Everyone’s Replaceable: The Starring Role of AI in Fashion

The Fashion Stock Market here, your one and only source into the hottest style trends and fashion events. Unless you live under a fashionless rock, chances are you’ve heard about the AI model used in a Guess ad, which was featured in the August 2025 issue of Vogue. When the news hit the internet and religious Vogue readers saw the tiny print indicating the use of artificial intelligence, there was an internet uproar; it was like the Boston Tea Party of the fashion world. Countless netizens announced they cancelled their Vogue subscriptions in protest, others reminiscing on the days when human creativity was the sole driving force in the industry, and even more theorized what the future of fashion could be. Newsflash, they don’t paint a pretty picture. “What’s next?” These users seemed to cry. “Robot runway models and ChatGPT generated articles?” I hope not, because I kind of need a job. Anyways, the concerns are clear, but let’s get into the juicy deets so you, my loyal readers, can form your own opinions on the intersection of technology and fashion in the digital age.

Meet Paige (she looks like a Paige, right?). She’s got big, beautiful blonde hair, green eyes, a little lip filler, and that airbrushed makeup look. In short, she’s blonde, thin, and undeniably gorgeous–for someone who isn’t real. She’s a walking beauty standard, and she doesn’t even have to try. When I saw the ad, my initial reaction was shock: although it’s clear to me now that she isn’t real, upon first glance she just looks like an average model. I never would have thought to question if Paige was real or fake, and I’m someone who kind of prides myself on being able to tell the difference. Maybe this is because an advert using AI has never appeared in Vogue before, but I believe this also shows how good AI is getting. 

Photo: Seraphinne Vallora

My following thoughts were that I wasn’t surprised; it seems a natural course to follow with how technology is rapidly advancing, forcing the arts to incorporate new methods to stay relevant. Obviously, the creation of this “flawless” AI model makes me uncomfortable, and is a bit of a slap in the face to real women in the field, especially with efforts for diversity in modeling in the past few years. Many fashion lovers, from models to Vogue readers, agree that this feels like a step back. Felicity Hayward, a plus-sized model who’s worked in the industry for many years, stated, “Either Guess is doing this to create a talking point and get free publicity or they want to cut costs and don’t think about the implications of that.” The implications, from threatening real models to creating unrealistic standards for women young and old, are endless. But this controversy only begs the question: what’s next when it comes to technological advances in fashion marketing?

Photo: Elle Korea, 2022 Edition

From an optimist's view, technology can be an exciting driving force for progress in fashion. For example, the use of AI-generated models could lead to AI avatars, allowing customers to “try on” clothes online before purchasing them. This idea has been circulating for a while, but the rapid recent advancement of AI could actually make it a reality sooner than expected. And when it comes to models, many netizens do not have an issue with AI models as long as they do not replace human ones–which is not in the cards yet. Rather than decreasing diversity, some believe technology can allow certain groups to participate in the fashion world in ways they otherwise couldn’t, due to fashion’s elitist reputation. Matthew Drinkwater, the head of London College of Fashion’s Innovation Agency, claimed, “these tools are allowing people from very different backgrounds to begin to have a foothold in the industry.” Further, AI has been used to control supply chains by brands like Zara and H&M, supposedly reducing waste and overstock. Technology as a sustainable solution to fast fashion is kind of ironic, considering generative AI’s contribution to carbon emissions and electronic waste, but perhaps the good outweighs the bad.

Absolutely no one is shocked by the fact that AI is a valuable resource to fashion companies, from both a creative and marketing standpoint. With new advances, companies hope to use AI to predict trends and get ahead, putting stylish clothes on the market before microtrends become oversaturated. In the near future, AI could even create new clothing, allowing companies to use what is generated as inspiration, or directly copy and sell these items. While these aspects are beneficial for big corporations, they cut out a lot of hard work done by designers and trend analysts. But some believe AI is simply a tool meant to amplify these professionals’ creativity, not hinder it. If fashion doesn’t evolve with the times, some people believe the industry will only suffer in the long run, regressing instead of accepting and adapting to change.

Photo: Life Shop

As previously mentioned, there has been some negative backlash, to put it lightly (sorry Paige). From a model’s point of view, AI models make what is already a highly competitive and vicious industry even more so, threatening their livelihoods and standards. If an AI model can be effective enough, why even bother hiring a real model and spending hours on a shoot? Even if companies utilize AI models that look like women of color, skeptics claim that this is an example of what New York Magazine calls “artificial diversity.” It’s a gimmick, rather than actively making efforts to cast women from diverse backgrounds, and people were quick to point that out. While AI-generated models are cheaper, they take away opportunities from hard-working models, and are criticized for being a cheap and lazy alternative to the beauty and individuality of real human beings. What is seriously lacking in these fake models is the je ne sais quoi humans bring to the picture. Being a model is about more than being an idealistic copy: it’s about having that something that makes you stick out and draws people in. While Paige is a pretty girl, she pales in comparison to the icons that are Naomi Campbell, Adriana Lima, and Kate Moss. While it may seem crazy now, one day even runway models could be replaced with AI models, companies have shown they prioritize innovative ways to increase sales rather than protecting the integrity of models. And this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the vast effects AI has on the modeling industry. 

From a fashion critic’s point of view, AI has little to no place in fashion marketing. After all, clothes that are meant to be worn by real people should be modeled by…you guessed it, real people! We have enough problems in our society, we definitely don’t need to add the unrealistic standards AI-generated people set to the list. This is why fans are deeply disappointed by Vogue, the Bible for fashionistas everywhere. In our analysis of Instagram comments on the matter, 62.15% were negative, 27.78% were neutral, and only 10.48% were positive. Although Vogue is not directly responsible for the Guess ad, printing an AI model in their latest edition could set a precedent for what is acceptable in the fashion world, enabling other companies and fashion publications to follow suit. The scandal points to the pressing issue of AI’s role in our progressing society. With ChatGPT writing students’ essays and artists winning competitions using AI-generated art, should we worry that human creativity will eventually die out for the benefit of those unwilling to put the effort in? 

Photo: Taste of the Runway

Many people have called for regulations on AI in creative spaces, including fashion. For example, protections for real models whose likenesses are used as information for generating AI-models should be put in place. To protect copyright and authenticity, there must be a standard for how much credit workers in the arts get when their hard work is used for generative AI–but achieving this comes with many challenges. Mary Towers, The TUC’s AI lead, put it simply: “We need new laws to ensure that all workers in the arts – including fashion – are consulted and properly compensated if their work and intellectual property is used by AI.” This would be a step in the right direction, as other initiatives may be fruitless at this point. Generative AI is already here to stay, and it is unlikely we can do anything to stop fashion retailers from using AI models in their campaigns as long as it remains legal. As media consumers, we can boycott brands that use AI (though, unless somehow mass loss of funds is achieved, this may not do much) or we can implore magazines like Vogue to take a stand against replacing humans with robots. Like I said, Vogue is pretty much the standard for the fashion world, and if editors speak out on this issue, the people in the community will listen. 

However, don’t worry yet my darlings! Technology is not yet entirely replacing human work, because even computers cannot replicate the human experience. Something tells me even if someday AI gets really good at copying us, we won’t let it take over; even if that means we have to start a fashion revolution. That would be kind of exciting, wouldn't it? 

XOXO, The Fashion Stock Market 

Cover Photo: Insmind

Editor: Annaliese Persaud