Generative AI, which can create content in the form of images, videos and text, is a new field for fashion and retail that promises to aid creativity and business processes. Here are a few early examples.
Photo: Str4ngeThing1/12Conceptual fashion
Artist Str4ngeThing, who operates an Instagram account of the same name, uses generative AI art tools to create conceptual fashion pieces that juxtapose eras, such as this Nike-inspired women’s architectural cape tracksuit that also references the Renaissance era.
Photos: Cala2/12Design with Dall-E
In January 2023, supply chain startup Cala introduced a tool that incorporates Dall-E technology. Users input prompts, then can receive design suggestions, preview it as an illustration or photorealistic depiction and then tweak the design before producing it physically
Photo: Adore Me3/12Product descriptions
Lingerie brand Adore Me (recently acquired by Victoria’s Secret) has been using a proprietary generative AI tool to help with SEO-optimised product descriptions for the past year. This saves about 30 hours a month on copywriting and has contributed to an increase in non-branded organic traffic of 40 per cent.
[Correction: Clarifies that the 40 per cent increase in traffic was not total website traffic. 8 June, 2023.]
Photo: Levi’s4/12Generating e-commerce models
In March 2023, Levi’s parent LS&Co announced a partnership with digital fashion studio Lalaland.ai to test how the retailer might use customised, AI-generated models to display online products on a larger range and variety of people.
Photo: Zalando5/12Digital fashion assistants
In April 2023, German e-tailer Zalando began testing a “fashion assistant” powered by ChatGPT on its app and website, which will inform what customers need from a virtual assistant. Customers can ask prompts to generate answers that are designed to make the shopping process more “intuitive and natural”.
Photo: Merchat AI6/12Product receommendations
Peer-to-peer marketplace Mercari launched a shopping assistant that uses ChatGPT called Merchat AI in April 2023. It responds to customer-given prompts with follow-up questions to understand preferences such as brand, colour and style needs, before it makes recommendations.
Photo: Revolve7/12Ad campaigns
Fashion retailer Revolve used generative art tools to create an imaginative ad campaign in April 2023 that would have normally been unable to execute.
Photo: Courtesy of Rachel Koukal8/12Runway imagery
Graphic designer and art director Rachel Koukal’s collectsion, “Soft Apocalypse”, was made using the software Midjourney and shown during AI Fashion Week in April 2023. Koukal designed it to be size- and body-type inclusive.
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Photo: Lisa Eldridge9/12Creative prompts
After asking ChatGPT to design a makeup look for her in April 2023, makeup artist Lisa Eldridge followed the instructions exactly, including product shades and applications. It suggested products that had not yet launched and techniques she had not yet explored.
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Photo: Threekit10/123D design
In April 2023, 3D product creation company Threekit launched ThreekitGPT, a tool that enables product customisation via AI chat that can be tied to a brand’s product catalogue. This means that in-house designers, or customers, can use the tool to customise products within the bounds of what the brand can actually create.
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Photo: Lucyd11/12Voice assistants
In April 2023, Innovative Eyewear Inc. (which makes smart eyewear for Lucyd, Nautica and Eddie Bauer) introduced 15 styles of smart glasses under the Lucyd label that are enabled with ChatGPT. Wearers can ask questions and receive answers via microphones and stereo speakers that are connected to ChatGPT (in addition to listening to music and taking calls).
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Photo: Prada Beauty12/12Blended photoshoots
In April and May of 2023, Prada Beauty displayed fragrance bottle images on its Instagram account that were made using a combination of photography by Johann Besse and then manipulated using generative AI.
