Footwear and Textile Design Industries Introduce AI; MOEA Sets Up Interactive Zone at Taipei Shoe Fair

To assist micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in adopting AI through affordable and implementable methods, the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is advancing the 115th MSME AI Innovation Application Guidance Program. Starting today (29th) through the 31st, an 'AI Interactive Zone for Footwear and Textile Design' has been set up at Zone C, Hall 1, Taipei World Trade Center, during the '2026 Autumn/Winter Taipei Shoe Fair.' The zone features four experiential stations demonstrating AI applications in foot measurement, sock recommendation, embroidery design, and brand marketing. Six cross-industry exchange events are also being held, inviting representatives from associations and enterprises in footwear, hosiery, towels, embroidery, and textiles. This exhibition is co-organized by the New Taipei City Shoe Association and Tainan City Leather Association, with 75 companies participating.

The footwear and textile industries are characterized by small-batch, diverse, customized, and rapid-response-to-market features. From product design and product recommendations to marketing and order acquisition, businesses must promptly grasp customer and market demands. The key for MSMEs to adopt AI lies in first identifying the most suitable operational环节. Therefore, based on two industry-wide guidance programs—'AI Marketing and Business Opportunity Analysis for Footwear' and 'Taiwan Textile Pattern Intelligent Creation Solution'—technical demonstrations have been brought directly to the exhibition site. This allows businesses to start from familiar operational scenarios, understand what problems the tools can solve and how to use them, and then evaluate adoption methods. The primary target regions for guidance include southern Taiwan's industrial clusters such as handmade footwear in Tainan, sock weaving in Changhua She-Tou, and towel manufacturing in Yunlin.

The four AI application experience stations are designed according to actual industry needs. Handmade footwear businesses can capture foot length, width, and arch data using just a smartphone photo, with the system simultaneously recommending suitable shoe models and sizes, helping reduce trial costs and returns. Hosiery businesses use AI style recommendations to convert consumer preferences into small-batch, customized orders. Embroidery and towel businesses generate patterns via AI and automatically convert them into embroidery files, enabling sample previews before actual production, thus shortening communication and prototyping time. The fourth station, the 'AI Transformation Guidance Platform,' provides businesses with a gateway to identify their pain points, match suitable tools, and connect with follow-up guidance resources.

The 'AI Interactive Zone for Footwear and Textile Design' will be exhibited until July 31. The six cross-industry exchange events will be held sequentially during the exhibition period. This event is planned by the Industrial Development Bureau, Information Industry Institute (III), and invites participation from associations in textile knitting, leather footwear, embroidery hosiery, sports equipment, dyeing and finishing, and assistive medical devices.