Dongseo University's RISE Project Team announced on Aug. 27 that it took home both the top prize and an excellence award at the 2025 Fashion Solve-A-Thon.
The event—hosted by Busan City and the Busan Textile and Fashion Industry Association, in collaboration with Pusan National University's Startup Support Group—wrapped up on Aug. 12 at the Busan Fashion Biz Center. It staged preliminaries, a midterm review, and a final, all to surface convergent startup ideas that tackle industry challenges while creating social value.
Forty-five teams from across Korea applied. After document screenings and preliminary rounds, eight teams advanced to the final IR (investor relations) stage. The competition focused on themes such as ESG (Environment, Social, Governance), the digital transformation (DX) of the fashion industry, and strengthening global competitiveness through AI—areas that demanded practical, innovative solutions.
Dongseo University sent two teams to the finals: PLSTK and FTS. PLSTK, led by I Si-eun with Park Ga-bin and Jeong Hae-eun, won the top prize for an eco-friendly 3D-printed handbag project that repurposes hotel plastic waste. FTS, led by Choi Bong-jun with Jang Moon-su, Lim Jun-o, and Choi Woo-jin, earned the excellence award for an automated clothing-data labeling system that uses a hierarchical detection model.
I Si-eun, a master's/PhD candidate in design at Dongseo University, said, "Collaborating with teammates from different majors to create new value has become a major asset. I plan to continue creating sustainable fashion."
Hwang Gi-hyeon, head of Dongseo University's RISE Project Team, described the Fashion Solve-A-Thon as "not just a contest but an external program that builds real startup skills," and added that the university will expand hands-on startup support tied to the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Busan = Reporter Seo Jin-hyeok seojh613@viva100.com
