What is
the future of Artificial Intelligence in fashion designing?
AI is altering the fashion industry from how it makes its products to promoting
and selling them regardless of the fashion industry’s traditional traits. AI
will also revolutionize the fashion industry across the board, including
designing, producing, shipping, marketing, and sales.
The
practice of AI is growing in the fashion designing sector by a large
percentage. Fashion designing stores without using AI are at risk of
insolvency. But, investors in AI for fashion industries have predicted growth
of up to $7.3 billion every year by this year.
In this
post, I’ll discuss how brands implement AI, its role in the fashion industry,
and merchandising platforms.
The Future Of Artificial Intelligence In Fashion Designing
We live in an era where technology is moving faster toward the fashion industry. When it comes to Artificial Intelligence or AI, it allows us to make and remake ideas by making some new things altogether.
It encourages creativity and aids this industry in many ways by opening many ideas you can implement with the help of this technology. Fashion brands will be a blessing to utilize throughout their ideas. The excellent speed of AI mathematical computing is beneficial for fashion supply chains.
The advancement of this algorithm indicates that AI will use forecasting and prediction. Its reading ability of big data with higher storage capacity will help retailers and fashion designers identify the customers’ needs. Brands and manufacturers need to consider these things to get the first mover’s benefits.
The future is bright in the fashion business, without any doubt. AI will create new jobs for people with the latest technological knowledge. But don’t forget that this automation process will affect many jobs accomplished by human labor.
The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) On the Current Fashion Market
AI has
made a good position in the current fashion market. And it’s growing faster than
you think. The global market size of this AI in the fashion industry is about
to grow by $1260M by 2024. It was just $228M in 2019, with a 40.8% of cargo
growth between 2019 and 2024.
Artificial
Intelligence's impact on the fashion industry shows strong growth because
customers demand personalized experiences. The inventory management demand also
plays a vital role in supporting AI growth in the fashion industry and fashion
market.
Moreover,
influence and encouragement on social media for AI in fashion industry are
widely used. AI helps this sector to recognize future
fashion trends as it can analyze the consumers’ behavior for purchasing.
Apart from making capacity for the vendors to revolve the fashion designing, AI helps to develop the fast fashion concept. All these points indicate that the impact of AI will occupy the fashion industry soon. And it’ll stay up to an indefinite lifespan.
Artificial Intelligence in the Apparel Industry – Some Examples
Unlike
other established industries, fashion technology has not blossomed and is a
relatively new field. However, Artificial Intelligence in fashion
retail has many prospects that have already been applied in
different sectors of the apparel industry.
Let’s
learn about some significant ways AI will change the apparel industry's
future.
Inventory
Management
Most
apparel brands get a massive pain regarding proper inventory management.
Retailers should have sufficient stock to run their businesses smoothly. But,
it must not be too much that it may drain their cash reserves for unsold
products.
As a
result, it needs to predict the potential demand for products to do it. Using AI
in the fashion industry helps them predict and choose the
possible options based on their previous data to forecast inventory management.
They
suggest possible solutions for the industry regarding their pain point.
AI-based tools help retailers to reduce their forecasting errors by about 50%.
Also, they can reduce inventory management errors by between 20% and 50%.
Connect With
Consumers
Many fashion retailers use AI chatbots, also known as intelligent assistants.
Using these chatbots, they’re establishing connections with their potential
consumers.
Also,
they provide recommendations
for products throughout those chatbots. They have become a scalable method
for retailers to serve their customers. It saves them money
and time on customer service while creating customer reliability.
For
instance, Levi’s has a chatbot named Levi’s Virtual Stylist.
It helps their customers to find the preferred pairs of jeans. Similarly, it
helps buyers to find the best outfit in terms of fit, stretch, and rise.
Apart
from providing a better customer shopping experience, chatbots can reduce
returns from shoppers by matching perfectly with their correct size while
purchasing.
Tailor
Recommendations
Brands can better predict their customers’ preferences by collecting and analyzing their purchase data. It can keep their costs low.
When
they use this data with AI tools, they help fashion
retailers to clothes that most
customers would like to buy. For instance, Stitch Fix AI helps fashion
subscribers tailor clothes and accessories.
This
AI-powered tool analyzes a customer profile to soft through thousands of
clothing combinations to handpick products that fit a customer's budget and
tastes well.
Reduction Of The
Returns
A
product’s return isn’t just a pain point for a retailer; it’s also irritating
for a shopper. It’s very accurate and frequently happens in the fashion
industry. A report from the IHL research stated
that retailers need to spend around $623 billion annually on unnecessary
returns.
Apparel
returns may take about 3X longer to check than other verticals, making
operational costs higher. Even worse, returned clothing in imperfect condition
may be considered non-sellable and damaged.
In this
case, AI tools help retailers’ customers to personalize their shopping experience.
They lead the buyers to make more detailed shopping decisions. Thus, AI
in fashion industry improves customers’ satisfaction and trims
down the return rate, saving money for the retailers.
Product Discovery
Improvement
Visual
searches make it easier for customers to find and buy their preferred products
using AI-powered tools. When a shopper snaps and uploads
an image of a needed product, AI recognizes it from different retailers and
sites.
It
works like Google Lens, which helps smartphone users take photos to
find and buy identical styles. Similarly, Pinterest uses an
AI-powered tool and Pinterest App camera to find similar pins. Fashion
designers and retailers widely use AI-based visual searches to make their items
more discoverable.
Apparel Designing
AI-powered
tools have significant potential for the fashion design industry. They have
performed faster automation its designing tasks and presentation processes
during COVID-18. And most of their users are still using the tools even after
that pandemic.
Initially,
AI solutions have paid attention to measurable business requirements.
Creativity is considerably trickier to measure and lag-prone.
However,
the possibility of using AI technology in fashion is
getting more evident because of more scientific research to extend new levels
and models of creativity. As a result, fashion designers and retailers will
make AI models their best companions very soon.
Can AI Replace Fashion Designers?
Top-rated
fashion designers intensely appreciate their creative capacity to create
contemporary designs. They must balance their designs with a blend of previous
references, brand relevance, and upcoming trends.
Now the
question is raised: can Artificial Intelligence for fashion replace
designers, or can it do better in fashion design than human beings? No, in some
instances, because many believe that AI has value to fashion designers.
It’s
valuable in how architects use a computer-aided design or auto CAD.
They’re using AI as it has a better capacity to process and maintain massive data records.
However, some people believe that
AI can be a better replacement for fashion designers. For example, Kenneth
Cukier, the Economist editor, thinks that AI will be challenging in replacing
fashion designers. It’s because AI isn’t just able to perform designing tasks
quickly; it also can predict more accurately.
Trending Technology Reshaping The Fashion Industry
The
fashion industry is one of the largest industries in the world. It has been
predicted that the industry will grow by about $3.3 trillion by 2030.
But,
it’s shocking that this industry hasn’t received any considerable change in the
past decades. Some brands and designers have embraced modern technologies to
break the barrier of manufacturing, marketing, and wearability.
Here
are some of the latest and trending technologies reshaping
the industry.
Artificial
intelligence (AI)
Recently,
a few fashion brands and designers started to use AI to develop their
customers’ shopping experiences. Also, they’re using AI to analyze data,
increase sales, predict trends, and provide better inventory management.
Stores
use chatbots and touchscreens to offer better customer support and
personalized product suggestions. You’ll not even find
fashion brands’ websites that aren’t applying some AI-powered chatting
technology. There are algorithms behind AI that helps to track the customers’
searches to meet their need providing the exact products.
Unlike
the traditional trend forecasting method, AI supports the users to provide
instant access to essential data for planning the correct styles and amounts.
Internet of things
(IoT)
IoT is
another trending technology in fashion industry. It
explains a network of objects, which are the ‘Things’ that come with technology
and allows connection and exchange of data through the internet.
It’s
another modern technology for the fashion industry to improve our daily lives
realities. IoT makes things simpler for data sharing, increasing productivity
and efficiency. Likewise, it helps to improve security and better inventory
management.
This
technology is growing faster with its bold footprint in different industries
like apparel. It’s boosting the fashion industry's capability with bright Artificial
Intelligence clothing, multi-functional designs, responsive
sportswear, wearable spaces, and many more.
Virtual Reality
(VR) & Augmented Reality (AR)
The
most exciting contributions of VR and AR are to combine with retail’s online
and physical worlds. It’s very accurate in the apparel industry as
the widespread use of VR
and AR facilitates customers to try on clothes virtually.
As a
result, the users get more accuracy because of their personalized measuring
ability. This also ensures that customers will tend to purchase the products
they feel are well fit after trying them virtually.
3D Printing
After
the arrival of the 3D printer, many apparel brands, including small and big,
have been seeking its feasibility for demand on the production line. Like
other trending technologies in fashion industry, 3D
printers will also make their position for creativity, customization, and
sustainability.
Many
clothing brands are adopting 3D printing in their production for accessories
and whole looks. Although it takes more time to design and print, it makes less
waste and saves time than other manufacturing methods.
By far,
it
reduces up to 35% of fabric waste during its manufacturing process than
other standard procedures. Iris Van Harpen, the Dutch designer, is the pioneer
in this 3D printing arena.
Apart
from the above-said trending technologies, others are also impacting the
fashion industry. Some of them include mobile ecommerce,
online vector editors, and blockchain.
Frequently Asked Question – FAQ
Can AI Predict
Fashion Trends?
AI can
predict city-based fashion trends. Brands and fashion designers are using it to
get an insight into the fashion industry to offer the best to their customers.
AI provides information by analyzing data and allows you to understand the
current trends and most popular styles and colors.
It allows the brands to set their marketing target to a specific place. Also,
it predicts what will be the famous outfits for people soon.
Can AI Design
Clothes?
Yes, it
can. AI fashion designer creates their designs
faster and cheaper way. It’s because it increases efficiency and speed.
Implementing AI in fashion design will depend on analyzing data loads and
recommending design adjustments. For example, MIT graduates Emily Salvador and
Pinar Yanardag are the first AI-aided fashion designers. They have designed
fashion for Glitch with three top collections. All those are as playful as
sophisticated.
Is AI The Future
Of Sustainable Fashion?
Yes, in
some ways. It’s because AI offers powerful tools to reduce fabric waste in
production. But, it’s still far away that AI will solve the whole sustainability
issue in the apparel industry.
What Fashion
Brands Use Artificial Intelligence?
Zara,
H&M, Nike, Dior, and Macy's are some leading brands using AI in their
clothing production. AI in the fashion industry can
provide value in almost all sections of the fashion industry, including
business operations, marketing, and eCommerce.
Is Digital Fashion
The Future?
Digital
fashion is AI-powered fashion that’s the future way of the fashion industry.
This digital fashion will make digital closets for
people that will not work less than a physical wardrobe. Many experts believe
that each clothing brand will maintain a digital fashion category. Indeed, the
meta closet is the future of the fashion industry.
What Is The Future
Of Fashion Forecasting?
AI is
the future of fashion forecasting, without any
doubt. It’s already started to provide good results to some brands and expand
faster. AI helps them design clothes by analyzing customer feedback and massive
research data. And finally, it suggests a design that would last for many
years.
Final Thoughts
What is
the future of Artificial Intelligence in fashion designing?
AI in the fashion industry has room for enhancement, even if other technologies
get down for everyone.
AI is
the future of most things related to the fashion business, from fashion
designing to trend predicting. It reduces errors and shows insight into
customers and styles.
Overall,
AI will be the game-changer in the fashion industry, ensuring the best customer
satisfaction. The future of fashion isn’t just bright; it’s also will be
eco-friendly and sustainable.