The virtual conference was a first step to establish a dialogue between fashion, tech and scientific communities and to enable an exchange of know-how and experiences.An international group of experts discussed the current opportunities, potentials and challenges of artificial intelligence within the most diverse applications and design forms of fashion. Speakers included Jonathan Chippindale (Holition, London), Luca Morena (Nextatlas, Turin), Karinna Nobbs (HOT: SECOND, London), Dr. Helen Piel (Deutsches Museum, Munich) and Mathilde Rougier (Clothstrophobe, Paris).
Juliane Kahl, CEO Responsive Fashion Institute, opened the conference and gave an overview of the current industry landscape where brands are now faced with challenges of the pandemic’s impact, the rapid need for digital transformation and an occurring mind shift among professionals and scientists regarding AI.“ It is our goal to establish an understanding that AI is something we should not be afraid of; there should be no fear but willingness to work with it, and use data and algorithms for more transparency and circularity within the fashion industry,” stated Juliane Kahl.
Dr. Helen Piel is part of a group of five historians at the research institute for the history of science and technology at Deutsches Museum in Munich who are exploring the history of AI research in Germany. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Dr Piel´s work is focused on the interactions between artificial intelligence and cognitive science. In her presentation she highlighted a few core definitions of AI and gave a historical overview of the evolution and applications of AI during the last century.
Luca Morena, CEO Nextatlas, demonstrated several digital services and projects of Nextatlas. The company offers the prediction of trends for the fashion industry based on data generated from social media. A recent Nextatlas project has been a physical pop-up store in Westfield, London where phygital and digital realities were combined (phygital = digital + physical). The store´s stock keeping units were updated and refilled based on trends from social media. Mr. Morena, who holds a PHD in Philosophy, also discussed his philosophical view on AI by raising the question of moral and ethics in AI and the human interaction with technology.
Jonathan Chippindale, Founder of Holition, showcased several projects with real time data applications and visualisations. He emphasized the important role of technologies for driving education. One of his projects, ‘Dress 4 Our Time’, a collaboration with Prof Helen Storey and the UNHCR, demonstrated the streams of refugees entering Europe which were projected as data onto a dress. This project showed the power of data visualisation and its impact on the future of the creative industries.
“Education is key and technologies and data sciences are here to make the best use of it and to move towards a different future with less fear of AI and a more proactive use for a better functioning, sustainability-driven society,” said Jonathan Chippindale
Karinna Nobbs, author, researcher, founder and affiliate professor of innovation at ESCPBusiness School, lectures worldwide on digital transformation in the fashion industry. She presented several cases of Virtual Reality (VR), AugmentedReality (AR) and virtual influencers. These projects showcased several existing and future applications of AI which can also improve the customer experience with brands. It also demonstrates the acceptance of those technologies in the fashion industry.
Mathilde Rougier, Founder of Clothstrophobe, is a multi-disciplinary fashion designer working in the areas of generative design, modular textiles, augmented reality, virtual design and upcycled materials. Her practice focuses on the body within a sustainable and digital context. She explores cases of digital deterioration, glitch, file corruption and image generation. Mathilde’s work is centred around creating a systemic change in the fashion industry in order to achieve amore circular model. She showcase various future scenarios of how AI could not only be part of the design- and production process but how it can also make an impact on creativity and sustainability and can be a driving force behind to implementation of changes in the future of fashion.
Both Nobbs and Rougier also highlighted the important role education will play in these developments.
The AI FashionConference was a digital event, which served as an appeal to regard ArtificialIntelligence and technology as educational, experimental and practical means to a different future, with no fear or mystification of AI. The Conference brought another key learning to the attention of participants from Europe, UK, USA andNigeria - AI is not the enemy, it is the cure when performance and impact are measured by ethical KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators).
The event was originally planned as a networking event at the Ehrensaal at the Deutsches Museum in Munich on March 12th, 2020. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the event was postponed and held as a digital conference on November 12th, 2020.
As existential changes occurred in the fashion industry caused by the pandemic during the last eight months, the Responsive Fashion Institute adapted the format and agenda accordingly.
This first digital conference served as 'soft launch', a kick-off for a series of further events and podcasts. Its host, the Responsive Fashion Institute, aims to create a long lasting platform for a knowledge transfer and discussion among different industry stakeholders, educational institutes and academic experts about AI, technologies and sustainability in fashion.
The second edition of the conference is scheduled in March 2021 as a “hybrid” format.
Dr HelenPiel is part of a group of five historians of science and technology exploringthe history of artificial intelligence (AI) research in West Germany, supportedby the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Based at the researchinstitute for the history of science and technology of the Deutsches Museum inMunich, their project will run for three years from early 2020 to the end of2022. Using archival research and oral histories, we’re looking at five areas:automated theorem proving (Rudolf Seising), expert systems (Jakob Tschandl),image recognition & processing (Dinah Pfau), language recognition &processing (Florian Müller), and the interactions between artificialintelligence and cognitive science (Helen Piel).
Co-founder and Chief Executive of Holition, Jonathan Chippindale formed the venture start-up over a decade ago to explore the role technology and innovation play to the modern, digital-focused consumer. Over the last ten years, the creative innovation studio has evolved into a synthesis of retail scientists, film-makers, artists, mathematicians, UX designers and other curious minds, united by digital empathy towards consumer experience.
The part think tank, part digital studio crafts bespoke experiences for industry leaders across the luxury, fashion, beauty, and art sectors who look to Holition to introduce a new dialogue with their consumers. The growing network of pioneering brands include Hermes, LVMH, Cartier, L’Oreal Group, Estee Lauder Group, and COTY.
Karinna Nobbs is an Educator, Futurist and Founder. Holding an Affiliate Professorship in Innovation at ESCP Business School, she lectures globally on the digitalisation of the fashion industry at institutions including London College of Fashion, Antwerp Management School, Hyper Island, Polimoda and Istituto Marangoni. Nobbs is also published author and researcher.
Previously she was the Head of Strategy at creative tech agency Holition working with Coty Inc, Estee Lauder and BMW Group where she remains as an Associate Director. She has consulted with Wednesday, Business of Fashion, Frieze Academy, Airbnb and La Prairie.
Currently Nobbs is consulting in the MTO and blockchain spaces with two disruptive businesses: Platforme and LUKSO.
Last year she launched HOT:SECOND - a world first circular economy retail concept trading physical goods for digital experiences.
In 2020, Nobbs has co-founded The Dematerialised - a hybrid entity which aims to simplify and certify the trading of digital fashion garments.
Luca Morena is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nextatlas, anAI-powered trend forecasting service for brands and agencies to easilyvisualize emerging trends according to sectors and their needs. Nextatlaswon the December 2014 Pitch Roulette at Bloomberg Link and the FashionInnovation Award in 2019. Morena has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Universityof Bologna and has been a Postdoc at the Laboratory of Ontology atthe University of Turin.
Mathilde Rougier is a multidisciplinary fashion designer working across the fields of generative design,modular textiles, augmented reality, virtual design and upcycled materials. Herpractice focuses on the body within a sustainable and digital context. Sheexplores themes of digital deterioration, glitch, file corruption and imagegeneration. Mathilde’s work is centered around on creating systemic change inthe fashion industry in oder to achieve a more circular model.
