In a time when generative AI is rapidly changing the fashion industry, fashion e-commerce site Revolve has taken a bold step forward. The company has collaborated with AI studio Maison Meta and has begun carrying apparel produced by generative AI.
Revolve’s first AI-powered collection “The Future of Fashion” is a real-life product based on the winning designer’s work from the AI Fashion Week (AIFW) competition held this past April at Spring Studios in New York City.
More than 400 participants from over 50 countries submitted AI-generated collections for the AI Fashion Week competition. The competition was led by a panel of judges including Tiffany Godoy, Vogue Japan’s head of editorial content; Natalie Hazzout, Celine’s head of men’s casting; Erika Wykes-Sneyd, VP of Adidas’s Three Stripes Studio; Matthew Drinkwater, head of London College of Fashion’s Fashion Innovation Agency; and Michael Mente, Revolve CEO and co-founder.
The Revolve website currently features three collections for sale, designed by the award-winning participants of AI Fashion Week: José Sobral, an architect from Paatiff, Matilde Mariano from Molnm, and Opé Majek, a fashion stylist from Opé.
Each collection consists of 10 to 12 pieces, priced from $228 to $1,598. Sizes range from XS to L. Unique collection items are produced in small quantities and have limited availability, so prices are higher than items normally sold at Revolve.
Mitch Moseley, the CEO in charge of Revolve’s in-house brand, oversaw the design and production of these AI-generated collections. However, the precise profit-sharing arrangement between the three designers, who transitioned from architecture, and Revolve has not been disclosed yet.
Product development was conducted by the three winning designers, who had access to Revolve’s extensive supply chain and dedicated project managers, working closely with the brand’s atelier team, product developers, pattern makers, and technicians. Together, they were able to produce the entire process in-house, from selecting the best materials to refining the AI-generated designs.
In fact, the execution of this project must have been an experimental step for Revolve to advance future innovative product development. The commercialization of fashion designs through AI will utilize vast amounts of data and use algorithms to induce and generate images of garments based on a variety of inputs, including trends, styles, customer preferences, and the developer’s own aesthetic sensibilities. These AI images could also be used to produce realistic garments or to develop new digital fashion generalities. While the design process still takes time, the integration of AI can accelerate the manufacturing process, leading to overall efficiency gains.
On the other hand, the production process also brought to light the limitations of current technology. This meant that some designs had to be fine-tuned to conform to physical manufacturing while focusing on functionality, comfort, and overall aesthetics. In this context, fashion designer José Sobral provided valuable insight, using his expertise in architecture to focus on the technical aspects of the design phase.
As consumers continue to demand personalized experiences and unique fashion choices, forays into AI-designed clothing can open up new possibilities for both retailers and customers. It demonstrates the collaborative power of human designers and intelligent algorithms and challenges traditional notions of creativity. The launch of the AI fashion collection at Revolve will also set a precedent for other industry players to explore similar avenues.
As for the aforementioned AI Fashion Week, “Season 2” will be held from November 16 to 19. This time the venue will be in Milan and will be also held again at Spring Studio in New York City in late November. For Season 2, the number of winners will be increased to five, and there will be clearer guidelines for refining the production process.
Cyril Foiret, CEO of AI Studio Maison Meta, also noted that the company is looking to grow globally, adding more venues beyond New York and Milan as part of its future plans.