of Korean…