Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the fashion industry at a dizzying pace. Innovative AI tools and models are transforming fashion design, production and marketing, bringing new opportunities and efficiencies. From generating styles and patterns to optimizing the supply chain and personalizing shopping experiences, AI is redefining the fashion landscape.

Impact of AI on fashion design

Fashion design is a field where creativity and innovation are paramount. With the introduction of AI, designers can experiment with new shapes, textures and patterns at unprecedented speed and with unprecedented accuracy.

Generative AI algorithms are opening new doors for designers, allowing them to create unique designs and realize multiple variations in minutes. This technology not only facilitates innovation, but also becomes a creative extension of the designer, empowering their capabilities and allowing them to explore previously unimaginable limits.

Advantages in Creativity

AI can analyse past and current trends to predict which styles will resonate best with consumers in the future. This not only boosts creativity, but also reduces the time to market for new collections. In addition, AI is democratizing fashion design, as AI-based platforms allow emerging designers and small brands to access tools that were previously reserved for large fashion houses. This encourages greater diversity in the industry and gives consumers a wider range of choices.

‘AI will not only boost creativity, but also make the realization of projects of higher quality, in record time.

AI image developers must do much better than current results.

’ José Luis.

Brands and Initiatives

Personalization is perhaps one of the most exciting applications of AI in fashion. Brands around the world are using AI to create products that not only fit customers’ measurements, but offer a truly personalised shopping experience. For example, Stradivarius was one of the first brands to launch a collection and campaign reinterpreted using artificial intelligence, showing how AI can reinvent fashion with special colours, flowers and fabrics. Similarly, G-Star Raw has produced an entirely AI-generated fashion design called ‘AI Denim Cape’, while Levi’s has announced that it will use AI-generated models in its online shops to give users a more personalized feel.

AI improvements in Marketing and Advertising

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising fashion marketing and advertising, enabling brands to segment audiences more precisely, personalize advertising messages and optimize the performance of online advertising campaigns. Thanks to AI’s ability to handle unstructured data such as text, images and video, it can generate a wide range of marketing content, from full scripts to 3D designs and realistic virtual models.

AI plays a crucial role in the efficient processing and analysis of large volumes of data, providing marketers with better insights to improve segmentation and targeting. In addition, AI makes it possible to identify and predict trends from unstructured data, such as consumer sentiment, in-store behaviour and omni-channel data. Consumer segmentation is automated at scale, making it easier to personalize marketing initiatives.

AI and digital modelling

Digital models are at the centre of virtual fashion shows and advertising campaigns. Prestigious brands use these avatars to showcase their new collections and offer viewers an immersive and futuristic experience. The use of digital models can contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry by reducing the need for physical events, travel and large-scale production, thus minimizing the carbon footprint associated with these activities.

Imagine walking into an online shop where a digital model with your measurements and features shows you how each garment would look on you. This is the promise of digital models: a more interactive, personal and realistic online shopping experience. Brands are leveraging these AI tools to enhance the customer experience and increase their opportunities to connect with consumers and, consequently, their revenues.

Production optimizing and sustainability

Supply chain efficiency is vital for success in the fashion industry. AI is optimizing this by forecasting demand, improving inventory management and speeding up production. By anticipating trends and quickly adjusting stock levels, brands can avoid overproduction and reduce environmental impact.

AI is also present in fashion manufacturing. Intelligent robots, with the ability to cut fabrics and sew with pinpoint accuracy, are enabling faster and more customized production. This not only improves garment quality, but also allows for greater flexibility in small batch production, which is especially beneficial for sustainable and niche brands.

Through real-time analytics and augmented reality (AR), robotic automation in warehouses is optimized, improving inventory management and operations. AI supports supplier negotiations by gathering relevant research and providing accurate information. Product return offers can be tailored to the preferences and needs of individual consumers, thanks to AI.

Responsible consumption and sustainability

Integrating new technologies such as artificial intelligence into production processes can make a difference in reducing material consumption and limiting the risk of accumulating unsold stock. Materials represent, for most production models, 90% of the CO2 emissions generated during the life cycle of a garment and around 30% of all garments manufactured worldwide are never sold, according to the Australian Circulated Clothing Association (ACTA).

To be sustainable, it is important for brands to save every millimetre of fabric possible, making only what is necessary. Thanks to the AI they incorporate, software such as Lectra’s Fashion on Demand automates tasks, manages orders to manufacture in minutes and projects an accurate picture of the company’s production capacity. This improves the sustainability of manufacturing by enabling production on demand only, which results in reduced energy consumption and minimized waste.

AI is playing a crucial role in making the fashion industry more sustainable. By optimizing supply chains and demand-driven production, material waste is significantly reduced. AI is contributing to sustainability in fashion through innovations in textile recycling. Emerging technologies are able to identify and classify fabrics, facilitating the process of recycling and reusing materials. This opens up new avenues for circular fashion, where end-of-life clothing can be transformed into new products, reducing the need for virgin raw materials and lowering the industry’s carbon footprint.

AI and improving the shopping experience

AI is redefining consumer shopping preferences and expectations. A remarkable 66% of European customers express enthusiasm for an AI-powered shopping experience, showing a willingness to spend more in shops that employ these technologies to personalize products and enhance the online shopping experience.

1. Virtual assistants and personalized recommendations: AI has been integrated into a variety of touchpoints in the customer journey, from personalized recommendations to augmented reality experiences for virtual product testing. Tools such as Google Lens allow consumers to search for products based on their actual appearance.
2. Advanced personalization: Generative AI is enabling brands to offer a level of service comparable to that of luxury physical shops, even in the digital realm. Italy’s Benetton, for example, has managed to increase average customer spending and triple the time spent on its website through Recommendations AI.
3. Immersive experiences: Virtual reality and augmented reality will play a key role in the development of social shopping, offering more immersive shopping experiences and increasing consumer interaction. The future of retail includes innovative options such as AI-based voice commerce, online fitting rooms and immersive events, where users actively participate in the creation and selection of products.

AI is revolutionizing the fashion shopping experience, providing improved customer service, personalized recommendations, virtual product trials and intelligent virtual assistants. This not only improves consumer confidence, but is also a powerful marketing tool for brands.

Technical and financial challenges

Although artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the fashion industry, there are still technical and financial challenges that need to be addressed. Diego G. Carpintero, 3D designer and master’s lecturer at the Instituto Europeo di Design in Madrid (IED), predicts that ‘AI is here to stay in the fashion world and, far from being a fad, it is a very new technology that has only just begun’. However, he warns that ‘transforming the virtual into the physical will be a challenge for brands’.

The adoption of AI in the fashion industry requires significant investments in hardware, software and staff training. Many companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, may find it difficult to justify these upfront costs. In addition, integrating AI into existing processes can be technically challenging, as it requires careful planning and execution.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the fashion industry in profound and radical ways. From design and production to marketing and customer experience, AI is optimising processes, driving innovation and fostering sustainability. Brands that embrace these technologies will have a significant competitive advantage, being able to deliver highly personalised products and exceptional customer experiences at scale.

Si bien aún existen desafíos técnicos y financieros, las posibilidades futuras de la IA en la moda son prometedoras. A medida que la tecnología avance, veremos desarrollos que van desde la creación de materiales innovadores hasta la implementación de prácticas sostenibles impulsadas por IA. Las empresas que entiendan las capacidades actuales de la IA, exploren la personalización masiva y utilicen estas herramientas para mejorar la sostenibilidad, estarán mejor preparadas para aprovechar el potencial de esta revolución en la moda.

Fuentes: joseluisledesma.com; g-star.com; fashionunited.es; thefashionglobe.com; neuralfashion.ai; linkedin.com; thinkwithgoogle.com, cdetech.org; elle.com; modaes.com;