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AI-FIRST FASHION

  • Writer: Raffles Jakarta
    Raffles Jakarta
  • Jan 2
  • 5 min read

The fashion world has changed a lot since 2026. Designers no longer work alone with their sketches, mood boards, and draping tables. Instead, they work with intelligent systems that can create silhouettes, predict what will be popular, and even simulate entire collections before a single piece of fabric is cut. This shift toward AI-First Fashion is already evident in top fashion houses, studios, and universities worldwide. For the next generation of designers attending schools like Raffles, collaborating with algorithms to create is becoming as essential as making patterns or conducting creative research.



The relationship between designer and machine has shifted from a simple tool-user interaction to a dynamic creative partnership. Brands like Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Nike are heavily leveraging AI-assisted design to accelerate creativity and foster innovation. At Balenciaga's digital concept lab, teams use decades-old photos to train deep learning models to generate silhouettes that are both strange and familiar. Creative directors now start with machine-generated variations that push traditional aesthetics while remaining true to the brand's DNA. This approach enables faster, bolder exploration of ideas beyond manual limits.



AI plays a crucial role in sportswear and performance fashion. Nike, Adidas, and Puma now utilize biomechanical AI systems to design clothing that fits based on how people move, rather than traditional measurements. These companies also create digital avatars to simulate body movements under stress, heat, and friction. AI models then suggest optimal seam placements, ventilation zones, and fabric blends. Human designers focus on aesthetics, colors, and branding, combining science, data, anthropology, and aesthetics into a seamless workflow that enhances performance and style.


Luxury homes are just as invested. Louis Vuitton, for instance, is increasingly using AI to predict how new product lines, handbags, accessories, and limited-edition drops will perform across different markets worldwide. Designers use tools that predict customer behavior to figure out what makes luxury shoppers tick. Instead of just going with their gut, designers now know which colors will be popular in Seoul in the summer, which shapes will appeal to Dubai's high-end shoppers, or which new monogram designs Gen Z buyers are most likely to share on TikTok. The combination of data-driven insight and artistic skill will shape the future of high-end fashion.


When we look at digital fashion and gaming ecosystems, which are now a big part of the 2026 landscape, the co-design relationship becomes even more interesting. Burberry, Prada, and Ralph Lauren use game engines and AI to create virtual clothing for platforms like Roblox, Zepeto, and Meta's immersive social spaces. These digital clothes are often made in minutes through quick AI iterations, and then creative teams work to ensure they meet brand standards. Designers are learning to switch between real and virtual worlds, creating fashion stories that go beyond the runway and into digital realms where the rules of style change as quickly as code.

Generative design systems are more mature and easier to use in 2026 than they were in previous years. Students these days can use visual, textual, and material-based multi-modal AI tools to make prototypes, draping simulations, and fabric textures without having to pay for an expensive studio setup. It used to take a week, but now it only takes an hour. In the past, a single designer had to deal with technical problems on their own. Now, AI helps by identifying patterns, adjusting fits, and producing renderings with studio-level accuracy. This makes creativity available to everyone, allowing new designers with few resources to compete with big fashion houses in digital markets around the world.


But a person's role is still essential. AI can generate thousands of options, but the designer is the one who makes sense of them by filtering, curating, putting them in context, and adding cultural meaning. Algorithmic power enhances creativity instead of supplanting it. Fashion isn't about making things; it's about creating feelings, identities, and things that are important to the culture. Only human intuition, sensitivity, and lived experience can shape these things. The future of fashion is not automated; it is enhanced.


Fashion education needs to change as we move further into the AI-First era. Students need to learn more than just how to sketch, drape, and sew. They also need to know how to use AI systems, understand algorithmic outputs, and provide data-driven feedback on design ideas. This approach fits with the growing need for designers who are both tech-savvy and creative at Raffles. The graduates who do the best will not be the ones who fight against AI. Instead, they will see it as a partner in creativity and a way to push the limits of what is possible.


A conversation between people and machines is the future of fashion. And in 2026, that talk will never be more exciting.

 

Arman POUREISA

Marketing Manager

 

References

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