AI is taking the whole world by storm, and the fashion industry is no exception. The uses of AI in fashion design can range wildly, from customer insights to product photography.
But how effective is AI in fashion design, and how can it affect your brand? Read on to find out.
How is AI used in fashion design?
You might hear AI fashion design and conflate it with AI graphic design—the use of AI to generate new designs. However, AI has many uses in the fashion world, and high-end lines still rely on their human designers for vision.
Some common uses of AI in fashion design include:
- Supply chain management
- Business intelligence
- Marketing strategy
- Predicting trends
- Boosting ecommerce sales
- Assisting customers
- Personalization
- Product photos
- And yes, design
AI fashion design is still a growing sector and many leading fashion brands are skeptical of what it can do. Consistent branding can make or break fashion lines. Is modern AI really up to the task?
Which fashion brands are using AI?
AI is employed as a business tool by a wide range of companies. While major brands haven’t adopted AI for design, it’s used in marketing by the likes of SHEIN, Dior, H&M, Nike, and Zara.
For a specific example, Dior has been using AI chatbots since 2017. AI has powered marketing analytics and customer support for years, but it’s expanding into marketing itself. Levi’s, for instance, is testing photorealistic AI fashion models.
What is AI fashion design?
Fashion design is the art of applying aesthetic beauty and artistic vision to clothing. You’ve probably seen AI image generators out there that can create aesthetically-pleasing works of art. AI fashion design combines those two—using generative AI to produce the next big fashion trends.
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5 mind-blowing examples of AI fashion design
The use of AI in the world of high fashion is still limited in scope, but it’s expanding quickly. Here are 5 examples of how AI is shaking up how we dress.
1) Booth.ai — AI-generated product photos for ecommerce
Founded in 2022, Booth.ai helps with ecommerce branding by letting you create pro-quality product photos in a snap. For indie fashion designers, this makes it easy to set up an online store and show off your designs in style.
You can try Booth.ai for free, and if you like it, you can add it to your business for $199/mo. They also offer custom solutions for enterprise customers. Check out their pricing page for more details.
2) CALA – Run your fashion brand with the power of AI
CALA is a business management platform designed for fashion—streamlining everything from product design to web development. And now, they’ve partnered with OpenAI to bring AI tech to the fashion world.
Powered by DALL•E, CALA’s new tool helps you use AI to generate original designs, create 3D mock-ups, and turn them into a reality. You can try out their AI design tool for free, or get unlimited access with a $100/mo Professional account.
3) Lalaland — AI-generated fashion models
You read that right. You’ve heard of “this person does not exist,” but now get ready for “this model does not exist.” Lalaland creates lifelike 3D fashion models that can be customized and fitted with any style you can dream of.
Some might call it an eerie, uncanny valley creation. Others may say it’s a craven attempt to displace workers. But one thing’s for sure: it’s one of the clearest signs of just how advanced AI has become. You can create your first model for free or create unlimited models starting at €480/mo.
4) Resleeve: Generative AI fashion design
When you think of “AI fashion design,” you’re probably picturing a program for designing clothes and outfits with AI that you can then turn into a reality. If that’s what you need, look no further than Resleeve.
With this tool, you can upload products and receive AI-generated designs to choose from. You can also turn sketches into mockups, create virtual photoshoots, and fine-tune your designs with simple text prompts. You can get started for free or get unlimited designs starting at $19/mo.
5) AI Fashion Week
As of the writing of this article, the first-ever AI Fashion Week is just a few days away. The event is produced by the New York-based AI design house Maison Meta. The event is held both virtually and in person at Spring Studios in SoHo.
One of the most notable elements of this show is that it’s open to literally anyone. If the show gains attention, it could create a bold new avenue for indie designers to reach a huge audience.
The pros and cons of AI fashion design
AI in fashion is an exciting new trend, but it has its fair share of downsides, too.
Pros
- Accessibility: Using AI can empower just about anyone to get involved in the design world.
- Savings: Digital models, product photos, mock-ups and more can be generated for a fraction of the cost with AI.
- Efficiency: For designers big and small, AI can make your design processes much faster.
Cons
- Artistry: Fashion houses are built on vision—they’re often named after the designers who founded them. AI can make things trendy or unique, but they can’t lend your work a singular artistic voice.
- Cost: While AI tools can be cheaper than hiring designers, luxury services like CALA and Lalaland may be too expensive for indie fashion designers.
- Over-reliance on AI: If your business depends on AI to create new designs, you’ll have nowhere else to go if you’re not satisfied with the output. If the whole industry becomes dependent on it, it’ll come as no surprise when everything starts to look… the same.
- Ethics: Displacing designers, models, and other workers is a big concern about reliance on AI. It can also further cement biases—for instance, Lalaland’s “inclusive” virtual models only come in 4 body sizes.
Overall, AI provides exciting new opportunities for fashion design, but it’s far from perfect. If you’re trying to build the next big fashion brand, you should use AI to empower designers, not replace them.
And if you need help growing your business, give Penji a try. We’re an unlimited design service that can create digital graphics, social media elements, landing pages, print, packaging, and everything else you need for ecommerce excellence.
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