This year's Korea-ASEAN Fashion Week will run from Oct. 12-13 at Busan Fashion Business Center in Busan. Shown is a photo from the 2022 event in October last year at Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, aka BEXCO, in the port city's Haeundae-gu District. (Event's official website)

By Kim Seon Ah

The annual Korea-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Fashion Week will be opened on Oct. 12 to highlight the related sectors of both sides.

The Busan municipal government on Oct. 11 said it will host this year's edition from Oct. 12-13 under the theme "Center of Meta-fashion, Busan" at Fashion Convention Hall of the Busan Fashion Business Center in the port city's Dong-gu District.

Designers from Korea and six ASEAN member countries, along with 18 domestic and foreign companies, will take part in this year's event. An array of programs are planned like shows featuring holograms and designers from Korea and ASEAN, the fourth Asian-Korean Fashion Week Industry Development Forum and an artificial intelligence (AI) virtual fitting display.

In the hologram show, virtual human influencer Rora will present a harmony of fashion and the metaverse by walking on the runway with costumes designed by Busan native Bae Yong.

Twelve fashion shows are scheduled over the two days presented by Korean designers Lee Hwa-sook, Lee Young-hee, Lee Seong-dong and Shin Hannah and seven others from ASEAN member states: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The AI display at the first-floor exhibition hall offers metaverse programs using augmented reality filters, creation of virtual clothes and designer clothes.

As a side event on Oct. 12, the forum will have lectures on the impact of virtual humans on fashion and discussions on creating and developing the value of "meta-fashion" between Korea and ASEAN.

Admission is free either by pre-registration on the event's official website (https://akfw.kr) or on-site registration.

This is the official poster for this year's Korea-ASEAN Fashion Week. (Busan Metropolitan City)

sofiakim218@korea.kr