Branding
2026-05-01
AI is transforming 2020s fashion beyond generative design, while pre-loved culture and fast “core” trends redefine style. But is it for the better? This article is part of our special editorial series celebrating the 90th anniversary of Istituto Marangoni. In this chapter, we look at how AI is changing fashion and revisit the major trends of the 2020s, shaped by pandemics, new technologies, and the climate crisis.Artificial intelligence is among us. Just a few years into the AI revolution, the fashion industry is seeing both big opportunities and concerns, while the creative community has mixed feelings. As designers experiment with generative AI, trend-forecasting tools, and virtual models, fashion is entering a new era where technology and creativity sometimes work together and, sometimes, collide. Yet the story of 2020s style is about more than algorithms. It’s also about comfort, sustainability and the growing popularity of second-hand fashion. From digital ateliers to resale marketplaces, and from AI-generated campaigns to mindful shopping, this is how the decade’s defining forces are reshaping fashion and the creative world as a whole. How Artificial Intelligence Is Redefining Fashion in the 2020s“Hey Gemini, please sketch a deep-blue silk pencil skirt in the style of Giorgio Armani!” “Hey ChatGPT, can you dress the Mona Lisa in 70s clothes?”Playing around with AI can be fun, but using it for professional purposes is a whole different challenge. As AI becomes more common in creative industries, the conversation around the very meaning of creativity is heating up. To understand how artificial intelligence is shifting paradigms in creative fields, we need to look back just a couple of years.In 2022, OpenAI announced ChatGPT, and the beta version of Midjourney appeared on Discord. It was impossible to ignore. Every creative mind on the planet was eager to test what this new disruptive technology could do and see where it might fall short. It’s recent history unfolding rapidly before our eyes, quickly evolving into a collaborative partner.The idea of human and machine creativity working together is still new and not fully understood by many in the creative community, as it raises critical questions about the true meaning of art and the definition of creativity—especially when machines help create the final output.Generative AI is just the visible tip of the iceberg—the most debated and perhaps the most controversial use of AI in fashion. Beneath the surface lies a vast, quieter force transforming how things are done. For example, predictive models for trend forecasting were already in use when the major AI companies released their LLMs, affecting the entire fashion supply chain.AI is reshaping creativity, forcing fashion and design to redefine what it means to create in a machine-driven world The Hidden Force Shaping Fashion in the 2020sIn just a few years, AI has established itself as both a helpful tool and a source of inspiration for designers and creatives experts say. It is used for everything from trend forecasting and inspiration to digital prototyping and virtual sampling. Software powered by artificial intelligence, once hailed as groundbreaking, has now become the new normal.When stores closed during the pandemic, brands and retailers refined their e-commerce experience. They used customer data and purchasing patterns to train AI algorithms and provide highly personalised suggestions.By late 2022, the mainstream launch of generative AI tools enabled brands to incorporate artificial intelligence into their communication strategies. Yet, despite the initial hype, creating collections with Midjourney—one of the first text-to-image GenAI platforms—or “hiring” virtual models was not well received. In 2025, fashion brands are using these tools more cautiously. Three years into the generative AI era, its creative potential remains largely untapped. Most of the time, it is used to produce realistic and predictable visual outcomes.
Read More