3.6 AI & Fashion Design

AI plays a crucial role in the circular fashion design revolution by contributing to various aspects of the fashion industry’s transformation toward sustainability. Here are key roles that AI plays in the circular fashion design revolution:

• Design Assistance: AI tools aid designers in creating products with a longer lifespan and easier recyclability. By generating insights from data on consumer preferences, trends, and environmental impact, AI supports the design of fashion items that align with circular principles.
• Personalization and Customization: AI enables personalized fashion experiences, reducing the likelihood of overproduction and waste by creating products tailored to individual preferences. This shift toward on-demand and customized production contributes to a more sustainable and circular approach.
• Waste Reduction and Recycling: AI-powered robotics and automation can improve sorting and recycling processes, making it more efficient to separate and repurpose materials from discarded clothing. This contributes to closing the loop in the fashion industry by minimizing waste and maximizing the reuse of materials.
• Consumer Engagement: AI facilitates communication between brands and consumers, educating them about sustainable practices and encouraging responsible purchasing behavior. Virtual assistants and chatbots can provide information on eco-friendly choices, driving awareness and supporting a circular fashion culture.
• Predictive Maintenance: In the context of fashion, AI can predict when clothing items may require maintenance or repair, encouraging consumers to extend the life of their garments. This predictive capability contributes to the overall goal of promoting a circular model of consumption.

Best practices related to AI and Fashion Design

Best practices: Prisma, MetawearX, Heuritech x New Balance, Stylumia, The New Black

Name:	PRISMA
Link:	https://www.prismaprato.it/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0asJ70eFDU
Industry sector:	AI & Digitalization in fashion
Location:	Prato – Tuscany – Italy
Description:	In the fashion district of Prato, a structure called “Casa delle Tecnologie PRISMA – PRato Industrial SMart Accelerator” has been created to carry out technology transfer activities for fashion companies. Thanks to research projects with universities and research centers, consultancy and support of startups in the ICT sector, PRISMA exploits the innovative potential of emerging technologies – Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and 5G – to apply them to the textile-fashion and Made in Italy sector.
Impact in numbers:	What is the measured impact of this practice? (provide information if possible, if not please delete this row)
Environmental benefits:	The technology transfer from the Research and Development Centre to the companies of the Prato district favours the transition of made in Italy manufacturing towards the new models of sustainable development required by the EU and the UN 2030 Agenda, protecting the quality and specificity of the Italian manufacturing system.
Social & economic benefits:	PRISMA promotes competitiveness and employment in the fashion supply chain, through technological transfer of innovations from research and development centers to companies in the made in Italy textile-fashion sector with specific support and accompanying measures.
Technological & innovative benefits:	PRISMA has activated a series of laboratories:1. Internet of Things (IoT) Lab2. Blockchain Lab (BC)3. 5G laboratory, advanced sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI)The laboratory supports companies on the use of the 5G network and artificial intelligence to connect multiple devices in order to process, monitor, analyze and diagnose production processes, through the use of modern software capable of learning and making predictions.

Name:	MetawearX
Link:	https://sport2715.wordpress.com/
Industry sector:	AI & Fashion Design
Location:	Bucharest, Romania
Description:	MetaWear X, created by AI Digital Artist Alexandra Serban, combines AI technology with fashion design. It offers services like AI-generated avatars, AI fashion designs, and virtual outfit curation, specifically targeting influencers and celebrities. The platform also features AI-driven fashion innovation and sustainability.
Impact in numbers:	Alexandra’s AI fashion design was selected by Tommy Hilfiger in a DressX competition.
Environmental benefits:	Emphasizes sustainability by promoting “on-demand” fashion, reducing overproduction and waste.
Social & economic benefits:	Offers innovative fashion solutions, enhances digital presence for influencers and celebrities, and potentially influences fashion retail and e-commerce.
Technological & innovative benefits:	Integrates AI in fashion design, enabling virtual try-ons, personalized styling, and digital content creation. The platform showcases a new realm of AI-driven fashion creation and personalization.

Name:	Heuritech x New Balance
Link:	https://www.heuritech.com/articles/industry-insights/luxury-teams-up-with-sports/ https://d3.harvard.edu/platform-digit/submission/heuritech-ai-for-fashion-trends/ https://www.heuritech.com/
Industry sector:	AI & Fashion Design
Location:	Paris, France
Description:	Heuritech, a Paris-based fashion technology company, specializes in AI-driven trend forecasting. It leveraged its advanced machine learning algorithms to analyze vast amounts of social media data for New Balance, providing insights into fashion trends and market demands. This collaboration enabled New Balance to predictably plan a significant portion of its collection.
Impact in numbers:	Heuritech processes 3 million social media images and videos each day, analyzing over 2000 fashion details to provide trend forecasts. Heuritech’s AI technology helped New Balance predict up to 80% of their collection, allowing the design team more creative freedom for the remaining 20%.
Environmental benefits:	The collaboration with New Balance showcased how Heuritech’s trend forecasting can lead to more efficient production, reduced overstock, and less waste by aligning product offerings more closely with consumer trends.
Social & economic benefits:	For New Balance, Heuritech’s insights into fashion trends and consumer preferences enabled more informed decision-making, leading to better inventory management and market responsiveness.
Technological & innovative technologies	​Heuritech’s use of AI in fashion forecasting represents a significant technological advancement, moving away from traditional forecasting methods to real-time, dynamic analysis of consumer preferences as seen on social media.

Name:	Stylumia AI
Link:	https://www.stylumia.ai/
Industry sector:	AI & Fashion Design
Location:	Headquartered in Bangalore, India, with global operations including offices in the UK and the US
Description:	Stylumia is a SaaS company that provides AI-driven fashion analytics tools to apparel companies. Its AI-based solutions offer trend forecasting, demand prediction, and design generation. Stylumia’s platforms, including Stylumia C.IT, Stylumia Apollo, and Stylumia Store.Y, address core questions in the apparel business related to trend adoption, production quantities, and distribution strategies.
Impact in numbers:	The company’s AI/ML models analyze publicly available data across various fashion websites and social media to rank product trends. Clients have reported up to 30% improvement in prediction accuracy and a significant increase in sales and revenue.
Environmental benefits:	By improving demand forecasting and reducing excess inventory, Stylumia helps reduce the carbon footprint of its clients, contributing to more sustainable fashion practices.
Social & economic benefits:	Stylumia aids fashion companies in making data-driven decisions, enhancing sales, and minimizing waste. This leads to more efficient operations and potentially higher profitability in the competitive fashion industry.
Technological & innovative benefits:	Stylumia’s proprietary AI/ML demand sensing engine is a significant technological innovation in the fashion industry. It helps in understanding and predicting consumer behavior, thereby aiding companies in creating more relevant and successful product ranges.

Name:	The New Black
Link:	https://thenewblack.ai/
Industry sector:	AI & Fashion Design
Location:	Paris, France
Description:	The New Black AI is a platform that assists designers and brands in creating unique and original designs for clothes, bags, or shoes. It utilizes advanced artificial intelligence to enhance creativity and bring ideas to life quickly. The AI generates unique designs, aiming to save time for designers by boosting the creative process.
Impact in numbers:	Community with over 10.000 AI fashion creators
Environmental benefits:	The use of AI in fashion design can lead to more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste by minimizing the need for physical samples and shortening production time.
Social & economic benefits:	The New Black AI could positively impact the fashion industry by democratizing design and providing tools that may lower the barriers for entry for new designers. Economically, it can reduce costs associated with the design process and help brands bring products to market faster.
Technological & innovative benefits:	The New Black AI represents an innovative approach to fashion design, leveraging machine learning algorithms to facilitate the creation of unique designs. This technology can significantly speed up the design process, from ideation to conceptualization, which traditionally takes a considerable amount of time.