Kim Won, a planner and professor active in both the fashion industry and academia, has published a new book titled "The Future of What We Wear" (subtitle: BEYOND TEXTILE).

This book is a contemplative record that highlights fashion as the 'language of the future,' intersecting technology, the environment, and human life, beyond just a trend or industry.

This is not your typical fashion trend forecast. The author carefully traces how a single garment we casually choose is produced through various technologies and systems, and how that choice impacts the future ahead of us.

In particular, the author poses essential questions to the readers.

“What kind of world does that clothing create?”

“What will we wear?”

The book delves deeply into the core structural changes and choices the fashion industry faces, such as the climate crisis, sustainability, artificial intelligence (AI), digital product passports (DPP), and the circular economy.

Author Kim Won, who majored in textile engineering at Dankook University and completed a master's course in business administration, is an expert with both a technical foundation and a business perspective. From 2020 to 2025, he served as an adjunct professor and head of external relations at Rasara Fashion Education Development Co., Ltd., playing a pivotal role in connecting fashion education, industry, and public projects.

His main experiences include planning and overseeing the forum and new materials selection at 'Preview in Seoul (PIS),' a leading textile and fashion exhibition (2022-2024), and running the corporate support team at the Seoul Fashion Hub Northeastern Fashion Support Center (2024). These field-oriented activities have led to continuous contemplation on how fashion connects with citizens' daily lives beyond the industry.

This new book is based on the 'Beyond Textile' column serialized in the fashion magazine 'Fashion Insight' from 2024 to 2025. Rather than merely compiling existing manuscripts, the content has been restructured according to a 'flow of questions' to add academic and practical depth.

The future presented by the author is anything but cold. In the book, AI is defined as a 'companion' rather than just a tool to maximize human efficiency, and futurism is transformed into a 'comfortable future' rather than a metallic coldness. The author emphasizes, "Clothing is the technology closest to humans and the most honest language that reveals the future we have chosen."

"The Future of What We Wear" is expected to pose clear questions not only to professionals in the fashion industry but also to everyone contemplating humanity's sustainable future amid rapidly changing technology and environment.

Main Background:

Education: Graduated from Dankook University with a degree in Textile Engineering (1989) and obtained a Master's in Business Administration
Industry Experience (1989-2009): Held positions as MD, brand division manager, and head of overseas business at major fashion companies like Nono, Esquire, and Tomboy (approximately 30 years of field experience)
Education and Planning (2020-2025): Served as an adjunct professor and head of external relations at Rasara Fashion Education Development Co., Ltd.
Exhibition Planning: Planned and oversaw the forum and new materials selection at 'Preview in Seoul (PIS)' (2022, 2024) and new materials selection (2023)
Public Projects: Operated the corporate support team at the Seoul Fashion Hub Northeastern Fashion Support Center (2024) and planned the DDP showroom citizen participation program (2025)
Future Technology Education: Conducted lectures on generative AI-based fashion design at the Korea Federation of Textile Industries and the Korea Textile Development Institute

Main Publications:

"Fashion Brand Product Planning" (2016)
"Fashion Design Utilizing Artificial Intelligence" (2024)
"The Future of What We Wear" (2026) published