Fashion Designers

By contrast, many tasks remain mostly human-led. Designers still pick fabrics and stitching by feel; one outlook even envisions future AI systems choosing materials and factories by demand ^[1], but today those choices are made by people. Similarly, talking with clients or coordinating with team members relies on personal skills.

Industry leaders emphasize that AI should complement rather than replace designers’ talent. A Zalando executive said AI will “complement rather than replace” human creativity ^[2], and one tech advisor called AI a “creative catalyst” that helps designers explore more ideas instead of doing the art for them ^[3]. In short, AI tools are already speeding up trend analysis and drafting, but the final vision still comes from people.

Still, there are reasons adoption might be slower. Custom AI systems can be expensive to build and run, so smaller designers may be cautious. Fashion also values originality, and many creatives worry about losing their “hands-on” style.

Legal and ethical questions linger too: for example, a recent case involved an AI tool accused of copying copyrighted artwork ^[4]. Such concerns may slow some brands. In practice, experts say the best approach is to treat AI as a helping tool.

They advise using it to enhance brand experiences while letting human designers keep control of the creative vision ^{[3] [2]}.