Shiri Gil
May 25, 2024
Integrating AI into Fashion Curriculum: Preparing the Next Generation of Designers
4 Minutes read
Three days ago, the Fashion Institute of Technology celebrated the graduation of its 2024 class.
FIT was a pioneer in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its curriculum, ensuring that its graduates are well-equipped to navigate and innovate in the rapidly evolving fashion industry.
Incorporating AI into fashion education is not just beneficial—it's essential. By automating repetitive tasks, AI allows designers to focus more on their creativity. AI-powered design software can suggest color palettes, analyze and combine fabrics, and generate design concepts based on current trends, reducing processes like fabric sourcing from months to just one day. Machine learning and data analytics equip future designers with the skills necessary to thrive, providing a competitive edge that enables them to predict trends, optimize supply chains, and personalize customer experiences more effectively. Without these skills, new graduates risk being left behind in an industry that increasingly values technological proficiency.
Learning AI by the next generation of fashion leaders is also a necessity in promoting sustainability. By optimizing supply chains, predicting demand accurately, and reducing waste, AI helps designers adopt more sustainable practices. Educating students about these technologies prepares them to contribute to a more environmentally friendly industry, a crucial consideration as the fashion world grapples with its environmental impact.
Back in 2018, FIT partnered with IBM and Tommy Hilfiger on a groundbreaking project that explored how AI could enhance design inspiration and improve manufacturing and marketing processes. This collaboration allowed students to utilize IBM Research’s AI capabilities to analyze vast datasets and create innovative designs based on real-time consumer preferences. This initiative set a precedent for the incorporation of advanced technologies in fashion education.
Student designers used insights gained from the IBM collaboration to create garments that incorporate advanced tech capabilities. For instance, Grace McCarty's plaid tech jacket, which features color-changing fibers responsive to social media trends, and amy taehwa E. SolarActive™ sundress, made with solar-reactive fabric, demonstrate the transformative potential of AI in design.
Michael Ferraro, Executive Director of the FIT/Infor Design and Tech Lab, emphasized the project’s impact: “The machine-learning analysis gave us insights about the Tommy Hilfiger DNA that we couldn’t begin to consume or understand with the human mind.” This collaboration showcases how AI can bridge the gap between the runway and the consumer, creating personalized and sustainable fashion.
London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London (LCF) has been a pioneer in recognizing the potential of digital fashion. Since 2015, LCF's Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA) has collaborated with Microsoft to leverage emerging technologies. Their project, the Digital Human Stylist, launched in partnership with Reactive Reality, exemplifies this innovative spirit. This AI-powered personal stylist creates a digital avatar that learns and predicts a user’s style preferences, providing personalized outfit suggestions based on their wardrobe, calendar, and even the weather.
Matthew Drinkwater, head of the Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA) at London College of Fashion, asserts that AI should be a fundamental part of fashion education. 'Artificial intelligence is crucial for creating a more immersive future, so students must engage with these tools', he states.
London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London launched the FIA initiative in 2013 to ensure students stay at the cutting edge of technology and has been incorporating AI into its courses since 2019. This forward-thinking approach equips students with the skills they need to innovate and excel in the dynamic fashion industry.
Just as tools like ChatGPT have opened new worlds of opportunities for students across various disciplines, AI in fashion education offers unparalleled possibilities for creativity, sustainability, and industry leadership.
Fashion schools must embrace this technological shift to prepare students for a future where AI-driven insights and innovations are the norm. By integrating AI into their programs, institutions like FIT and LCF ensure that their graduates are not only ready to enter the industry but to lead it into a new era of innovation and sustainability.
The writer, Shiri Gil, is the VP of Marketing in fabricDNA - a startup company that develops AI technology for instant fabric identification & sourcing.
