The Future of Fashion: Artificial Intelligence?
Fashion is about to change on all fronts. From designing an outfit to producing it, the back end of fashion will be dramatically more efficient, elevating fashion to levels we could previously only imagine. At the front end, the ease of buying exactly what you want, whenever and wherever you want it, is unprecedented. With this plethora of improvements, it is only natural to anticipate the betterment of fashion. However, a deeper look into this technological ‘progress’ suggests otherwise - AI, with its many promises, also presents predicaments.
With the capabilities of ‘big data,’ designers can now gain a range of competitive insights. Softwares such as Heuritech, used by the likes of Dior and Louis Vuitton, and IBM’s Watson used by Tommy Hilfiger and acclaimed Indian designers Shane and Falguni Peacock, analyze millions of images all over the internet and on social media to predict the most popular fashion trends, placing its users a step ahead in the race to create the next big fad. Amazon takes this a step further by innovating a technology capable of designing the ‘perfect’ outfit, carefully and selectively combining the latest and most popular trends into its design. Other technologies such as 3D printing, which is already used by Adidas, are also turning the wheels of a completely automated, on-demand fashion designing framework.
These technologies are slated to bring clothing a lot closer to perfection, but what is still uncertain is the definition of perfection itself. To many, fashion is rooted in creativity and intuition, and in human emotion and irrationality - essentially in the abstraction and imperfection of the human mind. These are facets that are inherently non-algorithmic and difficult to automate, and the risk of losing them to AI-driven mechanization is concerning.
It’s upon all of us to safeguard the role of human ingenuity in fashion, and to ensure that AI is used productively as a tool to facilitate the creative process of fashion designing, rather than replace it. These preventive measures also extend to the consumer front of fashion, where AI is assimilating with an equally rapid pace.
The presence of fashion has expanded significantly over time. One of the main agents of this expansion was e-commerce - the convenience of which has become indispensable to many of us, despite its many drawbacks. These drawbacks - including the overwhelming activity of sorting through the endless choices of clothing available online and the inability to properly gauge the fit and suitability of your purchases - are all about to be solved by AI, bringing the entirety of the personal shopping experience to the comfort of your home.
One technology that plays a significant part in bringing about this change is the ‘chatbot.’ Used by Nordstrom and in Macy’s On-Call pilot, these chatbots act as virtual assistants that answer all the queries of an online shopper as they navigate the online stores, generate recommendations tailored to the customer’s preferences within seconds, essentially making online shopping a conversation. This is taken a leap further by the all-new ‘AI Stylist.’ Apps such as StitchFix and Amazon’s EchoLook are personalised style guides that basically do the job of in-store sales assistants, only much better. They store information about the user’s size, budget and price, past preferences related to colour and style, a calendar of upcoming events and occasion type, general purchasing habits, all of which are part of a longer list of personalised filters that the user can choose to apply. The problem of fit is also about to be taken care of- DressingRoom, which is currently in the works, employs augmented reality technology to allow customers to test the fit of clothing before they buy them. Yet another app - ScreenShop, is a Kim Kardashian West-backed technology that allows you to buy items you see online, on social media and basically anywhere simply by taking a picture or screenshot of the desired item. This technology has already partnered with over 450 clothing brands including H&M and Bloomingdales and is making clothing stores omnipresent.
All in all, these technologies make physical, in-store shopping illogical and almost obsolete. However, creators of fashion AI do recognize the pleasure and familiarity of personal shopping, the ability to touch and feel what you buy and the welcoming ambience of many luxury and boutique stores. Technologies are therefore also being developed to enhance this experience as well. Virtual reality - powered mirrors such as Uniqlo’s Magic Mirror enable customers to try on clothes without getting physically undressed, and to see how they look in different colours, lightings, and with different shoes and accessories!
These technologies are undoubtedly exciting, and circumvent many of the frustrations we face when shopping - online and in-person. Yet, their capability of making the entire world a virtual shopping mall, giving rise to a generation of shopaholics who can indulge in impulse buys at any time and place, is unsettling.
Coupled with the upcoming trend-driven fashion designing process, these technologies cultivate a culture of conformity, in which fashion is rooted in standardized data rather than individuality and self-expression. Will the penetration of AI into our clothing habits still allow us to express our identities the way we do now? Will AI help set fashion free, or encumber it?
