Calvin Wong, a fashion innovator from Hong Kong, unveiled AiDA, the world’s first designer-led AI system. Harnessing AI, encompassing image recognition, detection, and generation, the system empowers designers by providing a digital mood board for storing early sketches and colour ideas. From this, AiDA’s algorithms generate blueprints, offering designers a canvas for adjustments and personal touches. However, Wong particularly emphasises that AiDA is a supportive tool and not a replacement for designer creativity or roles.
Wong highlighted the tool’s purpose: to identify design elements and propose enhancements, all while preserving the designer’s unique creativity. At the helm of the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AidLab), a collaboration between the Royal College of Art (RCA) and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Wong showcased AiDA and other AidLab projects ahead of London Fashion Week, on 15th September 2023. Neo Couture, one of the AidLab projects, strives to digitally conserve the specialized skills of couturiers using advanced technology. Given the skills deficit in the UK’s fashion industry, an AI-assisted training system is in development to impart couture skills.
During the Fashion Week, several designers recognized the value of AI in the design process. Naren Barfield, Vice Chancellor of the Royal College of Art, forecasted AI’s transformative potential in the fashion industry. Using a “genetic algorithm,” AI can generate a thousand distinct looks from a single design—a task that might otherwise consume weeks. When designers maintain control, AI significantly expedites the design process without imposing decisions or taking over their creativity.
