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"The future of fashion is not about technology replacing designers, but about how designers can use technology to create new forms of beauty," Amber Jae Slooten, Cofounder of The Fabricant.
For quite some time, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has played a pivotal role, extending its hand in tasks that were traditionally reserved for human expertise. AI, capable of decision-making, problem-solving, and reasoning, boasts brilliance with its own set of pros and cons.
In the dynamic landscape of the fashion industry, AI has been warmly embraced, fueling creativity in unprecedented ways. Tommy Hilfiger, the visionary American Fashion Designer and Founder of Tommy Hilfiger Cooperation, has ventured into the realm of technology through Hilfiger Ventures. His brainchild, FashionVerse, is a free-to-play game designed to captivate the older Gen Z and millennial fashion consumers.
FashionVerse unfolds as a standalone app where players curate and style avatars in trendsetting outfits, design dream closets with unique clothing, and subscribe to unlock additional pieces or earn rewards, augmented by generative AI to enhance the 3D aesthetic. AI-generated fashion emerges as the next wave in DIY design, inspiring unconventional creations like ugly jackets or sweater dresses, fostering a unique blend of convenience and creativity.
AI's influence extends beyond personal fashion choices into the realm of modeling. AI-generated models are tailored to wear prestigious brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Dior, and Chanel. This innovative approach not only streamlines marketing but also raises questions about the impact on traditional modeling employment opportunities.
Fashion designers are also tapping into futuristic technology, embedding AI to make other technologies intelligent, allowing for the automation of decisions and actions. The intersection of fashion and advanced technology is vividly demonstrated at events like Paris Fashion Week, where designers Arnaud Vaillant and Sebastien Meyer collaborate with Manel Torres, the mind behind Spray-on fabric. The trio spray-paints a dress on supermodel Bella Hadid, creating an instant-drying, non-woven fabric layer with applications ranging from innovative clothing to health-monitoring diagnostic devices.
However, not every tale in the realm of Artificial Intelligence and fashion concludes with euphoria. Taiwanese American model Shereen Wu found herself at the center of controversy when her face was allegedly altered to appear more Caucasian in images from a runway show for designer Michael Costello. Wu, deeming this a racist violation, faced Instagram account suspension after sharing her experience on TikTok. Costello, facing public backlash, denied the allegations, claiming the image was received as 'fan art' from an undisclosed source, but he acknowledged responsibility for sharing it.
