"Surging Demand in the Aging Era"... School Uniform Company Turns to Robotics

Hyungji Elite Expands into Wearable Robot Business
Aims to Lead Market as Demand Surges in the Aging Era
School Uniform Sales Share Drops from 77% to 28%
"Securing Growth Drivers for the Mid to Long Term"

Hyungji Elite, a leading traditional school uniform company, has identified "smart wearable robots" as its new business venture and is entering the robotics market. Drawing on its experience as a frontrunner in the student uniform sector, the company aims to develop wearable robots expected to see surging demand in the era of population aging, with the goal of securing an early lead in the market.

According to industry sources on January 22, Hyungji Elite recently established its subsidiary "hyungjiROBOTICS." Through hyungjiROBOTICS, Hyungji plans to distribute "senior activity-assist wearable robots" and "safety-assist wearable robots" for use in industrial settings. Wearable robots are devices worn on the body that assist or enhance human movement and balance.

Hyungji Elite has launched its robot-specialized subsidiary, Hyungji Robotics. On the 14th, at the launch ceremony held at the headquarters in Songdo, Incheon, CEO Junho Choi of Hyungji Elite was present. Photo by Hyungji Elite

The reason Hyungji, a fashion company, has chosen robotics as a new business lies in changing demand due to the onset of a super-aged society. Hyungji Elite's core business, the student uniform market, is gradually shrinking as the school-age population rapidly declines. According to Statistics Korea, the number of students aged 16 to 18 who wear school uniforms has plummeted from 1.86 million in 2015 to 1.36 million this year, and is projected to fall below 1 million to 950,000 by 2036.

In contrast, the wearable robot market targeting seniors is expected to see rapid annual growth due to the accelerating pace of aging. According to Hyungji, the smart wearable market is projected to reach 2 to 2.5 billion dollars by 2030, and 3 billion dollars by 2035. A Hyungji representative explained, "Entering the wearable market is not just about business expansion, but an inevitable choice stemming from insight into the future trends of the fashion industry."

Hyungji aspires to create "robots as natural as clothing" and "robots you want to wear" through collaboration with robotics technology companies. The company plans to apply its decades of know-how in fit design, ergonomic patterns, materials, and lightweight construction from clothing manufacturing to robot design, aiming to make the robots look stylish and feel as comfortable as a suit.

This is expected to connect with Hyungji Elite's "workwear business," a new venture the company has been fostering, enabling it to meet both everyday rehabilitation needs and industrial needs in logistics and production sites. The workwear business has been developed as a new area since Vice Chairman Junho Choi, the eldest son of Chairman Byungoh Choi, was appointed CEO of the subsidiary Hyungji Elite. Workwear refers to uniforms and work clothes worn on the job, characterized by durability and convenience.

Previously, Hyungji participated as part of the economic delegation during President Lee Jaemyung's visit to China and announced its vision to take on the senior wearable robot sector. Subsequently, on January 13, the company signed a policy cooperation MOU with the Korea Senior Citizens Association for the free distribution of senior wearable robots, and on January 14, it signed another MOU with Shanghai Zhongshuai Robotics Co., Ltd., a Chinese robotics specialist, for joint research and development of wearable robots. These moves demonstrate Hyungji’s active expansion into new businesses. In November last year, Hyungji also recruited Jun-Gil Lee, who had served as an executive at Doosan Group for ten years and led major M&As such as Doosan Bobcat and Doosan Babcock, to oversee future business operations.

Hyungji Elite operates three businesses: the school uniform business, B2B business (workwear), and sports business. Among these, the school uniform business is expected to have limited growth in the mid to long term, so since 2021, the company has launched its sports business and is now pursuing workwear and wearable robots as new ventures.

According to the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system, Hyungji Elite’s school uniform business sales amounted to 46.7 billion won last year (from July 2024 to June 2025), accounting for 28% of total sales. This is a significant decrease from 2021, when the school uniform business made up 70-80% of total sales. In contrast, sales from the sports business surged from 2 billion won in 2021 to 48.5 billion won last year, accounting for about 30% of total sales. This growth is attributed to increased demand for uniforms and merchandise as fan bases for major baseball teams such as the Lotte Giants and Hanwha Eagles expanded. The B2B business, which includes corporate uniforms, recorded sales of 69.5 billion won last year, accounting for 42.16% of total sales. However, the workwear business, included in B2B, currently accounts for only about 8%, and has yet to show significant results.

On this day, Hyungji Elite initiated a paid-in capital increase worth 20.8 billion won. Of this, 5 billion won will be used for debt repayment and 15.8 billion won for operating funds. A Hyungji Elite representative stated, "While part of the operating funds will be used for new business to secure mid- to long-term growth drivers, it is not exclusively for the wearable robot business," adding, "If large-scale funding is needed in the future, we will proceed through separate procedures."