Fashion is fun: hunting for sales, scrolling through social media to keep up with trends, and deciding on your holiday outfit. But it can also be a pain for both shoppers and retailers (finding the right size) and bad for the environment (most returned clothing ends up in landfills). Luckily, artificial intelligence could help the fashion and apparel industry solve these pressing problems.
Top Applications of AI in the Fashion Industry
Trend forecasting Better fit and sizing accuracy Authenticating items to prevent counterfeiting Streamlining manufacturing Reducing returns
Artificial Intelligence in Fashion
Artificial intelligence helps players in the fashion ecosystem solve a variety of problems. It helps both customers and manufacturers determine which garments fit better, which increases shopper satisfaction and reduces the industry’s environmental impact. Designers use AI to create fabrics and garments, and consulting firms use AI to predict trends for their manufacturing clients. The magic is in data collection: fixing fit issues, predicting fashion trends, and even determining the authenticity of luxury items (Cartier watches, Birkin bags) are all predicted through data collection.
“It’s still early days, but the results are already amazing,” says designer and computer-generated imagery artist Hussein Almosawy, “which tells us there’s even more to come.”
An introduction to AI in fashion. | Video: Threaducation
8 Examples and Applications of AI in Fashion
Here are some ways AI can make fashion smarter and more sustainable.
1. Designers improve fit with AI-driven data
The number one reason people return clothes purchased online is because the size doesn’t fit, and returns can cost retailers up to 38% of the item’s original price, said Karlanda McKinney, founder and CEO of Bodyify.
Bodify asks shoppers to provide a photo and uses computer vision to determine the size. Machine learning then maps that size against the data the company stores. The end result for shoppers is a list of brands that fit their size.
Bodify’s data helps manufacturers cut clothes to actual sizes, adjust sizes for different types of clothing, and determine the best locations to manufacture clothes.
Another startup, Fit for Everybody, provides shoppers with a video showing them exactly where to measure their size. Designers, who are Fit for Everybody’s paying clients, then use that data to create patterns that better fit the customer’s size. “You’re basically creating clusters — you’re creating five sizes that are inclusive of as many people as possible,” founder and CEO Laura Zwanziger said. “The goal is to optimize each cluster.”
2. Shoppers will make decisions based on AI recommendations
Retailers can offer customers AI-powered virtual styling tools that help them choose items that suit their body type, skin tone, and clothing needs.
Stylelyzer, for example, is developing software that uses AI for image consulting. Customers upload a photo to the retailer’s online store, where a virtual stylist analyzes it. The stylist then recommends the best colors to match a person’s skin tone and gives specific instructions (such as wearing cream instead of white, or charcoal gray instead of black). The tool boosts shopping confidence, which in turn increases purchase intent by 80%, says CEO and co-founder Mark Hansman. It also means fewer returns, contributing to the industry’s sustainability.
3. Creators bounce ideas off AI collaborators
Designer Almosawy relies on AI for inspiration and ideation. “There’s a lot of research and ideation sessions early on that are part of every designer’s process,” which can range from throwing out random ideas to brainstorming with colleagues. He says AI helps with collaboration by extending human-to-human collaboration to human-to-machine collaboration. “AI is crazy and interesting, but it’s probably still in its infancy and I expect it to evolve even more in the future and be able to do more than just spit out images.”
For example, Almossawi used AI to create a clothing line based on the Japanese kimono: “I thought it would be interesting to design different silhouettes with different textures and details.”
Designer Hussein Almosawy used AI to create a clothing line based on the Japanese kimono. | Image: Hussein Almosawy
4. Customers can virtually try on clothes with an AI app
AI-powered augmented and virtual reality tools are helping online shoppers get a better understanding of how an outfit will look and whether it will suit them, with certain apps like DressX allowing users to project the garment onto their actual body and adjust the color, texture and accessories to achieve the perfect look.
AI can also place products in the right environment. “Product placement plays a big role in promoting your product and communicating what it is and what it’s designed for,” Almosawy says. “With AI, we can quickly generate cool, relevant backgrounds for your product in a variety of styles.”
5. Retailers will reduce waste with AI tools
Fashion manufacturing is a major source of plastic pollution and often leads to excess waste: Most returned goods end up in landfills, as it is often economically impossible for retailers to replenish returned products and luxury fashion brands do not want to dilute their brands with deep discounts.
AI can help in many ways, including trend forecasting. Many companies are using AI and machine learning to analyze images on social media, looking at prints, shapes, and colors to help their manufacturing clients determine what will sell and what will sink. These companies are also using AI to help brands think about pricing strategies and avoid trends that are on the verge of going out of fashion.
6. Brands can detect counterfeit products with AI-powered analytics
Deloitte has developed an AI tool called Dupe Killer to spot design infringement. The tool leverages information from millions of photos to detect subtle yet unique design elements, such as an item’s shape, color, and even an object’s unique stitching patterns. Dupe Killer helps brands find and pursue companies that are illegally using their design trademarks.
7. Businesses will use generative AI to enhance their marketing campaigns
Generative AI is poised to transform many sectors, and the fashion industry is no exception. McKinsey estimates that GenAI could bring up to $275 billion in additional revenue to the apparel, fashion, and luxury industries by 2026. One way this will happen is through marketing and branding.
In 2023, various fashion brands such as Valentino and Moncler have used AI-generated imagery to create eye-catching marketing campaigns, while others such as Ganni and Collina Strada have held runway events featuring AI-inspired designs. Generative AI allows brands to try out a wider range of styles, revamp their clothing lines, and introduce new ideas to consumers before committing to physical designs, saving companies time and effort in the process.
How to use AI to design clothes | Video: Tadii G
8. Consumers will use generative AI tools to create their own designs
The fashion industry has often been seen as exclusive, but this is rapidly changing with the introduction of generative AI technology. Consumers can now envision their own unique style and clothing by inputting written prompts into an AI generator, and companies like Off/Script are capitalizing on this development.
Billed as a “community-driven product creation platform,” Off/Script offers both professional and amateur creators the opportunity to showcase and sell AI-designed clothing and accessories. Users put together mock designs in the platform’s design studio, after which other users vote for their favorite ideas. Off/Script then oversees the process of transforming the winning designs into physical inventory for sale.
How is AI being used in the fashion industry?
Fashion brands are using AI to predict fashion trends, produce better-fitting garments, reduce returns and waste, and power marketing campaigns.
Which fashion brands are using AI?
Many fashion brands, including big names like Valentino, Moncler, Collina Strada, and Adidas, are employing AI in some form or another.
Can AI be used to design clothes?
Thanks to AI generators, clothing design has become much more accessible. Professional and amateur designers can input prompts into the AI Art Generator to create new garments, styles, and ideas.
Can AI replace humans in fashion design?
AI assists designers by automating various tasks and streamlining the design process, but it lacks the knowledge and awareness needed to create products that evoke an emotional response in the audience and speak to a particular cultural moment in fashion.
