MUSINSA has completed the selection process for the 6th cohort of the 'Musinsa Next Fashion Scholarship(MNFS)', a program dedicated to identifying and fostering emerging talents in fashion entrepreneurship, and has officially commenced its operations.
Through an open recruitment process that began in August, MUSINSA selected 15 teams comprising 23 participants as the final recipients of MNFS’s 6th cohort. On September 17, an orientation was held at MUSINSA Seongsu N1, the company’s headquarters in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, with the full group of scholarship awardees in attendance.
Earlier this year, MUSINSA revised the eligibility criteria for MNFS to expand opportunities beyond fashion majors, extending the program to include non-majors with experience in launching fashion brands. As a result, the 6th cohort features a diverse group of participants, including not only non-fashion majors but also Korean students studying abroad and international students residing in Korea.
The 15 teams selected for the 6th cohort of MNFS demonstrated strong interest in brand businesses across categories such as menswear, womenswear, women’s accessories, and unisex fashion. To systematically nurture the next generation of fashion entrepreneurs, MUSINSA implemented a three-stage evaluation criteria, aligned with the applicants’ level of brand development and business maturity.
Based on criteria such as business operations and revenue generation, applicants were categorized into three stages: △ ‘Growth,’ for those already running a brand; △ ‘Build,’ for those in the process of developing collections and producing samples; and △ ‘Seed,’ for those at the initial ideation stage. The 6th cohort was selected with a balanced representation across all three stages. Notably, approximately 32 percent of the final awardees have prior experience in launching and operating a fashion brand.
Over the next nine months, MUSINSA will conduct monthly practical training sessions designed to provide comprehensive, hands-on experience across the entire spectrum of brand management — from planning and product development to distribution and marketing. In collaboration with the Korea Social Investment Foundation, the program will also deliver specialized modules, including △ Branding (market positioning), △ Production (practical capability building), and △ Distribution & Marketing (market entry).
Each selected team will be awarded a scholarship of KRW 5 million(approximately USD 3,600) to support prototype production costs. In addition, MUSINSA will provide dedicated workspace for MNFS 6th cohort participants at Musinsa Studio Sindang — a co-working hub specialized in fashion — through May 2026.
A MUSINSA official commented, “Since the launch of MNFS in 2022, we have identified and nurtured over 100 next-generation talents for four consecutive years, and during this time, capable fashion entrepreneurs have emerged, with some establishing brands that are now gaining recognition both domestically and internationally.” They added, “We expect that the 6th cohort, through this structured program, will also rise to become leading designer brands representing Korea and help sustain a virtuous cycle within the fashion ecosystem.”