The Future of Fashion: A conversation on innovation, humanity, and AI
Credits: FoF The Future of Fashion Collective (FoF), born from a shared passion for innovation and sustainability, was founded by Jemma Spiers, Ben Garton, and Leslie Holden. They aim to bridge the gap between traditional fashion and the industry's evolving demands. As Leslie Holden explained, “Our mission is to empower brands and professionals with the digital skills, mindset, and strategies needed to thrive in tomorrow's workplace. This includes a focus on AI, digital product creation (DPC), and end-to-end digitalization across the fashion value chain. Our aim is to make innovation accessible, actionable, and on-trend while fostering a community of like-minded individuals driven by a shared vision for the future of fashion.” FoF recognizes that the fashion industry stands at a pivotal crossroads, where creativity and technology are intertwined to reshape its very fabric. The recent launch of the Collective featured a webinar with Jonathan Chippindale, founder of Holition. The conversation centered on the crucial role of human connection in a technologically driven world, exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies, particularly AI, and how these could be harnessed to enhance, rather than diminish, the human element in fashion. Chippindale, a pioneer in digital anthropology, shared his insights on the evolving relationship between fashion and technology. He recalled the early days of digital, when luxury brands hesitated to embrace the changing landscape, and highlighted a pivotal moment in the mid-90s when in a meeting with Pierre-Alexis Dumas, now creative director of Hermès, Dumas emphasized the importance of storytelling beyond the point of purchase, focusing on how products integrate into people's lives. This philosophy resonated with Chippindale, shaping his approach to innovation. He explained that his journey into digital began with the realization that brands were lagging behind consumers in their adoption of technology. While luxury brands clung to traditional marketing strategies, their customers were already embracing online shopping and digital communication. He saw this disconnect as an opportunity to bridge the gap between brand perception and consumer behavior. Holition, founded in 2006, aims to help brands navigate this new digital landscape by focusing on strategy, tone of voice, and personality, rather than simply pushing the latest tech. The overall theme of the webinar was the importance of maintaining the human touch in a technologically driven world. Chippindale emphasized Holition's technology-agnostic approach, prioritizing creativity and human understanding over simply adopting the newest gadget. He believes that technology should enhance human connection, not replace it. He illustrated this with examples of projects that successfully used technology to tell compelling stories and evoke emotional responses, such as the holographic fashion show for Dunhill in Shanghai in 2012, and the 2017 art installation at Blenheim Palace, in collaboration with artist Jenny Holzer, which used projections to convey powerful messages about the human cost of war. The discussion also touched on the transformative potential of AI. While acknowledging the current hype, Chippindale believes AI will eventually become an integrated part of the industry, much like e-commerce. He sees AI as a tool to empower creativity, facilitate hyper-personalization, and provide deeper insights into consumer behavior. He envisions AI moving beyond simple purchase prediction based on past behavior, suggesting its potential to anticipate future trends and preferences. The Future of Fashion Collective addresses three core challenges faced by brands: selecting appropriate technologies, effectively educating teams on their use, and ensuring seamless integration within existing workflows. To achieve this, the collective has assembled a team of seasoned experts with proven track records at leading fashion houses. The collective's mission centers on assisting brands in confidently navigating the complexities of technology, enabling them to build capable teams and seamlessly integrate new solutions to optimize their operations and enhance competitiveness.
The Future of Fashion Collective (FoF), born from a shared passion for innovation and sustainability, was founded by Jemma Spiers, Ben Garton, and Leslie Holden. They aim to bridge the gap between traditional fashion and the industry's evolving demands.
As Leslie Holden explained, “Our mission is to empower brands and professionals with the digital skills, mindset, and strategies needed to thrive in tomorrow's workplace. This includes a focus on AI, digital product creation (DPC), and end-to-end digitalization across the fashion value chain. Our aim is to make innovation accessible, actionable, and on-trend while fostering a community of like-minded individuals driven by a shared vision for the future of fashion.”
FoF recognizes that the fashion industry stands at a pivotal crossroads, where creativity and technology are intertwined to reshape its very fabric. The recent launch of the Collective featured a webinar with Jonathan Chippindale, founder of Holition. The conversation centered on the crucial role of human connection in a technologically driven world, exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies, particularly AI, and how these could be harnessed to enhance, rather than diminish, the human element in fashion.
Chippindale, a pioneer in digital anthropology, shared his insights on the evolving relationship between fashion and technology. He recalled the early days of digital, when luxury brands hesitated to embrace the changing landscape, and highlighted a pivotal moment in the mid-90s when in a meeting with Pierre-Alexis Dumas, now creative director of Hermès, Dumas emphasized the importance of storytelling beyond the point of purchase, focusing on how products integrate into people's lives. This philosophy resonated with Chippindale, shaping his approach to innovation. He explained that his journey into digital began with the realization that brands were lagging behind consumers in their adoption of technology. While luxury brands clung to traditional marketing strategies, their customers were already embracing online shopping and digital communication. He saw this disconnect as an opportunity to bridge the gap between brand perception and consumer behavior. Holition, founded in 2006, aims to help brands navigate this new digital landscape by focusing on strategy, tone of voice, and personality, rather than simply pushing the latest tech.
The overall theme of the webinar was the importance of maintaining the human touch in a technologically driven world. Chippindale emphasized Holition's technology-agnostic approach, prioritizing creativity and human understanding over simply adopting the newest gadget. He believes that technology should enhance human connection, not replace it. He illustrated this with examples of projects that successfully used technology to tell compelling stories and evoke emotional responses, such as the holographic fashion show for Dunhill in Shanghai in 2012, and the 2017 art installation at Blenheim Palace, in collaboration with artist Jenny Holzer, which used projections to convey powerful messages about the human cost of war.
The discussion also touched on the transformative potential of AI. While acknowledging the current hype, Chippindale believes AI will eventually become an integrated part of the industry, much like e-commerce. He sees AI as a tool to empower creativity, facilitate hyper-personalization, and provide deeper insights into consumer behavior. He envisions AI moving beyond simple purchase prediction based on past behavior, suggesting its potential to anticipate future trends and preferences.
The Future of Fashion Collective addresses three core challenges faced by brands: selecting appropriate technologies, effectively educating teams on their use, and ensuring seamless integration within existing workflows. To achieve this, the collective has assembled a team of seasoned experts with proven track records at leading fashion houses. The collective's mission centers on assisting brands in confidently navigating the complexities of technology, enabling them to build capable teams and seamlessly integrate new solutions to optimize their operations and enhance competitiveness.
