AI Cannot Replace the Creativity of Fashion Designers

Although AI is changing the fashion industry, the "original creativity" of designers cannot be replaced by rapidly developing technology, according to a pioneering project leader.

Fashion innovator Calvin Wong has developed the world's first designer-led AI system - the Fashion Interactive Design Assistant (AiDA).

The system uses image recognition technology to speed up the design process from initial sketches to fashion shows.

"Designers have their own fabric prints, patterns, color schemes, initial sketches, etc. They upload these images, and then our AI system can recognize these design elements and provide more design suggestions for designers to improve and modify the original design," Wong said.

Wong said AiDA's special advantage is that it can present "all possible combinations" for designers to consider, which is impossible in the current design process.

Last December, an exhibition at the M+ Museum in Hong Kong showcased a series of works developed using this tool by 14 designers.

However, Wong emphasized that this is about "facilitating the inspiration of designers" rather than "using AI to take over the work and creativity of designers."

Naren Barfield, Vice President of the Royal College of Art, predicts that AI's impact on the fashion industry will be "transformative."

"From conceptualization and prototyping to manufacturing, distribution, and ultimately recycling, the impact will be enormous," he said.

So-called personalization has already been used to improve user experience, provide better product recommendations, and more efficient searches, helping shoppers quickly and easily find what they want.

But with the development of technology, more and more highly specialized tools are being developed.

AiDA is just one of the projects in the AidLab project, which was showcased in the UK capital before London Fashion Week.

Other projects include the Neo Couture project, which aims to digitize the professional skills and techniques of tailors using advanced technology.

Due to a talent shortage in the UK fashion industry, they are creating an AI-assisted training system to help teach advanced tailoring techniques.

Another project aims to improve sustainability and reduce the approximately 92 million metric tons of discarded clothing each year.

One potential use of the AI Loupe project is to help designers address the issue of leftover fabric usage.

Designers can take photos of the remaining fabric and then use the tool to retrieve missing details and assess whether they are suitable for their designs.

"It uses the camera as an index, and the material is a QR code that brings information," said Chipp Jansen, a researcher on the project.

Retaining Control

However, the future of AI in the fashion design field is not clear.

Hillary Taymour, founder of the New York brand Collina Strada, admitted this week that she and her team used the AI image generator Midjourney to create their collection showcased at New York Fashion Week.

Although Taymour only used the brand's own past images to help generate the Spring/Summer 2024 collection, potential legal issues may temporarily prevent AI-generated clothing from appearing on the runway.

Rebecca Lewin, Senior Curator at the Design Museum in London, said, "Regarding fashion designed by AI, I expect to hear designers' concerns about intellectual property."

"Because any content returned will be extracted from published images, a lot of work is needed to regulate this."

Barfield said this field will be tricky, but he expects the issue to be resolved through test cases and legislation.

"I don't know how quickly AI will become a transformative factor, but if it brings a competitive advantage to companies, I think they will invest in and adopt it quickly," he said.

He said the only thing currently holding companies back is the need for infrastructure that requires significant investment. Once the investment is completed, they can reduce material waste and improve production efficiency.

As for designers' concerns that AI may become a substitute for the human creative process, he said the key is who controls the decision-making.

He said that by using "genetic algorithms," you can start with one design and use software to generate a continuous stream of designs. The computer can produce 1,000 different looks, which could take weeks to draw by hand.

On the other hand, if designers retain control, AI can greatly benefit them by significantly speeding up the design process, "rather than replacing them in making decisions."