If Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is here to stay, what kind of impact will it have in the world of fashion and style? Are the days of fashion magazines and buyers setting the seasonal trends over? Are Fashion Week events being the benchmark of how designers create collections a thing of the past?
AI and advancements in technology are poised to change the fashion industry in unprecedented ways, alongside a need to transition to more sustainable materials and production. But, what does this mean for the future of fashion? Can we use AI to predict what styles or trends we might be wearing?
Interested in what the future of the fashion industry may look like, experts at JOOR delved into the data and utilized AI image generation to visualize key predictions. They asked Chat GPT to forecast future fashion based on how fashion has changed through time. JOOR then examined Google search data and projected industry growth data to monitor how interest in these core areas have changed over the last 5 years, to gain an insight into the ones which have increased the most.
They then also looked at emerging fashion trends on TikTok over the past year, based on hashtag views, to establish what has influenced elements of today’s fashion and what could influence the fashion of tomorrow. They utilized a combination of the above insights to develop prompts that would generate AI imagery using the platform Midjourney.
Trends for the Fashion Industry and Businesses
Wearables in Fashion
Wearables in fashion are set to be one of the largest growing markets by 2027, moving beyond more traditional smart watches to creating garments that can read body metrics through sensors that are not visible to the human eye. Demonstrated within the AI imagery for the purpose of visibility, these sensors allow the wearer to track health metrics, as well as environmental triggers like heatwaves that may have an impact on the body. These can be incorporated into activewear, streetwear, and even formal wear.
AI in Retail
AI shopping experience: AI can create a more personalised shopping experience for consumers. Retailers could reduce the need to stock physical items, instead allowing the consumer to select material, style and color within an online software, and then 3D-print this to their own dimensions. Brands could also use it to establish best-selling elements of previous styles and utilise these within upcoming pieces.
Virtual try on: In addition to creating products that fit their dimensions, consumers could also virtually try on ready-to-wear items. Current virtual try on is available via AR filters, however the future of this could include technology fitted into mirrors, whereby customers self-select the jacket or other item of clothing they’d like to try and then just need to look in the mirror to find the best fit for them.
Circular Fashion
The circular fashion economy is expected to increase 96% by 2026, from its valuation in 2022, to 120 billion US dollars. While some brands are already offering the ability to have garments fixed in-store, or returned and recycled, this is predicted to transition with the development of advancing technology. JOOR sees the circular fashion economy as having the potential to become much more mainstream, using AI to visualise a store returns process whereby the garment is recycled, redesigned based on new trends, and/or reprinted.
Sustainable Fashion
Experts predict that in the coming decades, the vast majority of our clothing will consist of sustainable materials – for example mushroom-based leather alternatives. Environmental impact can be reduced by altering the materials we utilize in clothing as well as addressing processes. One way to do this is through consumers ‘producing’ their own clothing by leveraging existing brand styles through AI programs and then 3D printing this in-store to meet their sizing requirements. These fit the consumers perfectly, minimizing the need for returns, and when the consumer no longer likes the item or changes size, they can return the item to the store for a fee and then reprint this to generate a new garment.
Trends for Consumers
Nostalgia Revival
TikTok data shows that some of the most popular fashion trends in 2023 are Y2K with 23.1 billion views, and ‘90s Aesthetic’ with 3.2 billion views. Nostalgia in fashion typically occurs on a 20-year cycle, and with the rise of social media platforms it has become easier than ever before to consult trends of former periods as a reference and draw from the metaphorical archives. In 20 years time, this could look like younger generations drawing on fashion that is typical of the 2020’s, whether that’s the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic or more of a ‘barbiecore’ meets ‘fairycore’ twist, or even a look that’s more reflective of the loungewear and face masks popularised by the pandemic.
Cultural Fusion
As we continue to become a more globally-connected world, JOOR predicts we see more of a fusion between the aesthetics of different cultures’ clothing. We’re likely to see people accumulating clothing that represents cultures they’ve grown up around, or areas where they’ve spent a lot of time, or even from countries that feel most like home. Not only that, but shared insights into the intention behind clothing, the psychology behind how clothing makes us feel and how it’s intended to make us feel, and production elements, will permeate.
Gender Neutral Fashion
Research has shown that in the UK, over three quarters of shoppers are considering gender neutral fashion, with experts at JOOR predicting this market will continue to flourish. Designers are likely to invest more time into establishing pieces that are truly genderless that fits the shape of the person. For example, by utilizing fabrics that lend itself to different body types, anyone can wear this clothing in a flattering way.
“Predicting the future of fashion is never definite; the landscape is influenced by advancing technology and innovation, social issues and occasions and the cultural mood of a certain point in time,” a spokesperson from JOOR commented in a press release.
Trends like ‘Barbiecore’ and ‘Regencycore’ on TikTok have been established due to triggers within the media, namely this year’s Barbie movie and the popularity of the Netflix Series, Bridgerton. Quiet luxury has also been long standing but evoked by the series Succession. We don’t know what kind of influence we will see in 20 years time exactly, but we can be sure to see some kind of nostalgic revival, alongside more advanced developing trends.”
These are of course only predicted trends based on existing information out in the world, but based on what images generated, it is fascinating to see what was created, and how AI may impact the way we reject or embrace trends predictions going forward.
