Tech millionaire and longevity enthusiast Bryan Johnson recently posted on X, “Fashion is one of the places where cultural changes show up first.” This came just two days after he made his runway debut at the Matières Fécales show in Paris last week.
Johnson’s walk was the latest in a series of appearances by tech figures at this season’s fashion shows. If his observation holds true, the Fall/Winter 2026 collections revealed how deeply technology is entering the cultural dialogue, using fashion as its vehicle. This shift is happening as investors pour unprecedented funding into promises of an AI-driven future.
This trend has sparked a conversation about a new power dynamic. Luxury brands, facing a slowdown, are now courting the newfound wealth of tech billionaires. It has also firmly placed tech, with AI at the forefront, at the center of online discourse. What’s clear is that we are entering an era where designers are wrestling with technology’s influence, and specifically AI’s impact, on creativity.
Speaking with designers backstage this fashion month, it became apparent that three distinct approaches have emerged. Some brands are using AI as a genuine creative partner. Others are applying the technology widely but primarily for operational tasks. A third group is deliberately avoiding it, championing purely human creativity instead.
A Behind-the-Scenes Helper
Emerging designers were by far the most willing to experiment with and discuss AI this season. Many resource-limited teams are turning to the technology to achieve more with less. Most described AI as a “tool” for handling more mundane, behind-the-scenes work. Its uses range from drafting contracts and creating mood boards to generating mock-ups and show assets.
For Yaku Stapleton, who presented a show-like event at London’s NewGen Space in February, AI has become essential for both operational and creative tasks. His team first uses AI during the initial idea and concept stages to improve visual communication.
“When you’re brainstorming ideas and potential solutions, being able to get an idea out of your head and into a tangible form with AI means you’re discussing something real that everyone can see. It becomes objective rather than subjective,” he says. “This often allows the initial ideation phase to be more efficient.”
“It can really speed things up at the mock-up stage, too,” Stapleton continues. “For a T-shirt print, for example, you can say, ‘I like this part of the image you generated, but not that part. Can we use this as a reference?’ From there, you save a team member’s time, allowing them to focus more on perfecting the final print using a variety of tools.”
Stapleton emphasizes that AI is still just one tool among many in his process. For instance, if his team wants to visualize something in 3D, they start by making traditional collages, then feed those into the Meshi AI program to create the 3D model. He also uses AI to help manage the business side, such as navigating intellectual property law.
“Imagine if a few years ago, a designer said they wouldn’t use digital tools like Adobe for graphic design? I don’t think that company would be around now,” he reflects. “I understand why people fear new tools; it’s easy to see them as replacing emotion. But as someone running a business, I’d feel foolish ignoring them. Business is an area where emotion is less involved. If you’re slow or wasting resources on tasks that could be streamlined, it’s simply not smart.”
In Copenhagen, Paolina Russo’s co-designers,Paolina Russo and Lucile Guilmard note that they frequently use AI for operational tasks, while also experimenting with it creatively to achieve a handmade aesthetic on a larger scale. “Take denim, for example. Whenever we try a new material, that’s where the technology comes in,” Guilmard explains. “For our first show in Copenhagen, we went to a factory, tested their machines, and developed techniques that blend hand-weaving with the machinery we trained.”
“The heart of our brand is knitwear,” says Russo. “That’s how we began. While our knits might look handmade or nostalgic at first glance, using traditional wool and cotton, they are actually fully programmed on digital knitting machines. We’ve been fascinated by how to translate the human touch—even what feels like little mistakes—into a program, and we’re deeply interested in merging technology with craft.”
Back in London, Marie Lueder’s FW26 collection, titled Ghosts of My Life, featured contrasts between bright lights and dark garments, emphasizing craftsmanship alongside her AI explorations. “My main role is communication, so I use AI a lot for that,” Lueder said backstage. “It helps quickly visualize a process when there’s no time to make it physically. But it’s never enough on its own—it’s about combining AI with a human voice.”
A standout element of her show was a sculptural turbine installation at the center of the set. Lueder used Adobe AI to visualize her ideas and create a mock-up, drawing on mental references to the past. She also experimented with AI to generate novel images for show invitations and tarot-style place cards.
“It was based on an image from our pre-lookbook shoot, and it took four people a lot of time to get it exactly right,” Lueder notes. “We had a senior graphic designer, a senior 3D designer, me, and someone prompting the AI. It wasn’t faster or easier, which was a key lesson. I’m still exploring how to challenge my own aesthetic training and find the best ways to use the technology.”
Meanwhile, Demna previewed his debut Gucci collection with AI-generated mood board images on Instagram before the show. He sees AI as a practical tool for visual communication. “This is 2026. I use tools,” he told CNN backstage. “If it helps quickly visualize an idea, why not? It’s like retailers refusing e-commerce in 2008 because it wasn’t ‘quality’—I find that mindset ridiculous.”
A Designer in Itself
Last week in Paris, the highly anticipated debut of Paul Billot for his eponymous label represented…The boldest AI experiment of fashion month came from an off-schedule show, where the collection was designed entirely using AI. After working on Maison Margiela’s Artisanal line under John Galliano, designer Paul Billot began treating AI as an equal creative partner. For his debut collection, Ailleurs, he fed his favorite poem—Alphabet by Henri Michaux—into a Quantum AI model he co-designed with an engineer. Quantum AI is an emerging technology that goes beyond simply mimicking existing inputs, as generative AI does. Instead, it creates entirely new concepts and outputs, often called “quantum noise,” which Billot sees as “an extension of my own creativity.”
During his MA thesis, Billot highlighted AI’s shortcomings in understanding fabrics and the weight of garments. He then began to intentionally exploit those limitations in his design process. “After a few weeks, I thought maybe the software’s naivety could be an opportunity to create something new or unknown in fashion,” he says. “Most AI models—like Midjourney, the industry favorite Awen, ChatGPT, or Nanobanana—are what I call parrots, because they try to reproduce human thinking. But I’m more interested in developing entirely new ways of thinking from AI software.”
After inputting the poem and requesting garment designs, the results were so abstract that Billot describes them as “immaterial.” “At first, I had almost no idea what the images were or what to do with them,” he recalls. “But then I focused on three aspects: their blur, with deep colors and gradients; a sort of halo effect of horizontal lines; and these bubbles of light with a black center, almost like stars.”
Billot treated these outputs as the designs themselves, then worked to physically recreate them in material form—effectively flipping the typical AI-assisted design process. In his approach, the AI acts as the designer, and the human executes its vision.
“I don’t think AI is just a tool. You can use it that way, but it’s a waste of energy and almost an unsustainable approach,” Billot says. “I also don’t like calling it a design partner, because that makes it seem almost human, and there’s something uncanny about that. I don’t feel anything uncanny when I work with AI. Instead, I like to say it’s a material, because it has constraints and properties to embrace. If we start erasing those properties, I see no reason to work with AI at all.”
At odds with human creativity
On the opposite end of the spectrum, several designers believe human creativity must be fiercely protected in the age of AI, and that creative endeavors should remain untouched by the technology.
After her London show in February, Greek designer Dimitra Petsa of Di Petsa said the industry should be very careful with AI. “It’s interesting how technology always advances faster than the ethical debate around it,” she noted. “Aesthetics and creativity are deeply human. I personally think AI will never be able to feel when a design is relevant, how it fits into fashion history, or how it reads from an aesthetic philosophy perspective—these are too complex, human, and abstract.”
While acknowledging that AI “isn’t going anywhere” and could help with operational aspects of a creative business, Petsa predicted that consumers will increasingly value the tactile and tangible in the AI era.In fashion history and from the perspective of aesthetic philosophy, Dimitra Petsa, founder of Di Petsa, shared her thoughts. “I believe AI has deepened our uncertainty about what is real and what isn’t, which is good because it makes people question the content they engage with,” she said. “This might spark a longing for things we know are real—things we can actually touch.”
Backstage at Prada in Milan, co-designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons expressed similar views. Simons noted, “As designers, we must work instinctively—from the heart, the mind, from feeling, knowledge, respect for history, and curiosity about the future. But when we create something, it clearly comes from within us, unlike AI. After that, it’s up to the audience.”
Mrs. Prada also stressed the importance of being deliberate. “In two years, we might be having a very different conversation about AI and fashion—where it’s headed, who will steer it, and how it will be used,” she observed. “But it’s already fully present. So while artificial intelligence is here, it’s our responsibility—along with governments and organizations—to guide it.”
Simons added, “I always say I’m open to being surprised, and I try to keep an open mind. If something created purely by AI delivers a show that completely amazes me, then I’ll reconsider my stance. In a way, that might be the biggest challenge for our profession.”
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs AI in Fashion Week
Beginner Definition Questions
1 What does AI is now a part of Fashion Week actually mean
It means artificial intelligence tools are being used throughout the fashion show processfrom designing digital clothing and predicting trends to creating virtual models enhancing runway visuals and personalizing the experience for online viewers
2 Is AI replacing human designers and models
No its primarily a tool to assist and augment human creativity Designers use AI for inspiration and efficiency while digital models appear alongside human models expanding creative possibilities rather than replacing people
3 Can you give a simple example of AI at Fashion Week
A designer might use an AI image generator to quickly create hundreds of unique print or texture ideas based on a keyword like ocean fossil which they then refine and produce in real fabrics
Benefits Opportunities
4 What are the main benefits of using AI in fashion shows
Speed Efficiency Rapidly generates design concepts patterns and mood boards
Sustainability Allows for digitalonly clothing and phygital displays reducing physical sample waste
Inclusivity Enables the creation of diverse digital models and personalized virtual tryons
New Experiences Creates immersive viralworthy digital runways and interactive online events
5 How does AI help with trend forecasting for Fashion Week
AI algorithms analyze massive amounts of data from social media search trends and past sales to predict what colors styles and silhouettes will be popular next season giving designers databacked insights
Common Concerns Problems
6 Doesnt AI lead to less original or copied designs
This is a major concern AI models are trained on existing data which can lead to outputs that resemble or regurgitate past work The key is how designers use AI as a starting point for truly original human refinement and storytelling
7 What about job losses in the fashion industry
While some roles may evolve new jobs are emerging The focus is shifting towards skills that combine tech knowledge with traditional fashion expertise
8 Is AIgenerated fashion wearable in real life
Often not directly Many AIgenerated images are fant