Collina Strada is the first fashion brand to use AI to design a whole runway collection. The designer, Hillary Taymour, worked with an AI image generator called Midjourney for weeks to create the looks for her Spring/Summer 2024 show at New York Fashion Week. Taymour thinks AI is a “game changer” for fashion design.
Generative AI technology is reshaping the fashion industry, offering designers like Hillary Taymour of Collina Strada new ways to innovate and create. By embracing AI, Taymour demonstrates that this technology is not a threat to creativity but a powerful tool to expand it.
AI Changed Taymour's Creative Process
Taymour would start by showing the AI images of previous Collina Strada designs. She gave the AI text prompts to recreate and remix the old designs in new ways. The AI would give back 4 new images. Taymour picked the best one and kept asking the AI to improve it. She went through over 200 versions for one dress!
The AI helped Taymour think of shapes, prints, and details she may not have tried before. It pushed her creativity in unexpected directions. Taymour said it was like being a child again, before learning all the rules about how things are “supposed” to look.
AI Designs Still Take a Lot of Work
Taymour's not taking shortcuts. She worked with AI day and night, guiding it with text from a single word to a whole story. The AI mixed and matched past designs to spit out something new and exciting. It was a lot of trial and error, tweaking things until they were just right. And the results? Unique shapes and prints that stand out on the runway.
Beyond the Digital World
Turning AI's digital dreams into real clothes wasn't easy. The team faced challenges like matching the AI's vision with the right fabrics and figuring out how to actually make the clothes. It took loads of effort and clever thinking. So, for those worried that AI will steal jobs from human designers, Taymour's experience shows there's still plenty of room for the human touch.
The Impact on the Industry? Taymour says AI is Here to Stay
Taymour knows other brands will likely use AI more in the future. Some may even try to copy her designs. But she’s not too worried about it. She said AI results really depend on the user, so knock-offs won’t be exact copies.
Addressing the Fears
As cool as AI is, it's got some people in the fashion industry nervous. They're afraid it might take their jobs or use their work without permission. Taymour's way ahead though. She used her own designs to feed the AI, making sure her collection was all hers. And even if others use AI, she believes the outcomes will be different for everyone, keeping things original.
The Verdict on AI
Learning to work with AI wasn't a walk in the park. Taymour admits it was tough at first. But now, she can't imagine designing without it. She compares AI to a pencil - a basic tool that's essential to the craft. It's clear that AI is here to stay in fashion design, and it's only going to get better.
In Taymour’s view, AI is just another creative tool, like a pencil. It will keep improving and become a normal part of the design process. She already can’t imagine working without it. For Taymour and Collina Strada, AI is changing fashion design for the better.