Kookmin University Professor Kim Yun-hee wins Grand Prize at international design exhibition

Professor Kim Yun-hee from Kookmin University's College of General Education has received the Grand Prize at the '2026 Korea Design Society (KSDS) Spring International Exhibition'. Announced on June 26, her work 'Algorithmic Silhouette' was recognized for its artistic merit and originality, focusing on the theme of creative collaboration between artificial intelligence and human designers.

The international exhibition, held from June 5-9 at the Siheung Startup Center in Siheung City, served as a platform for domestic and international designers and artists to explore the convergence of design, art, and technology. This year's exhibition featured distinct sections for 'Human Artist' and 'AI and Artist Collaboration,' highlighting the expansive potential of AI technology in the creative process.

'Algorithmic Silhouette' is an avant-garde sculptural sportswear piece that combines generative AI with human artistic direction. It reinterprets sportswear as a sculptural object, featuring architectural volumes, modular structures, and dynamic silhouettes. The work proposes a visual language that pushes the boundaries between fashion, sculptural art, and digital design.

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AI is not a technology that replaces designers, but a collaborative tool that expands creativity.

This piece was created through a collaborative process where the designer's creative interpretation was integrated into the prompt-based AI image generation. It demonstrates the potential of future fashion design where human intuition and AI algorithms coexist, showcasing generative AI as a new tool for creative design. Professor Kim stated that AI is not a technology to replace designers but a collaborative tool to expand creativity, expressing her commitment to advancing research and education in creative fashion design using generative AI and digital technologies.

The award resonates with Kookmin University's mid-to-long-term development strategy, 'KMU VISION 2035: EDGE.' It serves as a prime example of the convergence potential within the design and AI+X fields, underscoring the university's capabilities in AI-based creative convergence education and digital design research.

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I will continue to develop creative fashion design research and education using generative AI and digital technologies.