Hansae Deepens Role in Global Fashion Education with Next Design School

Hansae Co., Ltd., one of South Korea’s leading apparel exporters, is deepening its footprint in fashion education through its continued partnership with Next Design School for the program’s second semester.

Launched in March, Next Design School was created in partnership with Hongik University in Seoul—one of South Korea’s most prestigious art and design institutions—to close the gap between classroom theory and industry expectations. At the heart of the program is the Next Design Lab, a collaborative hub with studios, mentoring spaces and workshops where students learn alongside practitioners.

The lab brings together experts from leading fashion companies and Hongik University faculty to nurture talent equipped with both creativity and practical capability. Hansae initiated the program recognizing that even graduates of fashion-related majors often require six months to a year of additional hands-on training before adapting to real industry environments.

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“Hansae leaders have long pointed to a disconnect between universities that lean heavily on theory and manufacturers seeking graduates prepared for today’s complex supply chain and design challenges. The school’s structure addresses that gap with hands-on coursework, live projects and executive-led seminars,” said Hansae’s vice chairman Daymond Ik Whan Kim, who also serves as an adjunct professor. “The initiative is about cultivating the people who will define global fashion’s next chapter.”

Kim opened the second semester with a lecture on shifting global market dynamics, consumer behavior, production diversification, innovation strategy, traceability systems and the tightening environmental, social and governance (ESG) regulatory landscape.

This term builds on the school’s foundation with courses like “Hansae X CLO: Digital Product Creation,” where students explore 3D garment simulation and virtual prototyping, and “BrandTelling Workshop,” which centers on audience targeting, mission and visual identity.

“It was truly inspiring to hear directly from professionals who live and breathe the industry,” one student shared. “The experience gave me a clearer sense of direction for my own career.”

The semester also introduced the first Next Career Fair, which brought students face-to-face with brands and recruiters to showcase work and explore employment opportunities.

“Hansae executives are deeply embedded in the curriculum, guiding teams through projects that mirror real-world industry conditions while reinforcing the company’s role in mentoring and talent recruitment,” Kim said.

Next Design School also leverages Hongik University’s international ties, which span Parsons School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, CalArts, Maryland Institute College of Art and the University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art & Design. These partnerships support student exchanges, cross-border workshops and exhibitions, embedding the program in a global education ecosystem and exposing participants to multiple markets and design cultures, Kim noted.

For Hansae, the collaboration goes beyond Korea’s borders. The company continues to take an active role in global talent development, including donating Korean-language textbooks to the Korean Studies Department at Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala to enhance structured language learning, and its long-term participation in Gap Inc.’s Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) program since 2013, which supports women’s career and leadership education across its overseas factories.

“The initiative underscores the company’s wider strategy, from nearshore investments in Central America designed to create faster, more integrated pipelines for U.S. buyers, to its Barcelona R&D center that supports European clients such as Zara, H&M and Primark,” Kim said. “As a supplier to Gap, Target, Walmart and Carhartt, Hansae’s involvement in design education also strengthens its value proposition to global retail partners by embedding competencies upstream.”

The program builds on the company’s support of Seoul Work Design Week, the annual forum it backs where academics, designers and innovators debate evolving practices in design and labor. As the second cohort progresses, plans for 2026 include student exhibitions, brand launch projects and expanded international exchanges.

“For Hansae, the effort reinforces its ambition to evolve beyond manufacturing and position itself as a thought partner in shaping fashion’s future,” Kim said.

Click here to learn more about Hansae and its efforts in fashion education.