TL;DR:
- First-ever AI Fashion Week debuts in NYC, entering a new era of creation.
- Using AI software, designers have crafted entire collections of 15-30 looks, designed entirely virtually.
- Collections will be presented on digital models, providing a unique and immersive experience for the audience.
- The public can participate in the voting process online, with a winner to be announced in May.
- Physical garments of the winner will be available for purchase at e-commerce giant, Revolve.
- Over 400 people from all over the world have entered the competition, including local designers from New York.
- Fran, a civil rights lawyer in New York, has become a hobbyist in AI art and has gained nearly 9,000 followers on Instagram.
- Fran sees AI as an incredible tool that is already having a significant impact on the world and believes it will provide new opportunities and tools for creatives and companies.
- AI provides a more efficient way to create fashion editorials that would be difficult to produce without the technology.
- The goal of AI Fashion Week is to provide a platform to creatives who have access to technology but may not have the resources to create full-blown collections.
Main AI News:
The Fashion Industry is about to enter a new realm of creation with the debut of the first-ever AI Fashion Week in NYC. Using buzzy AI software like Midjourney, designers have crafted entire collections consisting of 15 to 30 looks, designed entirely virtually. These collections will be presented on digital models walking down the runway, providing a unique, immersive experience for the audience.
AI Fashion Week, which takes place at the same location as New York Fashion Week, Soho’s Spring Studios, will showcase a selected number of collections on screens open to the public starting on Friday. The public can vote online starting Thursday, with legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath among the judges to determine the winner, which will be announced in May.
A design from competitor FAISH. FAISH/Courtesy of AIFW. Source: NYP Holdings
The winning collection’s physical garments will be available for purchase at e-commerce giant Revolve, thanks to the support of a fashion/tech incubator in partnership with the Revolve Group. Over 400 entrants from all over the world, including local designers from New York, have entered the competition, and the majority of them are female and well-versed in cutting-edge AI software, with a wide age range from 18 to 65 years old.
AI Fashion Week aims to pave the way for a new era of creation and showcase the potential of AI in the fashion industry. It promises to make big waves in the fashion world and push the boundaries of creativity in AI and fashion.
Leilanni Todd’s look. Leilanni Todd/Courtesy of AIFW. Source: NYP Holdings
Fran, a seasoned civil rights lawyer in New York, has found a new hobby in the world of AI art. Despite her busy schedule as a defense attorney for families of children with disabilities, Fran taught herself to use AI art generators like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Night Cafe and has been sharing her creations on Instagram for the past eight months, gaining nearly 9,000 followers.
The digital creator stumbled upon AI Fashion Week through a community of fashion designers, art directors, and AI artists on Instagram. Despite being a Gen Xer and having limited free time, Fran was drawn to AI as a creative outlet and has become adept at using technology.
Orbyline Cybexa’s collection. Orbyline Cybexa/Courtesy of AIFW. Source: NYP Holdings
Fran’s background in photography, having shot for New York Fashion Week and other editorials, played a role in her interest in AI. “As an ex-photographer, I was very interested in exploring the power of AI to create photorealistic and inspirational images,” she says. “I’m interested in fashion photography, but I’m a sweatpants person.”
While Fran never plans to leave her job as a lawyer, AI has become a fun and “easy” hobby for her. She acknowledges that it’s unusual for someone her age to become involved in such a complex new technology, but it was a natural progression for Fran and a great way to express her creative side.
One of Fran’s AI-generated images, featuring a woman in a bathtub surrounded by flowers, has received hundreds of likes on her @ai_fashion_photos page. This image started as an actual photo Fran took, which she later used as a starting point to create more elaborate editorials. Sometimes she blends her own images together or changes specific details, while other times, she works with Midjourney’s text prompt software to generate a scene from scratch.
@ai_fashion_photos’ runway. Instagram/ai_fashion_photos. Source: NYP Holdings
Fran acknowledges the risks that AI presents and believes it should not replace human creativity. However, she also sees it as an incredible tool that is already having a significant impact on the world. Foiret shares this sentiment, saying that AI will not necessarily replace jobs but will instead provide new opportunities and tools for creatives and companies.
AI also provides a more efficient way to create fashion editorials that would be difficult and challenging to produce without the technology. It’s much faster to generate AI art than to coordinate a fashion shoot, shoot the images, and perform post-production, Fran explains.
The inspiration behind AI Fashion Week is to give a platform to creatives who have access to technology but may not have the resources to create full-blown collections. Foiret says that they are thrilled to have created a strong AI fashion community and that this is just the beginning. The goal is to provide the opportunity for anyone using these tools to potentially become a future big fashion designer.
Janet Qiu’s creation. Janet Qiu/Courtesy of AIFW. Source: NYP Holdings
Conlcusion:
The debut of the first AI Fashion Week in NYC represents a new era of creativity in the fashion industry. The event showcases the potential of AI in fashion and provides a platform for creatives who may not have the resources to create full-blown collections. With over 400 people from around the world participating in the competition, the event promises to make big waves in the fashion world and push the boundaries of creativity in AI and fashion.
The use of AI in fashion provides a more efficient way to create fashion editorials that would be challenging to produce without technology, and it is seen by some as an incredible tool that will provide new opportunities and tools for creatives and companies rather than replace jobs.
