Tracking Convergence of Manufacturing and Service Sectors Toward i-fashion: A Case of Korea

Purpose: One distinctive trend in the recent industrial and technological development has been the change in the structures of industries brought by information technology, boosting the productivity of different sectors. This relation has clearly opened a path for the fourth industrial revolution to reform numerous industrial sectors, including i-fashion sectors. Therefore, in this research, we would like to present the direction of the direction policy for the fusion of the manufacturing industry and the service industry of i-fashion.Methods: In this study, an empirical time series data analysis of machinery investment efficiency and capital investment efficiency of 43 industrial sectors in manufacturing and service was conducted to show their potential and ongoing convergence toward i-fashion.Results: Most impressive as a finding in this research was that those sectors previously underinvested due to a combination of technological and financial reasons found an exit for growth. In textile and apparel sectors, that could be the i-fashion.Conclusion: One strong implication of this study is that sectoral level convergence based on technology and industry is occurring, and i-fashion is one of the industrial convergence case to be observed.