The fashion industry has long been criticized for its tendency to discriminate and make people feel excluded. It’s a sector that has generally promoted a certain body type to the detriment of many. Disrupting this status quo of the fashion industry to make it more inclusive, diverse and sustainable, Amsterdam-based Lalaland has come up with an AI-powered fashion model concept.
Figure: Lalaland has come up with an AI-powered fashion model concept. Courtesy: lalaland.ai
Physical clothing results in 100 million tons of waste each year, mostly due to customers returning items. On the other hand, digital models are becoming more demanding because it makes more sense to 3D cloth in 3D models. Digital fashion now often exists on social media. According to Amsterdam start-up Lalaland, AI-designed digital models of different shapes, sizes and skin tones can help shoppers to make their choices. There may also come a time when buyers create avatars in their exact image.
As the world rapidly becomes more connected, it is important for brands to understand the impact that advanced technology is having on consumer purchasing behavior. To respond effectively, brands must know how to engage with increasingly digitally savvy consumers.
Lalaland was founded in 2019 by Musandu and Ugnius Rim?a and uses artificial intelligence to allow fashion brands and retailers to create hyper-realistic models—avatars that include every body type, size, and skin tone.
Founder and CEO, Michael Musandu said, “Our product is centered on solving the issue of consumers who feel underrepresented in terms of ethnicity, gender identity and body representation. So we want to work with people who can relate to these issues to facilitate positive change in co-creation.”
Lalaland’s core vision is to use technology to drive inclusion and diversity within digital fashion. The company focuses on two objectives – social empowerment and sustainable impact.
The world of fashion ecommerce is said to be worth around €380 billion and is constantly expanding. According to Lalaland, 7.5% of annual revenue is spent on photography, production and models for product pages. Lalaland taps into that market with a cost-effective model-making tool that replaces time-consuming and expensive photoshoots.
Meanwhile, the self-service platform allows anyone to easily recreate high-quality photoshoots. Models can be tailored to a customer’s profile or customized for specific body types, allowing for hyper-personalization. It helps increase sales, lower return rates and costs, increases conversions, reduces waste and contributes to a more inclusive shopping and brand experience.
According to Lalaland, with digital avatars, clothing companies can demonstrate and validate 3D garment designs. One can easily visualize ODM end-to-end from the first step of design and development, wholesaling and merchandising to e-commerce.
Recently, the Amsterdam-based startup raised €2.1 million in new funding led by Orange Wings, Unknown Group and angel investors (including former Nike General Manager Bart de Wilde, Google’s Amhar Ford and Thorsten Koch, and Christina Caljé from Autheos). The vision is to create a more inclusive, personal and sustainable shopping experience for fashion brands, retailers and consumers.