In a retail environment where nearly everything is available online and gratification is just about instant, brands are working to create a uniquely customized user experience while supply chains are striving to quickly provide unique and customized products. To do this, companies are working to get consumers what they want by offering the fastest, most intuitive and unique experiences.
In an attempt to shorten the lag time between designing, debuting, and manufacturing the styles of the season before they hit shelves, fashion is becoming more “intuitive” with the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Programs that gather information on shopping trends, placing data in an algorithm and churning out new styles without the help of a human designer. The calculations certainly aren’t foolproof — and, let’s face it, fashion will always have a need for a human brain — but the data provides a great starting point for designers to implement the most popular colors, materials, and more. If nothing else, AI is a tool that helps predict what trends get featured on runways in the future.
What’s more, AI can help shoppers get customized garments made just for them. Software is being developed that enables customers to put in their fashion preferences and measurements, virtually “try” on a series of garments fitting their criteria, then send their design to a 3D platform that assembles it all within a very short period of time.
We all know that top brands, including Zara, H&M, and Forever 21, have been able to draw in customers thanks to “fast fashion”, by reproducing trends as quickly as they surface. And more and more brands are beginning to do their own manufacturing — as opposed to outsourcing it — in order to churn out products faster and with more control. But perhaps more important than speed is making sure that each customer gets the customized experience that he or she wants. Short of ordering pre-tailored garments specific to an individual’s preferences (as mentioned above), companies are dabbling in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to deliver an instant, stimulating user experience.
The vision of the near future is that fashion collections will be experienced, whether at-home or in-store, through virtual reality viewers on interactive catalogues that pro- duce 3D images of inventory with the scan of a phone. Examples of these futuristic meth- ods are being implemented today, including Gap’s DressingRoom App (launched at CES last year), which helps online shoppers visually “try on” clothing before ordering it (reduc- ing returns); TopShop’s AR mirrors that put images of garments on the customers’ reflec- tions so they don’t have to take off their clothes; and Uniqlo’s “magic mirrors” that show shoppers what the garment they’re wearing looks like in different colors.
In our tech-focused world, speed and customization is the name of the game, and the fashion industry must follow suit. Thanks to innovations in tech and big dreamers translating sci-fi-like ideas into real-life experiences, the future of fashion is looking more digital every day.