Three Points of Tension Around AI Innovation in the Fashion Indus

Three trends mark the tensions around innovation with AI in the Fashion Industry.

• AI is trained on data. Debates around the sources of that data and whether or how data permissions should be secured continue to evolve.
• Sustainability in the fashion industry has been a major focus for years. But the larger picture of how AI and sustainability efforts may intersect is still emerging.
• Designers range in their acceptance of AI. Some actively use AI for design, while others take a strong position that AI undermines craftsmanship and creativity.

In 2026, we expect there to be frequent developments in these trending areas. And given the dynamic way designers, models, and insiders are already responding to these tensions, it is clear the fashion industry is the one to watch as AI usage continues to evolve globally.

Protecting Brand and Image Integrity: Intellectual Property Challenges in AI Training

AI “learns” by using training data. However, in creative industries like fashion, that data may include intellectual property.¹ As the debate over whether this data should be “fair use” unfolds, some creatives are making decisions for their own brands.² The Fabricant has taken a position against using copyrighted runway images for data training, publishing an AI Ethics FAQ where they forecast that AI regulations in the future may require copyright permissions for data training.³ Some runway models are also taking note, expressing concerns about how their readily available images can lead to their likenesses being manipulated or manufactured by AI.⁴ To address this, in 2025, New York State passed legislation that prohibits model management companies from creating, altering or manipulating “a model’s digital replica without clear written consent.”⁵ As ongoing litigation, such as Getty Images v. Stability AI⁶ may establish legal parameters surrounding data training and permissions, the fashion industry continues to engage with AI around sustainability efforts as well as design.

Balancing AI-Driven Sustainability

The tensions around sustainability and AI in the fashion industry are complex. AI offers efficiencies that can be scaled, including in product development, manufacturing and distribution, and leading to reductions of waste.⁷ However, AI also carries an environmental footprint. As the United Nations Environment Programme has documented, the data centers that power AI consume large amounts of water, require significant energy resources to operate, and produce electronic waste.⁸ The trade-off in efficiencies between reduced waste in the fashion design cycle versus the environmental costs of AI is a tension fashion houses are navigating as they seek to prioritize sustainability. But these trade-offs are not garnering exclusively black-and-white responses. AI has also been intentionally used to advocate for conservation efforts. Stella McCartney has taken a unique approach by marrying sustainability concerns and AI into a campaign. By featuring AI-generated birds, alongside the words “SAVE WHAT YOU LOVE,” the campaign highlighted the nearly 50% of all bird species in decline. The AI-generated birds serve as a conservation warning, and “urges viewers to rethink their relationship with nature.”⁹ As we learn more about the sustainability implications of AI in fashion, designers like Stella McCartney are at the vanguard, highlighting new forms of innovation that marry sustainability efforts and AI.

Human Creativity in the Age of AI: Safeguarding Artistry and Heritage Craftsmanship in Fashion Design

Fashion houses are embracing AI to every degree possible. Some designers, like Tommy Hilfiger, have developed an AI styling game, while others, like Gucci, have used AI to develop new lines.¹⁰ From a design perspective, Gucci has been able to train AI models on their past designs, allowing them to develop design iterations more quickly, and tighten design cycles. The Fabricant has taken AI-design one step further, creating a digital collection that sold a virtual dress for $9,500.¹¹ Meanwhile, other designers worry that something fundamental may be lost, and have taken a position against using AI for any artistic or design functions. VETEMENTS, for example, created a collection of “Anti-AI” garments designed to look as if they were AI-designed, while utilizing craftsmanship techniques that can only be executed with human hands.¹² And Momifa has argued that because AI is trained on existing data, it is less capable of innovating, whereas their human-designed fashion focus retains important aspects of craftsmanship and creativity.¹³ Despite these wide-ranging reactions, what is incontestable is the level of innovation AI is sparking within the industry, even among some of those with critiques.

These major tensions and trends in the fashion industry are likely to continue to unfold and develop over the coming year. Of particular interest are the dynamic and creative responses the fashion industry has brought to AI — demonstrating this is the industry to watch as AI-use continues to expand. The innovations thus far highlight how humans are creating unexpected new possibilities for how this technology can be harnessed.

1. Adam Buick, Copyright and AI training data—transparency to the rescue?, Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice, Volume 20, Issue 3, March 2025, Pages 182-92, https://doi. org/10.1093/jiplp/jpae102.
2. Roomy Khan, AI Training Data Dilemma: Legal Experts Argue for ‘Fair Use’, Forbes, October 4, 2024, https://www.forbes.com/ sites/roomykhan/2024/10/04/ai-training-data-dilemma-legal-experts-argue-for-fair-use/.
3. The Fabricant Editorial Team, AI-Ethics FAQ for AI-generated Fashion Images, The Fabricant, August 7, 2025, https://www. thefabricant.com/post/ai-ethics-faq-for-ai-generated-fashion-images.
4. Andy Hirschfeld, The Latest Industry Upset with the use of AI: Fashion, Al Jazeera, February 23, 2024, https://www.aljazeera. com/economy/2024/2/23/the-latest-industry-upset-with-the-use-of-ai-fashion.
5. Department of Labor, Prohibited Actions by Model Management Companies or Model Management Groups, https://dol.ny.gov/ responsibilities-fashion-management-and-clients; S9832/ A5631.
6. Getty Images (US), Inc. & Ors v. Stability AI Ltd [2025] EWHC 3343 (Ch); see also Getty Images (US), Inc. v. Stability AI, Inc. 2005, 1:23-cv-00135, (D. Del).
7. Maximilien Abadie, The Impact of AI on the Fashion Industry, Forbes, January 16, 2026, https://www.forbes.com/councils/ forbestechcouncil/2026/01/16/the-impact-of-ai-on-the-fashion-industry/; Neil Sahota, Future of Fashion Has AI As the New Must And Your Personal Consultant, Forbes, June 4, 2024, https:// www.forbes.com/sites/neilsahota/2024/06/04/future-of-fashion-has-ai-as-the-new-muse–your-personal-consultant/.
8. UN Environment Programme, AI Has an Environmental Problem. Here’s What the World Can Do About That., November 13, 2025, https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/ ai-has-environmental-problem-heres-what-world-can-do-about.
9. Stella McCartney’s AI Birds Are a Warning in the Summer 2025 Campaign, The Fashionography, February 19, 2025, https:// thefashionography.com/fashion/fashion-campaigns/stella-mccartneys-ai-birds-are-a-warning-in-the-summer-2025- campaign/.
10. Maghan McDowell, Tommy Hilfiger on AI and His New Fashion Game, Vogue Business, December 19, 2023, https://www.vogue. com/article/tommy-hilfiger-on-ai-and-his-new-fashion-game; Team DigitalDefynd, 8 Ways Gucci is Using AI [Case Study] [2026], DigitalDefynd, https://digitaldefynd.com/IQ/ways-gucci-using-ai/.
11. Neil Sahota, Future of Fashion Has AI As the New Must And Your Personal Consultant, Forbes, June 4, 2024, https://www.forbes. com/sites/neilsahota/2024/06/04/future-of-fashion-has-ai-as-the-new-muse–your-personal-consultant/.
12. Jascmeen, Vetements Delivers ‘Anti-AI’ Collection, Goodfeed, https://www.goodfeed.com/jascmeen/story/vetements-delivers-anti-ai-collection.
13. Momifa, Why Designers Are Fighting Back, Medium, June 10, 2025, https://medium.com/@momifa.official/why-designers-are-fighting-back-32a5ac4287df.