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The introduction of artificial intelligence or AI into the fashion industry is one that can help infinitely shape it for the better. However, this is only possible if the industry actually uses and analyzes the incoming data for its benefit. Otherwise, there is no point to continuing the development of technology within the industry if we do not use it to help reduce waist and lessen fashion’s impact on the world’s pollution.
Using Tech Applications to Streamline Fashion Businesses
There are many applications and technologies that fashion companies can used to increase their business effectively without wasting product like textiles by producing too much. It is important that these retailers use their data to determine consumer preferences. For example, Big Data can help retailers highlight and determine trends in what sells and what did not perform as well. It is important the data is analyzed and strategically implemented with a plan that is cost effective at maintaining the status quo of a sustainable economy.
One company helping streamline sustainable fashion is Sewport which helps connect eco minded fashion entrepreneurs with production companies. This helps cut down on the middle man, and it keeps small businesses connected. A company like this one can help reduce overproduction as they will only make what is ordered. In addition, Sewport has tips in starting a clothing line to help guide those who are unsure where to begin their business.
A company model like this works best for companies using the Everlane model where an item is only produced once a style has been voted on and secured by the clientele. However, it could also be perfect for those who want to create a capsule collection. Ultimately, it streamlines the block chain process and helps entrepreneurs in fashion be more sustainable.
Other applications help fashion companies understand and manage their stock in a seamless integration system. For example, Katana is a software for retailers to use in determining their order and seeing real time change as customers preferences change and vary with each passing day. It connects all aspects of the retail business from material purchasing to the expense overhead. An all in one application helps businesses stay on top of their products with every division of the company. There is never a question of what is happening, and the company can see what is going on exactly when it occurs.
Generations of Fashion Executives Need AI Education
In a recent panel of fashion executives, it was revealed that many do not have the knowledge or understanding if their digital practices are actually working. If companies were actually using AI in a smart and effective way, then every digital campaign and footprint would be measured in order to determine its success. We have access to the data, but many are still unsure of its use or if it can even help.
However, the reality is that many find AI daunting, and they claim it is an infringement on consumer privacy. Again, this could not be further from the truth as companies have been using data for decades to better tailor campaigns or products to the consumer’s wish. The key is now we have even more data than ever to help us reduce redundant production in order to better tailor to the actual consumer market.
If executive were educated in the on coming and on going technologies, there is a better chance that they would be implemented. Of course, the education needs to happen mainly as higher levels or with those older than digital natives like the Millenials. Older generations have trouble seeing the benefit of AI despite its helpfulness as a tool that can increase traffic or lower business costs. To many older executives, AI is a tool that is behind the scenes and needed for their side of the business. It is a tool for the IT team or a concept of science fiction. The reality AI is here, and it is now.
Creating Viable Fashion Strategy
Only after the re-education of fashion executives can the industry begin to change. If AI is understood as a helpful tool and not as an enemy of the industry, then it can be used to help fashion. This industry is one of the biggest polluters on the planet, and it is also one of the most expensive. It produces billions of dollars every year in income for millions of people around the globe who rely on the industry to make their living.
The change needs to come from within the industry from the upper echelons of luxury brand management to the small fashion textile retailer. They all have an important to play if there is going to be a significant difference in how the world expects the industry to react and respond to the challenges ahead. Together the industry can make a difference, but apart it will be more difficult.
If there are initiatives to invest in AI technology than there is a fighting chance that fashion can change in the coming years. Any change can and will make a huge difference. The key is helping the industry as a whole that AI is here to help not hinder the progress of fashion as a business. AI will not replace jobs as there still needs to be a human touch within the industry to keep it real on a personal level.
As AI evolves, it will be important to integrate these things from the start of the production process than their will be more clarity about the fashion process. The consumer wants the industry to be held accountable for the change to come, and it is possible to accomplish with AI. The evolution might be slow at start, but it will eventually come to pass as the fashion world embraces technology just as it has over the centuries. AI is only the start of change that the world needs and wants to see in the industry.
