News/Fashion
Etsy sellers can now do business through ChatGPT as concern over being seen by customers grows
Etsy has launched a new ChatGPT integration allowing U.S. buyers to purchase products directly through OpenAI's platform without visiting Etsy's website. The partnership represents a significant shift in AI-powered commerce, but seller reactions remain divided as many worry about losing customer relationships and personalized connections that define their handmade businesses. What you should know: The integration is currently limited to sellers participating in Etsy's Offsite Ads program, which automatically enrolls most merchants but allows some to opt out. Only products from Offsite Ads participants can be purchased directly through ChatGPT, while others display a "visit" button redirecting to Etsy's main...
read Oct 13, 2025Google Meet adds 12 AI makeup filters for shyness-free video calls
Google Meet has introduced 12 AI-powered makeup filters that let users apply virtual cosmetics during video calls, building on the platform's existing "Touch-up" feature launched last year. The update addresses a common remote work challenge—looking presentable for unexpected video meetings—while positioning Google to compete more directly with beauty-focused video calling features. What you should know: The AI makeup system offers studio-style presets ranging from subtle professional looks to more creative options, with virtual foundation and lipstick that adapts to individual facial features.• The filters use AI to create natural-looking makeup that stays in place as users move around or drink...
read Sep 19, 2025Mary Kay unveils AI foundation tool that scans faces for a match, with 50+ shades with which to play
Mary Kay has launched an AI-powered Foundation Finder tool that uses facial scanning technology to help customers select the perfect foundation shade through their smartphone cameras. The service represents the iconic beauty brand's strategic push to attract younger, digitally-native consumers while maintaining its traditional consultant-based business model in an increasingly competitive cosmetics market. What you should know: The AI Foundation Finder analyzes approximately 150 facial data points to recommend the best foundation match from over 50 available shades across two finishes. Users can access the tool directly through marykay.com without downloading a separate app, making it accessible across devices. Early...
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How PacSun leverages influencers and turned 1 TikTok creator into $20M in denim sales
PacSun has launched its first Youth Advisory Council, featuring Gen Z and Gen Alpha influencers who will directly advise executives on product development, marketing campaigns, and business decisions. The move reflects CEO Brieane Olson's strategy to compete in the $114.6 billion denim market not through massive marketing spend, but by embedding customer voices into core business operations. The big picture: While competitors like American Eagle, Gap, and Levi's poured millions into celebrity-driven campaigns during 2025's "denim wars," PacSun is betting that real-time customer feedback and creator-driven insights will deliver better results than traditional marketing approaches. Who's on the council: The...
read Sep 5, 2025Vivrelle’s red carpet welcomes “Ella” AI stylist that combines borrowing, styling and shopping
Vivrelle has launched "Ella AI," an artificial intelligence stylist for its luxury accessories membership platform, developed in partnership with fashion retailers REVOLVE and FWRD. The AI tool creates a unified shopping experience by combining borrowing, resale, and traditional retail on a single platform, allowing customers to get outfit recommendations for specific occasions and purchase items seamlessly. How it works: Ella AI provides personalized styling recommendations based on specific occasions and requirements, then enables direct purchasing. Users can request outfits for particular events, such as "outfits for a girls' night in Miami," and the AI refines suggestions based on additional details...
read Sep 1, 2025Miss England adds AI avatar round though only 3 of 32 contestants participate
Miss England has introduced an AI round to its competition, where contestants create digital avatars of themselves to secure commercial bookings, with only three of 32 semi-finalists choosing to participate. The controversial addition reflects broader tensions in the modeling industry about AI's role in potentially replacing human workers while offering new digital opportunities. What you should know: The AI round requires contestants to work with technology company MirrorMe to create virtual avatars that can be pitched to brands and agencies. The contestant whose avatar secures the most commercial contracts advances to the final round. Models receive 10% of earnings from...
read Aug 29, 2025Faux Crew? Top fashion retailer faces backlash for allegedly using AI-generated models in ads
J.Crew is facing criticism for allegedly using AI-generated models in recent promotional images, with fashion observers pointing out visual distortions and clothing glitches that suggest artificial generation. The controversy highlights growing concerns about AI replacing human workers in the fashion and advertising industries, as brands experiment with synthetic imagery to cut costs. What you should know: Blackbird Spyplane, a fashion newsletter, first identified suspicious elements in J.Crew's recent promotional photos that appeared to contain AI-generated artifacts. The images featured visual distortions and clothing inconsistencies typical of AI-generated content, despite resembling traditional J.Crew advertising aesthetics. J.Crew has not explicitly confirmed or...
read Aug 21, 2025Dapper AI: MIT startup creates smart clothing that adjusts temperature
Ministry of Supply, an MIT-connected apparel company, is integrating artificial intelligence across both its smart clothing products and business operations. Founded by Gihan Amarasiriwardena, the company demonstrates how AI can transform traditional retail through advanced garment technology and intelligent business processes, offering a glimpse into the future of connected wearables. What you should know: Ministry of Supply creates performance apparel that combines style with AI-powered functionality and sustainable manufacturing practices. The company produces machine-washable clothing from recycled and low-carbon materials using energy-saving manufacturing models. All products undergo rigorous performance durability tests and are "backed by science," according to Amarasiriwardena. AI...
read Jul 28, 2025Vogue features first AI model in Guess ad, sparking industry, plus-size model backlash
Vogue magazine has featured its first AI-generated model in a Guess advertisement, sparking controversy about beauty standards and the future of the modeling industry. The flawless blonde AI model, created by Seraphinne Vallora, appears in the August print edition promoting Guess's summer collection, raising concerns about the impact on real models and consumers already struggling with unrealistic beauty ideals. What you should know: The AI model was created by Seraphinne Vallora after Guess co-founder Paul Marciano approached the company on Instagram. The creation process took up to a month and involved developing 10 draft models before selecting the final blonde...
read Jul 24, 2025Forget the dressing room, Google adds AI-generated clothing images and virtual try-on to shopping search
Google is launching two new AI-powered shopping features this fall: an AI Mode that generates synthetic clothing and decor images to help users find real products, and a virtual try-on tool that shows how clothes look on users' uploaded photos. These features represent Google's push to inject more generative AI into its Search shopping experience, potentially offering a more personalized and visually-driven approach to online retail discovery. What you should know: The AI Mode shopping feature will create synthetic images based on user descriptions to guide product recommendations more effectively than text-based searches alone.• Users searching for "a green flowy...
read Jul 7, 2025Chic meets geek as L’Oréal partners with Nvidia to scale AI across beauty operations
L'Oréal has announced a major partnership with Nvidia to supercharge its generative AI capabilities across its business operations, joining Nvidia's AI Enterprise microservices ecosystem. This collaboration positions the world's largest cosmetics company to leverage AI for everything from 3D product visualizations to personalized marketing, potentially reshaping how beauty brands design, market, and sell their products. What you should know: L'Oréal's partnership with Nvidia will scale its CreAItech Generative AI platform, which creates visualizations and assets from product models to reduce creative team workload. The collaboration enables automated design and rendering of images and 3D models for marketing and research purposes,...
read Jul 1, 2025David’s Bridal pivots from dresses to AI-powered wedding services
David's Bridal has launched Pearl Planner, an AI-powered wedding planning platform that represents the twice-bankrupt retailer's ambitious bet on technology to drive its survival. The beta platform uses knowledge graph architecture and multiple specialized AI models to automate wedding planning tasks, match brides with vendors, and generate personalized recommendations—transforming the 75-year-old company from a traditional dress retailer into a technology-enabled wedding services platform. The big picture: David's Bridal is using AI to fundamentally reinvent its business model, shifting from selling products to creating a platform that connects brides with wedding vendors while generating new revenue streams through subscriptions. The company...
read Jun 27, 2025Google’s Doppl app creates virtual try-on videos from any outfit
Google has launched Doppl, an experimental AI app that creates virtual try-on videos by digitally placing users into outfits found across the web. The app represents a significant expansion of Google's existing virtual try-on capabilities, allowing users to generate animated clips of themselves wearing clothes from any online source rather than just Google Shopping results. How it works: Users upload a full-body photo of themselves along with a screenshot of any outfit they find online to generate AI-powered try-on experiences. The app requires a bright, well-lit photo of the user in a natural pose without a hat, plus any outfit...
read Jun 27, 2025ThredUp uses AI to sort 80K daily items while cutting teams to just 4 (humans)
ThredUp, one of the world's largest online apparel resale platforms, is using artificial intelligence to manage the 70,000 to 80,000 items that flow through its platform daily. The company has moved beyond basic analytics to deploy generative AI across both customer-facing features and backend operations, demonstrating how even digital-native companies must evolve their AI strategies as they scale. The big picture: ThredUp processes over 100 million unique SKUs and has been using machine learning in production since 2015, but generative AI has transformed how the company handles both search functionality and operational sorting. How it works: The company overhauled its...
read Jun 25, 2025Startup plans to design AI-powered shoes in space using orbital satellite
A footwear startup is partnering with two space companies to design shoes in orbit using AI automation, marking an unusual intersection of fashion technology and space-based manufacturing. The mission aims to demonstrate how artificial intelligence and blockchain operations could become more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable when conducted in space rather than on Earth. The big picture: OrbitsEdge, which supports AI and blockchain applications, and Copernic Space, a digital marketplace for space assets, plan to launch a solar- and battery-powered satellite equipped with AI-powered computers to automatically generate shoe designs for the Syntilay brand. Why this matters: The project represents an...
read Apr 25, 2025Fashion, Future, Forward: CalArts and Chanel unveil AI-focused art and tech center
The partnership between CalArts and Chanel represents a significant investment in the intersection of art and technology, establishing a dedicated center focused on AI and digital imaging. This collaboration signals growing recognition that artists play a crucial role in shaping technological development, particularly in the AI era where creative input can help guide more thoughtful and imaginative applications of emerging tools. The big picture: Chanel is funding a new Center for Artists and Technology at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) to begin operations in fall 2025, focusing on AI, machine learning, and digital imaging. The Santa Clarita-based center...
read Mar 31, 2025H&M’s digital twin models spark debate over AI’s impact on fashion workers
Red carpets, red flags? H&M's plan to create digital twins of fashion models signals a significant shift in how the fashion industry is embracing AI technology. This development highlights the tension between technological innovation and labor rights in creative industries, raising important questions about consent, compensation, and the future of human work in an increasingly AI-driven world. The big picture: Fashion retail giant H&M plans to create 30 "digital twins" of its models in 2025, joining other major brands experimenting with AI-generated imagery in fashion. The company claims models would own the rights to their digital replicas and "get paid...
read Mar 13, 2025Patronus AI launches Gemini-powered tool to detect handcrafted hallucinations for Etsy
Patronus AI is revolutionizing AI evaluation with the launch of its multimodal large language model-as-a-judge technology, specifically designed to assess AI systems that process images and generate text. This innovation addresses critical challenges in detecting hallucinations and reliability issues in multimodal AI applications, with Etsy already implementing the technology to verify caption accuracy across its vast marketplace of handmade and vintage products. The big picture: Patronus AI has created Judge-Image, an industry-first evaluation tool built on Google's Gemini model to help developers ensure accuracy in AI-generated image captions and descriptions. The technology enables automatic evaluation of image captions based on...
read Mar 5, 2025Augmented retail: Google morphs online shopping with AI that visualizes clothing before you buy
Google is rapidly transforming search into a personalized shopping experience through AI-powered visual tools. The company's new features allow users to visualize clothing and makeup products before purchasing, addressing a common consumer pain point where shoppers struggle to find items matching their mental vision. These developments represent a significant evolution in Google's AI integration strategy, making online shopping more intuitive while keeping users within Google's ecosystem rather than navigating to specialized retailer sites. The big picture: Google has launched "vision match," an AI tool that generates images based on detailed clothing descriptions and then suggests similar purchasable items. Mobile users...
read Feb 12, 2025Convincing AI voice scam targeting CEOs leads to cash freeze by Italian police, fraudsters get the boot
The rapid evolution of AI technology has enabled sophisticated voice cloning scams, as demonstrated by a recent high-profile fraud case in Italy targeting prominent business figures. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto's voice was artificially replicated by scammers who used it to solicit urgent financial transfers under the guise of rescuing kidnapped journalists. The scam's methodology: Fraudsters orchestrated an elaborate scheme involving fake calls from government offices and AI-generated voice impersonation of Italy's Defense Minister. The scammers posed as defense ministry officials, making calls that appeared to originate from Rome government offices They claimed urgent funds were needed to secure the release...
read Jan 31, 2025Poshmark’s new AI tool simplifies secondhand selling
Key Development: Poshmark is launching Smart List AI, an artificial intelligence tool that enables sellers to create detailed product listings from a single photo, with the initial rollout planned for iOS users in the U.S. and Canada in February 2025. Core Functionality; Smart List AI automates the listing creation process by generating comprehensive product descriptions and details from uploaded photos. The AI system streamlines what has traditionally been a manual and time-consuming process for sellers The technology optimizes product descriptions to improve listing quality and effectiveness Sellers can create complete listings using just one photograph of their item Strategic Context:...
read Jan 19, 2025How Meta’s Segment Anything model is advancing the future of digital fashion
In a recent blog post on Meta, digital artist Josephine Miller demonstrated how Meta's Segment Anything 2 model is enabling real-time virtual fashion transformations. The innovation: Using Meta's Segment Anything 2 (SAM 2) model and other AI tools, London-based XR creative designer Josephine Miller creates videos where clothing appears to change colors and patterns instantly. Miller showcased the technology in an Instagram post featuring a gold evening gown that transforms through various designs and colors The project aims to demonstrate how digital fashion can reduce reliance on fast fashion while promoting sustainability The process combines ComfyUI, an open source stable...
read Jan 18, 2025Amazon is hoping its new AI-powered virtual fitting features will prevent returns
Amazon will discontinue its "Try Before You Buy" clothing program at the end of January 2025, replacing it with AI-powered virtual fitting solutions including augmented reality try-ons and size recommendations. Program transition details: Amazon's significant change in clothing retail strategy marks a shift from physical to digital try-on experiences. The "Try Before You Buy" program, launched in 2017 as Prime Wardrobe, allowed customers to order up to six items and only pay for what they kept The program will officially end in January 2025, though Amazon's standard return policy for apparel remains in place Amazon cites limited scalability of the...
read Dec 30, 2024Jimmy Choo shares his views on the future of AI in fashion
Jimmy Choo has launched an e-commerce platform featuring fashion collections designed by students and graduates of his JCA London Fashion Academy, marking a significant step in fashion education and retail innovation. Program Foundation: The JCA London Fashion Academy, established by Choo in 2021, offers specialized degrees combining design expertise with entrepreneurial skills. The curriculum integrates traditional fashion design with essential business competencies, including marketing, public relations, and business planning Students receive hands-on experience in both creative and commercial aspects of fashion A physical JCA Retail Gallery in London serves as a temporary showcase for student collections Sustainable Fashion Initiative: The...
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