Artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the industry’s biggest competitive advantages by transforming how clothes are designed, manufactured and also how consumers discover, try on, and buy products.
Once associated mainly with recommendation engines on e-commerce websites, AI is now embedded across the entire fashion value chain.
Global luxury houses, fast-fashion retailers, online marketplaces and emerging African fashion brands are already adopting AI to improve efficiency, reduce costs, personalise customer experiences and predict consumer demand.
The State of Fashion 2025 report by McKinsey and The Business of Fashion reveals that artificial intelligence has shifted from an experimental technology to a core operational priority for the industry.
Executives are prioritising AI to enhance product discovery, demand forecasting, and design, aiming to address slow market growth and reduce inventory inefficiencies.
