Hey fashion, it’s time for a new look!
Imagine a future where every stitch and seam is meticulously chosen for minimal waste, where style and sustainability hold equal weight in the design process and where the lifecycle of each garment is carefully managed to ensure it stays out of landfill. Once an idyllic and distant dream, increasing legislations (such as ESPR) and pressures to shift industry’s model from linear to circular have forged the way for technological advancements that have the power to make this an imminent reality. With 80% of a garment’s circularity determined at the design stage, new applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) demonstrate a core opportunity to reshape fashion for good; paving the way for a greener, more ethical industry.
Optimising fabric selection with AI in fashion
Choosing sustainable raw materials is a crucial step for reducing a product's environmental footprint. AI can assist designers and buyers by analysing and comparing the environmental impact, durability, and aesthetic qualities of one material vs another to help your fashion brand make the best choices. CircKit Design offers powerful insights and recommendations for the best fabric compositions and waste minimising design improvements to reach your brand’s sustainability goals. But it’s not just about eco metrics! We know margins are a major factor for fashion brands trying to make the shift so we aim to help you achieve the perfect balance of circular design and cost efficiency, creating fashion lines that are commercially viable and primed for success.
AI-Enhanced Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) for Fashion Products
AI-enhanced PLM systems track and manage a product's entire lifecycle, from design to end-of-life; enhancing transparency by providing detailed information from raw material sourcing to production and disposal. These systems provide insights into the durability and recyclability of materials, helping designers create products that can be easily disassembled and recycled. When integrated in line with smart product tracking and Digital Product Passports, brands can monitor the condition and usage patterns of garments, facilitating efficient take-back and recycling programs.
AI-optimised zero-waste fashion design and sampling
The traditional design process generates significant waste particularly in the form of physical samples; majority of which do not end up being mass produced. Inefficient lay plans can also result in the generation of textile waste scraps which are most often discarded rather than recycled. AI-driven design tools can optimise patterns and cuts to minimise fabric waste. These tools can be used to arrange pattern pieces to use the least amount of fabric, reducing scraps and off-cuts. This not only conserves resources but also lowers production costs. Innovative emerging tools like Style 3D are also using AI to create virtual prototypes, allowing designers to visualise and tweak designs digitally before making physical samples, reducing material waste and the carbon footprint of sample production.
Integration with Existing Systems
AI presents a transformative opportunity for the fashion industry to embrace circular and sustainable design practices. From optimising lay plans and material selection to digital sampling and product lifecycle management, AI can drive significant environmental and economic benefits for sustainable range development. For fashion executives, understanding and overcoming the barriers to AI adoption is key to leveraging its full potential. By investing in the right technologies, partnerships, and training, fashion brands can lead the way in creating a more sustainable and circular future. Embracing AI is not just a technological advancement—it’s a strategic move towards a more responsible and resilient fashion industry.
Creative Ownership & Integrity Concerns
As experimentation with AI continues to permeate creative spaces, valid questions arise about who owns the rights to these creations and how credit should be allocated. Concerns around intellectual property and fair recognition often put AI and traditional designers in opposition leading to scepticism and fears around their creative contributions being overshadowed. We believe in leaving creativity to the true creative visionaries (that’s you).
Instead, CircKit’s Simulate tool focuses on measuring the potential impact of your design choices, offering real-time assistance to integrate sustainable and circular options from the start. With 80% of a fashion garment’s circularity determined during the design and range planning process, AI can help you consider new approaches, unlocking greater creativity and innovation.
Integration with Existing Systems
The adoption of AI in the fashion industry is not without its challenges, but overcoming these barriers is far from impossible. By addressing concerns related to understanding, cost, data quality, integration, and creative integrity, fashion executives can unlock the transformative potential of AI. Partnering with a fashion-specific data harmonising AI provider, starting small before scaling up and focusing on the environmental impact of your designs can pave the way for a seamless integration of AI technologies. As the fashion industry continues to evolve, those who embrace AI will be well-positioned to lead in innovation, efficiency, and sustainability.
