What fashion jobs will prevail AI?
I write this piece standing at the front edge of AI development and upon years of fashion experience. I slmost feel responsible to write this, because I know and I need to share what I know about the future.
There are 3 things AI is very good at — 1. Text to Text 2. Text to Image and 3. Data to Insights.
Let’s go job by job -
Designers — AI will surely replace average designers who anyway design looking at a moodboard of internet images. But, AI cannot design something truly revolutionary unless it’s directed creatively by a human. Second, designers who have the ability to weave in a story in their designs will prevail AI, people buy stories from real people.
Production Managers, Pattern Masters, Garment Construction — This job will be more in demand than it already is. Because only very talented people will be able to accurately produce AI designs. It will require deep knowledge of garment construction. And since companies will save money designing and shooting products, I see those funds will get deployed to this department. Which also means one of the most non lucrative jobs in fashion will start becoming high paying.
Models — it will no longer be sufficient to be just a pretty face, that AI is very good at producing. Models with a voice and personality that customers want to buy from will prevail. Models who are good at video will prevail AI, while AI is working hard to achieve video quality, models who have the ability to stare into your hearts through a camera will prevail AI. There is a new job possible here — a licencing deal of your face with a brand who wants to use your face in their AI generated content, yep you don’t even have to go for shoots after that. I can totally see famous models and celebs will use this path soon.
Photographers — Catalog shoots, some level of editorial shoots too can be easily done by AI. If I want a new linkedin photo or just a fantasy shot, that can also be done by AI. Just plain high fashion shoots, those can also be done by AI. But what it cannot do is take an actual photo of me sitting on my couch typing right now, or a photo of me going to this event tonight. Or an actual photo of me and my friend sharing a moment of affection. Nah, AI cannot shoot those moments, Photographers who capture emotions more than just products will easily prevail AI. Photographers who use AI to enable a great shot, just as they currently use photoshop to edit their shots will prevail AI. They have to use it like a tool not as a replacement of them.
Stylists- There are so many styling apps that have come up in the past, I really think they are a sheer waste of AI, because you can easily google that look, and we have seen most styling businesses fail because normal people don’t want to be told what to wear everyday. And, styling is so much about “what kind of woman I want to be today.” Which is an emotion and AI does not comprehend human emotions. Stylists, no one is stealing your job, because no one wants to work 14 hrs a day waiting around for a celeb to decide what they want to wear :) Infact stylists will have more pressure to create fancy AI designs and will need to strengthen their production teams to produce crazier stuff.
New Job — AI Stylists — This will be a new job and I actually have two people who joined to become AI stylists after being regular stylists for a bit. Because they want to style on a laptop and not do the crazy night runs to style difficult humans. They’d rather style AI models, they wear what they tell them to :) But seriously, I also love being an AI stylists, so much better, there is just no end to how creative you can be.
Fashion Sales & Marketeers — No AI cannot take your job, its too hard :) You will surely be using a lot of AI tools to assist you with ideas. But in marketing you need to stay ahead of even AI
B2B Marketing Professionals — Nah, AI does not know how to maintain great business relationships. Tasks just as bulk emailing, lead generation etc can surely be done by AI, you should try this. Put into chat GPT, suggest fashion brands who sell a cane basket if you want to bulk sell cane baskets and it actually gives you a list of potential customers.
Graphic Designers- Did “not very good designers” become better with canva and already take your job. Nonetheless, we all know that great graphic designers like the one who built the Relove branding with us will always remain. AI can’t think of that level of branding depth.
Creative directors/ Image Makers — While I have found them to be very threatened by AI, honestly this is the one job that has NO threat. AI needs direction from YOU! it does not have your level of imagination. Creative Directors it will be your breifs that AI will follow. I know a CD job is already lucrative, I see it becoming even more lucrative in these pockets. If you are interested in creating CD level images in AI, come lets do a colab, make one together. DM me.
Fashion Buying & Merchandising — Buyers tend to have a knack for what will sell, but if that is based on AI insights and data will that job remain relevant in the AI fashion world, may be not. And I do see the industry moving towards designing in AI, shooting in AI and launching before they actually manufacture products to reduce wastage and hence working capital investment in their fashion business. This role will definitely have lower focus and the production manager, garment construction roles will be more lucrative.
Weavers/Textile/Craftsmen- Whatever joblosses had to happen for them happened when the powerlooms we now commonly wear came in. Machine embroidery was their direct job replacement, not even an enabler like AI. AI infact will empower them to build better marketing content to showcase their products. I have seen the ones that have been most marginalised are using AI to get ahead.
Digital Marketing — SEO & Ads Placement — The creative part of this, which is directing the creative or ad is safe, but the technical part of this, which is who to show your ad to, how much budget to allocate, how to review the performance, basically what performance marketing companies do, this will be totally replaced by AI. Meta should build this, since currently ROAS is so messed up for everyone.
Content Writing — One of the first things that AI was used for in 2023 infact was to write product descriptions. Most fashion companies are already using AI to write SEO friendly content.
Internships and entry level positions- AI tools can be used to do tasks that are repetitive and low ambiquity, this will mean companies will look for interns and freshers who already understand AI and have the ability to make AI do the grunt work. If you are currently in fashion school or marketing school, you need to start equiping your self with AI skills.
All in all, I see that those who can learn to express human creativity through AI will lead this movement. AI that has been compared to the industrial revolution, I am pretty certain that it is going to be as or even more impactful, it just needs really creative people to run the show.
To apply to become an Fashion AI promter apply here — https://forms.gle/P3XCrWnHx4yjsDbDA
