By Sanjana Viswanath Mundhwa. Cover image by Margie Mitchem.

AI in fashion is redefining the runway, from Paris catwalks to fast-fashion algorithms. Fashion has always been obsessed with the future – be it new silhouettes, new fabrics or new cultural interpretations. Today, in the era of AI-driven fashion, that ‘future’ looks bolder than ever. The concept of something “new” no longer just means experimenting with hemlines or fabrics – it means harnessing Artificial Intelligence in fashion design, production and storytelling. 

We’ve entered a thrilling new age where designers use AI prompts to ignite sketches, marketing teams craft campaign visuals in minutes, and algorithms forecast trends before they hit Instagram. Could this fusion supercharge creativity or reshape it entirely? 

The question ignites debate around AI in fashion: are we witnessing an expansion of creativity, or its bold reinvention?

AI in Fashion: How Technology Is Transforming the Runway

When Balenciaga showcased their Autumn/Winter 2024 collection at Paris Fashion Week in March 2024, it felt less like a runway and more like stepping inside a digital simulation. The show featured massive LED walls simulating endless social media feeds, scrolling glitches, and synthetic data-saturated energy. It featured immersive backdrops and an atmosphere which reflected a world saturated with data, scrolling through feeds and synthetic energy. Though the clothes themselves weren’t crafted by AI, the message was electric: fashion is no longer separate from technology, it thrives entangled with it.

For as long as we’ve lived, luxury has always been simultaneous with craftsmanship and heritage, yet today, the very brands that are positioned within the luxury market, are the brands engaging and experimenting with AI visuals and digital exploration. This signals a seismic shift. When a house as culturally influential as Balenciaga partners with AI to formulate aesthetics, it further emphasises the artificial intelligence isn’t solely a ‘passing trend’, it is now a culture of its own. 

AI and Fast Fashion: Can Data Make It More Sustainable?

Diving into fast fashion’s AI pivot, we’re now seeing H&M embed AI directly into design and production mechanisms. Through machine learning systems, the brand analyses customer behaviour, regional purchasing habits, weather data and emerging micro-trends. These algorithms help the brand decide which colours and fabrics are more likely to sell in Milan compared to Dubai. They guide inventory decisions and streamline production timelines, reducing overproduction by 20-30% per H&M data. 

In theory, when focusing on sustainability, this may be progress. Using the aid of AI these methods can combat overproduction, reduce excess stock and overall, potentially make fast fashion less wasteful – a step forward for the fast-fashion industry, which is known to have been constantly scrutinised for their participation in environmental damage.

The subtle shift lies here: when design decisions are influenced by data-driven AI fashion predictions, fashion responds to real-time trends, yet frees designers to innovate beyond the predictable. Creativity was once driven by instinct and rebellion – pure risk is not knowing whether that idea will succeed or not. Now it’s that risk amplified by insight. 

That very creativity is the reason for our diversity fuels diversity and range of options -today, there are some that argue saying everything is too similar. Now with the help of AI and trend predictions driving designs, what is the margin of diversity we have to look forward to? What groundbreaking looks await?

AI as a Design Assistant: How Fashion Teams Use It

Brands such as Tommy Hilfiger have been more than transparent about their usage of AI as a ‘design assistant’. From what we know – their use of generative tools has helped explore colour palettes, print variations and size adjustments before having their products physically sampled and distributed.

The pros of this method lie within time and cost efficiency – what once used to take designers days/weeks to decide can now span a few minutes, along with having freer rein in design experimentation since digital prototypes cost less than physical ones.

The next question one may wonder is: does speed change the rhythm of creativity? 

Fashion used to be slow – a collection took months, sometimes years to develop. Now, ideas can be generated almost instantly.

AI-Generated Fashion Campaigns: The Future of Brand Storytelling 

The Spanish fast-fashion brand, Mango, took AI experimentation further, showcasing AI-generated campaign imagery. The shots were made up of digital models of which appeared strikingly realistic, but entirely synthetic. 

No flights, elaborate sets or location-dependent shoots. From a business perspective one could argue that the lower costs, quick campaign turnaround and easy localisation would be advantageous for global markets. Additionally, from a sustainability point of view, fewer resources being used for production purposes is equally as beneficial – however, despite these advantages – emotionally, something shifts. 

Fashion campaigns have historically been reliant on capturing human energy – the chemistry between the model and the lens – prioritising the model and his/her ability to present the creative and emotional vision the brand is trying to showcase. We have rapidly evolved. Stepping into a period where pixels have/can become people whilst authenticity slowly dissolves – this is how storytelling has expanded to fit the digital age.

AI in Fashion: Supporters vs Critics

AI in fashion is not short of supporters. Some argue that if we look at it objectively, this is how fashion has always evolved – hand-stitching turned into sewing machines, image-creation turned into Photoshop and 3D design software’s transformed the future of pattern cutting. They insist, AI, is no different. 

From our current references alone, we can see that with the aid of AI we would be able to reduce textile waste thanks to smarter forecasting, increase the efficiency of sampling and production, personalise consumer experiences and potentially much more. 

Yet, like any other concept, we are divided. On one hand we have supporters, on the other, we have critics. Those of whom have claimed that if this rapid growth and entanglement with AI continues, we will have to brace for homogenisation. It comes as no surprise that AI systems are trained and guided by existing images, archives and sources – so, if creativity is built from recycled data, are we remixing the past instead of inventing the future?

Fashion at its most powerful has always disrupted culture – from political statements to redefining beauty standards, whereas algorithms, by nature, prioritise patterns. 

The ‘Human’ Touch in AI Fashion: Why Algorithms Can’t Replace Creativity

For as long as we’ve known, fashion has prided itself on emotion. Designers draw from heritage, grief, rebellion, love. Brands carry opinions, visions and an identity which is passed down to their product – AI cannot singlehandedly experience, never mind replace any of this. 

That is not to say that it cannot assist. It can visualise complex ideas faster, eliminate repetitive tasks or offer new aesthetic possibilities that designers may not immediately imagine – but, more than that, is near impossible. We shouldn’t pass off so much credit to a computer – remembering that technology cannot dream beyond the data it is given.

The danger here isn’t AI itself. Creativity doesn’t collapse simply because tools evolve. Fashion has managed to survive industrial and digital revolutions along with major cultural shifts, and each time it has been able to adapt and redefine itself. The danger is when creativity becomes complacent and dependent – allowing those very computers to decide what is “good” instead of challenging them, and yourself.