Artificial intelligence (AI) is influencing sweeping changes across society, but its impacts on the fashion industry are fascinating and complex. 

The fashion scene has always focused on innovation, new approaches to design and satisfying consumer demand in line with emerging trends. AI is taking this to another level, radically changing the way businesses and individuals think about fashion.

How is AI evolving in the fashion industry?

AI is giving fashion businesses the tools to transform and elevate their operations. Design processes that have been traditionally labour-intensive and reliant on human creativity, now have the added impetus of AI. Design concepts can be imagined much more quickly and vividly, and brand-new ideas can be generated with the click of a button.

Fashion manufacturing is also being transformed by AI through production optimisation and enhanced capabilities. Algorithms can be implemented to reduce waste on production lines, assume some of the more manual tasks and help forecast demand to make manufacturing more responsive to the market. These all help fashion businesses to boost their bottom line and meet consumer demands more precisely.

The world of fashion marketing has certainly become more intriguing with the introduction of AI. Advanced data models can help to predict industry trends, helping product leaders to stay ahead of the curve. AI-generated content is increasingly being used to attract audiences and engage with target consumers through digital and physical channels. It may not be long before we see AI models showing off fashion items on the catwalk. 

The shopping experience is also making room for AI. AR and VR retail experiences help customers virtually try on clothing before they buy. Connecting the divide between physical and digital retail systems can be done much more seamlessly as well, allowing multi-channel businesses to optimise operations significantly.

What are the legal challenges of AI in fashion?

With all the brilliance of AI technology, some challenges are consistent throughout many industries. Copyright and intellectual property concerns are significant legal questions in the fashion industry. 

Because generative AI uses data and resources that are already in existence, images for example, there are still murky waters surrounding whether they are technically benefitting from another’s intellectual property. Further still, can the creative output of AI be protected under such laws? 

There is still plenty of work to be done to outline the legalities of AI use, particularly in fashion design and marketing processes. New opportunities and challenges will be taken on by fashion organisations and the whole industry will learn as events unfold.