Artificial Intelligence in the Fashion Industry

Artificial Intelligence has stepped to the Fashion Industry

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Fashion may at first seem like two vastly different aspects of our lives. One is the study of Intelligence in machines while the other is the manner in which we wear our clothes, hair, and other such accessories. However, like everything else in our modern lives, we see technology and digitization seep into every aspect of our lives and it should not be a surprise when technology entwines itself with fashion as well. As an industry worth at least 3 trillion USD it’s vital that the fashion industry augments itself and evolves as it progresses with the rest of the world. This leads us to technology within the fashion industry where AI has heralded a new age. AI has been instrumental in dealing with new fashion trends, identifying consumer needs, designing new fashions as well as being present in the production process. And as such, it has taken the industry to new heights. 

Fashion store with good database

Satisfying the Masses

A significant amount of people shop for clothing online. One survey observed that 80% of the population in the US utilize online shopping websites and applications. Of this, the fashion industry holds a significant number of consumers. In order to customize for each consumer, Artificial Intelligence is employed in a multitude of ways. From conversational home assistants like Google Home and Amazons Alexa to Image recognition where the user can photograph the item and the AI will search the internet for offers and display them to the user. This method can be used with screenshots as well.

In the physical retail market, innovations like the smart mirror enable the user to stand in front of a camera and display where they can browse through the store's selections and see how various clothes look on them without even wearing them first. The AI is able to fit the clothes on to a digital projection of the user. This facilitates the need for fit on rooms and the like thus reducing the hassle of the user while satisfying the users' fashion needs.

 

Designing the Fashion

When comes to designing fashion, we see AI scanning and analyzing current trends. An AI will scan user preferences and user data as well. This propagated through a vast network of questionnaires that the AI will present to a number of users across the internet and AI operated chatbots who operate as virtual assistants who would speak to the users in order to identify their needs. AI is also able to analyze the fashion market as well. This makes the AI capable of predicting the market along with user tastes. This allows the AI to predict the future of the market with respect to demand while also forecasting the trends of the future to an extent due to the fact that it can process much more of the data given by the users much more efficiently than the human brain. Therefore, the AI would already have options available for the designers to work on even before a season starts.

Additionally, the AI is able to compare and contrast designer designs with the market and indicate what designs might be more popular. AI is also capable of designing clothes by itself after analyzing popular trends and copying them. The designer can then in turn work on that particular product to make it better for the market.

 

Manufacturing the Product

In terms of manufacturing, we see a gradual incline in the use of AI and automated machinery in the industry. Machines that can execute procedures that require four people all at once have been introduced into the fashion industry. A few years ago, machines could not handle the dexterity or delicateness required to handle material such as cloth. But now, through machine learning, AI has eliminated those deficiencies and created a better, faster , and stronger alternative to physical labor. Due to customer personalization, a result of the predicting done by the AI, a significant drop has been observed in the number of returned products. Additionally, the AIs predictions allow companies to manage their inventory and identify what products sell better and what products do not.

 

AI has really transformed the fashion industry in all of its aspects. We can observe AI and its handiwork spread out through the entire production process up until the customer themselves have used the product. Customers are able to purchase products that have been customized for them with the current trends and season in mind. They are delivered straight from the machines in the factories through a web application and right to their very doorstep. AI has revolutionized the fashion industry by evolving and interconnecting every facet of the industry together.