The world as we know it is rapidly changing, and at the heart of this transformation lies Artificial Intelligence, a concept long nestled in the realms of science fiction. Now, we find ourselves in that ‘future.’ Like all new technologies, AI has sparked great excitement, with many industries already incorporating this new technology into their processes. The fashion world is no exception.
When we talk about the fashion world, we’re talking about creativity. In an industry centered around creativity, how Artificial Intelligence can be utilized remains a question mark for many. The boundaries – or perhaps we should say the boundlessness – of AI are so vast that it is possible to leverage it in every aspect, from ideation to execution. But how? Let’s try to answer these questions together one by one.
How Can AI Assist in the Fashion Design Process?
It’s essential to think of AI not as a designer but as an assistant tool. In other words, the idea comes from you, and AI helps to expand and execute it. You can visualize what your design would look like in real life within minutes by applying it to AI with visual or textual guidance, without the need to produce the design you envisioned. Suppose you’re not satisfied with the result. In that case, a process that would take days with old-school methods can be solved within minutes with AI. You can revise the parts of your design you’re not happy with until you reach a result you’re satisfied with.
Transforming your design into a collection is also much easier with AI. By training AI with commands related to your style and the collection you envision, you can have a comprehensive collection.
How Does AI Affect Trend Forecasting?
Fashion forecasters previously relied on qualitative methods, but now AI tools analyze diverse datasets like runway images and social media posts for quicker trend identification. For example, Heuritech in Paris and Trendalytics in New York utilize AI to provide up-to-date trend analysis, assisting fashion brands and retailers in maximizing sales and promoting sustainability by avoiding out-of-trend production.
What Role Will AI Play in Customer Satisfaction?
Personalized recommendations are one of the most important factors for customer satisfaction and loyalty. 73% of shoppers expect brands to understand their personal tastes and preferences. Brands have been aware of this for many years. The reason you encounter product ads tailored to your taste on your social media accounts or are shown other products you might like when you purchase a product, is precisely because of this. AI plays a crucial role in assisting brands with personalized recommendations, contributing significantly to building customer loyalty, and this role will only increase over time.
This expectation will make AI indispensable in the fashion industry in the coming years. Already, some brands are using AI to offer customers a tailored experience. For example, Styleriser, a B2B German company, leverages AI to provide personalized image consulting solutions, acting as a digital shopping assistant by recommending ideal colors based on individual skin tones.
How Will Generative AI Shape the Future of Fashion?
One of the most important reasons why AI is groundbreaking in the fashion world is its ability to create images and designs based on specific criteria.
Leslie Riley, the co-founder & CEO at Polytropon, an integrated software solutions provider, says on an article at just-style.com: ‘The garment doesn’t exist, the people don’t exist, and it works very well. Beyond generating faces or humans, the AI can generate absolutely anything in terms of garment design, fit, length, colors, shading, based on fashion, based on forecasting, based on trends currently. It can even crawl the internet and figure out what’s going to be in season. So this is where we are at.’
Things are unfolding at a pace far beyond expectations. There’s no doubt that this whirlwind of change to the fashion world will usher in a tremendous wave of creativity. We can confidently say that the era of change has begun for the fashion world.