Tag: AI in fashion

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Designer Kate Barton Teams Up with IBM and Fiducia AI for Immersive NYFW Presentation

Tanisha Cardozo

At New York Fashion Week, designer Kate Barton unveiled her latest collection with an innovative twist, merging high fashion with cutting-edge artificial intelligence. In collaboration with Fiducia AI and IBM, Barton introduced a multilingual AI agent built with IBM watsonx on IBM Cloud, offering guests an interactive and immersive runway experience.

The activation allows attendees to identify pieces from the collection in real time using a Visual AI lens powered by IBM watsonx. Beyond recognition, the tool answers questions in multiple languages via voice and text and enables photorealistic virtual try-ons, effectively creating what Barton describes as “a portal into the collection’s world” rather than deploying artificial intelligence for novelty alone.

Speaking ahead of the show in an interview with TechCrunch, Barton emphasised that technology has long been part of her creative thinking. She expressed interest in blending the real and the unreal to spark curiosity, explaining that today’s technology expands the world around the clothes and shapes how audiences enter the story behind a collection. For her, the objective was not automation but deeper engagement — creating moments that make viewers pause and look twice.

Ganesh Harinath, Founder and CEO of Fiducia AI, explained that the activation relied on IBM watsonx, IBM Cloud and IBM Cloud Object Storage. He noted that while model tuning was complex, the real challenge lay in orchestrating the system into a seamless, production-grade experience. The collaboration marks Barton’s continued experimentation with AI, following earlier technological integrations in past collections.

The broader fashion industry remains cautiously curious about artificial intelligence. Barton observed that many brands are quietly using AI in operational capacities but hesitate to showcase it publicly due to reputational concerns. She compared the hesitation to the early days of e-commerce, when luxury houses debated whether they should even launch websites — a question that later evolved into how effectively they used them.

Industry voices suggest that while AI adoption is growing, much of its current use remains surface-level, such as chatbots or internal productivity tools. Barton, however, envisions a future where AI enhances prototyping, visualisation and production decisions, while preserving the human craftsmanship that defines fashion. She has made it clear that technology must elevate, not erase, the people behind the work.

According to industry projections shared during the conversation, AI in fashion could become mainstream by 2028, with deeper operational integration by 2030. Leaders within IBM Consulting highlighted how connecting inspiration, product intelligence and real-time engagement can transform AI from a novelty feature into a strategic growth engine.

Yet for Barton, the ultimate goal remains clear. The future of fashion, she argues, is not automated fashion. It is fashion that embraces new tools to heighten craft, deepen storytelling and broaden access — without diminishing the human creativity that makes garments meaningful. At NYFW, that vision stepped confidently onto the runway, offering a glimpse of how art and algorithm might coexist in the next chapter of design.

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British Fashion Model Agents Association Petitions UK Government to Protect Models from AI Misuse

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Written by Intern Queeny George M.H, Team Allycaral

The British Fashion Model Agents Association (BFMA) and London-based agency The Milk Collective have released a petition urging the UK government to take legislative action to protect models from having their likeness exploited by artificial intelligence. The petition, which has already gathered more than 2,000 signatures, comes at a time when concerns are rising about AI-generated imagery threatening the future of real-world modelling careers.

In an era where brands can generate hyper-realistic images from scratch, many models worry that their unique appearances may soon be replicated digitally — without fair compensation, consent, or control. The BFMA, which represents over 5,000 models, stated in their petition that “clients should not be using AI to obtain, manipulate, distribute and potentially own models’ data without their consent and without following industry-agreed principles & practices.”

Historically, models have operated within clear contractual frameworks that define the terms of image usage, duration, and compensation. But AI disrupts this system, enabling content to be created and distributed without those protections. Brands like H&M have attempted a middle ground — partnering with select models to create digital twins, which they use in AI-generated campaigns. However, the larger industry lacks any universal safeguards.

Vogue recently faced criticism for running an AI-generated ad for Guess, highlighting the growing tension between creative innovation and ethical concerns. As the adoption of AI accelerates, the fear of replacement continues to grow, prompting many in the fashion industry to call for clearer guidelines and stronger legal frameworks.

The petition marks a significant moment in the dialogue around technology, image rights, and creative labour. It remains to be seen how regulators will respond, but the message from the modelling community is clear: AI must not erase the rights — or the livelihoods — of real people.