Tommy Hilfiger, IBM, FIT Partner on AI-Driven Apparel Design

Tommy Hilfiger (New York), IBM (North Castle, N.Y.) and the Fashion Institute of Technology's (New York) Infor Design and Tech Lab are collaborating to identify fashion trends before they hit international runways.

The joint project is utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) which includes computer vision, natural language understanding and deep learning technologies that are specifically trained with fashion data, reports Women’s Wear Daily. Some of the trends the technology will be able to identify include silhouettes, colors, prints and patterns, says WWD.

The project has to date generated six designs for Tommy Hilfiger, with three being showcased at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF, Washington, D.C.) The Big Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.

The technology aims to shorten the decades-old supply chain model that requires one year from initial designs to sales floor to meet customers’ ever-growing demands for instant gratification.