We've all seen movies like Terminator, where the partnership between humans and machines doesn't exactly end well. Explosions, rogue robots, and a lot of "Hasta la vista, baby!" But fear not! In reality, AI is proving to be quite the opposite, especially in the fashion industry. Rather than leading to a dystopian future, AI is helping to create a more personalised, sustainable, and efficient fashion landscape and although as with any other tool it must be used in an ethical and respectful way, it can impact our shopping experiences and creative needs in a positive way. Here’s how it’s happening.
When discussing AI in fashion, our minds often turn to personalised design creation using graphic editing tools fuelled by this technology. However, AI is a versatile solution with myriad benefits. Picture this scenario: battling one of the most formidable foes of any shopping expedition—the fitting room. The queue, the undressing, the quest for the perfect size, and the scrutiny of various garments—all time-consuming tasks demanding patience. This is where the development of virtual fitting rooms might come to the rescue. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies powered by AI, allow customers to virtually try on clothes without physically putting anything on their bodies. It can be done anytime, everywhere and by anyone without relying on model images or any efforts, reducing return rates and improving overall satisfaction. It’s not just a fantasy but something that is happening right now with the virtual fitting room market that was valued at $4.03 billion in 2022 and is forecast to reach $18.31 billion thanks to companies like Adidas, ASOS and Macy’s leading this adoption.
But what about sustainability? We have already discussed the grave impact of fast fashion on our environment but for every threat there is one (and more) possible solution. Ai can in fact help fashion retailers reduce unnecessary waste, water usage in production, pollution, and carbon emissions by measuring key environmental metrics during garment production. It's no mere coincidence that forward-thinking brands like Stella McCartney are teaming up with tech giants like Google Cloud and environmental champions like WWF. Together, they're unleashing projects like the "Material Impact Explorer," where machine learning and cloud-based data processing join forces to illuminate the murky depths of the supply chain, empowering brands to make smarter, more sustainable sourcing decisions.
think, Edit, Create
Absolutely undeniable is the fervent chatter surrounding the contentious marriage of AI and creativity in recent years. Critics and enthusiasts alike have engaged in a verbal tug-of-war, questioning the very essence of innovation in the age of algorithms: does artificial intelligence have a place in the world of imagination? Does AI really steal art? About this last question, you can find my answer here but without leaning too much into ethical discourses or forgetting that a tool is only as virtuous as its user, it’s important to understand that no machine’s action exist in a vacuum: AI’s output will always rely on human’s input, desire and imagination.
Take, for example, the creative collaboration between photographer Carlijn Jacobs, stylist Imruh Asha, the text-to-image model DALL-E, and AI artist Chad Nelson. These four talented entities joined forces for a unique photo shoot for Vogue Italy in May 2023. According to these design and fashion experts, it was the collaboration between a visual artist, a poet, and a coder that allowed them to effectively communicate their vision to the AI, resulting in unique backgrounds for their model, the stunning Bella Hadid. This wasn't just about typing a few characters to generate images. Each prompt was carefully crafted, studied, and refined through numerous iterations to align closely with the artistic vision of these genius minds. Once the desired result was achieved, it was further enhanced using more traditional tools like Photoshop.
And speaking of Photoshop, when Adobe released its software in 1990 it faced scepticism from many professional photographers. They worried that it would compromise the authenticity of photography by making image manipulation and alteration too easy. Nowadays these fears seem ancient and the famous program has become a trusted ally rather than an adversary with its magic lying in the synergy: the creative vision of the artist, combined with the precision and flexibility of Photoshop, produces stunning results that neither could achieve alone. Human creativity and machine’s power, together.
This collaborative spirit extends into the realm of the text-to-image, ushering in a new era of creativity where the barriers of artistic expression are less high. It must be used with responsibility and transparency of course, but this tool democratises art, making sophisticated design processes accessible to a broader audience. Now, almost anyone with a spark of creativity can generate impressive designs, expressing their unique style and identity, crafting a product that isit’s to stay not only in their wardrobe but also in their mind and heart, reducing any need for chasing trends and fads dictated by others.
It’s not a change, it’s a new perspective and possibility, a more inclusive one.