AI And Fashion – Will AI Impact Fashion, And If So, How?

What with the recent rise of artificial intelligence (AI) we’re wondering what this could mean for the fashion world, and whether new technologies are set to revolutionize or hinder progress in the future. 

Examples of AI generally

AI is taking over – that's for sure. From technological, intelligent assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and ChatGPT, to self-driving cars and robots programmed to be your girl or boyfriend, the technological advancements are getting pretty crazy in both a good and bad way. So, relating AI to fashion, what will this mean for this ever-evolving and developing industry in the future?

AI within fashion and business 

Many companies and businesses believe that AI will actively help revolutionise the fashion industry. The Fashion Retail Academy, for example, says that AI is ‘transforming the way fashion is produced, marketed, and consumed’ through how it can help design clothes to predict customer preferences, and how it will only get cleverer in future. AI is also said to help with collecting important info about specific target markets and consumers – recording info about demographics, geography, and other relevant details. Even some designers have actually used and praised it.

Fashion designers using AI

Designer Collina Strada used AI in her Spring 2024 fashion show for creating the actual sculptures used, as well as clothing, patterns, and prints. Retail brands such as H&M and Zara are already using AI as well to help create new and unique ideas and patterns, but also for the logistical sides of things like controlling supply chains to reduce waste. What’s more, fashion innovators such as Calvin Wong, are developing more tools to help the fashion industry. Wong’s own tool is the Interactive Design Assistant for Fashion, which uses image-recognition technology to speed up the process of design to catwalk. And there’s a lot more where that came from! 

Negatives of using AI?

But are there negatives to AI, and how it could impact the fashion industry later on? Forbes seems to think so. They stated that there could be ‘a risk that fashion will become less individual and less creative.’ Additionally, consumers themselves are worried that the use of developing AI technologies could result in ‘killing off’ both the designers themselves, and the creativity that they come with. After all, AI can only do so much (at least right now) and there’s nothing like the imagination of the human brain.  

What will happen in the future?

So, what with artificial technologies constantly in development, what will happen in the future? Unfortunately, only time will tell, although we are certain there’s more to be seen from AI...