Fashion x AI

A while back I published a list of datasets and AI research papers pertaining to Fashion applications on a Medium post . A lazy search on Arxiv shows there are more than a dozen papers in this space since.

“Technology doesn’t come first. What comes first is consumer behaviour, and understanding how consumers live their lives.” - Sandeep Seth, Coach CMO

As I started penning my thoughts and observations on this topic I quickly realised that this splits into two main areas of focus (click to read) :

  • Al x Retail : The future of product reach, development and buying

  • AI x Design : The future of AI facilitated design tools

Overall, AI has the potential to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive innovation in the fashion industry.

📈 Economic Impact

Generative AI could add up to $275 billion to the fashion industry in the next 3-5 years per McKinsey & Company.

According to MIT Technology Review, creative industries including entertainment, fashion and marketing are most likely to feel the impact of AI first.

A white paper in partnership with Vogue Business and Google sought to understand how AI enhances brand perception, loyalty, and consumer spending. The survey involved 2,976 luxury fashion consumers in the US, UK, Italy, and France.

Three key consumer groups were identified and how AI can be leveraged to impact perception and purchase intent of these groups :

  • Purists : Prioritize personalisation. 69% are influenced by personalized deals and recommendations. AI in personalisation could boost revenue by 17%

  • Activists : Focus on sustainability. 51% value durable brands. Willing to pay more for sustainably designed products. 36% prefer brands using AI for sustainability

  • Expressionists : Value unique designs. 82% support AI in creative marketing. 72% are willing to pay more for AI-enhanced garment designs

🛍️ Brand Implementations:

By 2026, Millennials and Generation Z are expected to account for 75% of luxury goods buyers. “When you know that Gen Z, who was born with a phone in their hands, represents a huge chunk of all new luxury buyers, you have to radically change the way you engage with them,” Charles Georges-Picot, CEO Global Luxury Practice at Publicis Groupe.

  • Apple Vision Pro’s spatial computing capabilities power immersive shopping experiences created by several brands including J.Crew, Mytheresa, Elf Cosmetics, Alo. Mytheresa's app allows virtual shopping in Capri and Paris settings, with realistic environments and curated fashion selections

  • Estée Lauder uses AI for customer sentiment and trend analysis

  • Revolve tests AI for product design

  • Adore Me uses AI for personalized product descriptions and customization

  • Klarna have seen significant cost savings from AI

  • Kering’s Madeline and Zalando's fashion assistant help customers find products interactively

  • Prada Beauty among many other luxury brands has unveiled an AI-generated ad campaign

  • AI-enabled glasses from Amazon, with Carrera Eyewear, and Meta, with Ray-Ban, have announced glasses equipped with personal AI assistants.

💼 Fashion AI Startups (updated: July 2024):

In 2023, AI startups saw a significant increase in funding : totaling over $21 billion globally. Fashion is an early adopter of generative AI, already using it for trend predictions, design, advertising, customer service, and product recommendations.

After the short-lived crypto and NFT hype, 2024's innovation is more practical, focusing on tech that is usable, durable, and has tangible impact.

Gen AI companies like OpenAI and Stability AI are leading with innovative technology, meanwhile, many startups are leveraging these advancements to build new applications on top. Here are some names I've come across in this space :

  • (Design) Raspberry AI : Offer a design app using Gen AI. AI models can be custom trained to represent a brand’s unique style and aesthetic.

  • (Design) Blng.Ai : Applies AI to jewellery design, making the design process faster and more accessible. Specializes in jewellery design, using AI to create 3D renders and facilitate rapid prototyping and personalized creations.

  • (Design) Mmerch : Use generative algorithms to create unique one-of-a-kind fashion pieces which are sold as NFTs? You can use an NFT to claim its physical twin i.e. the product depicted in the NFT artwork.

  • (Design) Maison Meta : Founded AI Fashion Week, a global competition showcasing AI-powered fashion creations. They have an AI Design Copilot app (sounds like powered by Stability AI)

  • (Marketing) FancyTech : Founded in 2019, use Gen AI and 3D models to create high-quality product videos for brands like Burberry and Givenchy. Won the 2024 LVMH Innovation Award for AI-generated video production

  • (Marketing) Flock AI : Uses Gen AI to create life-like model imagery for brand campaigns. Enables diversity in campaign.

  • (E-commerce website) Pre : Analyzes e-commerce websites to identify changes that maximize conversion rates using Gen AI and behavioural modeling

  • (Virtual Try-on) Kopia : Offers virtual try-on technology for e-commerce, allowing customers to visualize clothing on themselves for a personalized shopping experience.

  • (Product Discovery) Glaze : Uses AI to enhance online shopping, enabling users to find products via conversational prompts or inspirational images.

  • (Product Discovery) Daydream : Helps discover new products using prompts

  • (Styling / Product Discovery) MirrorMirrorAI : Learns your aesthetic from your submitted images and recommends clothes for you based on query prompts like “elevated look for work”. The client will receive a personalized catalogue of looks featuring the client themselves wearing the suggested clothes.

For edits and additions to this list, feel free to email contact@fareeha.ai