Artificial Intelligence in Fashion: A Case Study on Industry-Academic Collaboration for Digital Transformation

Since the Industrial Revolution, six essential innovation waves have been widely acknowledged as having significantly transformed the world economy and society. Today, we are experiencing the emergence of the sixth wave, which is characterized by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and the shift toward sustainable energy solutions. In the fashion sector, AI has already emerged as a game-changer. It can enhance trend forecasts and design processes, optimize supply chain management, enable the creation of hyper-realistic virtual models, and boost personalized customer engagement. All these innovations collectively lead to significant efficiency, profitability, and sustainability within the sector. The rapid convergence of fashion and technology has created an increasing and pressing need for individuals possessing strong digital skills. Fashion companies must rapidly adjust to this changing environment, while fashion education must simultaneously progress to provide students with essential competencies. This paper delineates a case study of a collaborative workshop between a university and a company aimed at providing students with hands-on experience in advanced AI applications within the fashion sector. This effort enables students to deeply understand the industry’s digital transformation while cultivating a passion for upcoming technologies. The authors hope that the ideas and experiences presented in this paper will be a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners investigating the convergence of fashion, design, and technology.