By Claudia Abbott
In the UK the fashion industry is worth around £58.5 billion, and with Artificial Intelligence (AI) permeating every aspect of our lives, it’s about time that it infiltrates the realm of fashion as well.
Artificial Intelligence is the science of making machines that can think like humans yet is can process large amounts of data that humans can’t.
US fashion brand Finesse has taken AI by storm, using it to define future trends and fight against waste and overproduction.
It does this by using AI to generate 3D-modelled outfit designs that customers vote on. The models with the most votes are then approved to be produced, so the brand only manufactures clothes with a demand, reducing waste and creating a better environmental footprint.
The H&M group has also introduced an AI design tool which allows customers to use text-to-image tools to mock up, then buy, pieces with custom artwork.
AI is being used in a similar way by Adidas to create unique and individual trainers are made specifically for each customer and their body type. Customers download an app and input their trainer preferences, then go to a popup store where they walk and run on hi-tech treadmills which collects data on their measurements and movement style.
Almost instantly the technology will have created a custom sized and custom designed running trainer that is made faster, cheaper and of higher quality than mass producing cheaper trainers on a production line.
Dan smith, 23. a graduate student in Fashion Photography from the London College of Fashion said, “I think that AI being a part of the fashion industry is exciting. As a country we are constantly trying to improve and stay contemporary so I think it’s important that the fashion industry grows alongside AI because we will see and learn so many new amazing things and it will make our lives a lot easier.”
A big misconception is that the introduction of AI will mean no more need for designers within the industry as AI has the power to create clothing designs.
However, Calvin Wong, who has developed the interactive Design Assistant for Fashion (AiDA) – the worlds first designer-Led AI system, is clear that the fast growing AI technology will never replace designers’ “original creativity”.
In an article from Asharq AI-Awsat, Wong told AFP that: “Designers have their fabric prints, patterns, colour tones, initial sketches and they upload the images. Then our AI system can recognise those design elements and come up with more proposals for designers to refine and modify their original design.”
AI produces all the possible combinations for the designer to analyse, which would be impossible without the use of artificial intelligence.
AI is not replacing designers, it’s empowering them, giving them the leverage of AI- powered tools to streamline the creative process, generate design ideas, and explore innovative concepts.
As AI continues to evolve, its impact on the fashion industry will only grow stronger, ushering in a new era of innovation and transformation.
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