California Apparel News

Along with the excitement surrounding the progress connected to technological advancements, this buzz is also often met with a bit of trepidation from professionals who will be affected—for better or worse—by these tools. Professionals in most industries feel threatened by technology at some point in their careers, due to feelings that the advancements might be implemented to replace humans. These days, many creatives across different industries feel threatened by new technology, mainly artificial intelligence.

The counterpoint that is often made to quell these fears is how new technology can ease the burden of menial tasks or administrative work that prevents creatives from fully devoting themselves to their craft. In order to accept new technologies, creatives must first know how these tools support their work.

California Apparel News asked the fashion industry’s technology leaders: How are advancements in technology supporting creativity and artistry in fashion?

Shahrooz Shawn Kohan

Chief Executive Officer

AIMS360

 Creativity was never the bottleneck in fashion. Operations were.

For decades, the people with the best ideas spent their days chasing purchase orders, keying the same order into three systems and fighting chargebacks instead of working on product.

Data on sell-through, returns and size curves let a brand see what is working while it is still working. If you can reorder the winner and cut the loser before it buries you in markdowns, you can afford the strange piece, the odd color, the drop with no historical comp. Guesswork punishes originality. Visibility rewards it.

We have worked with more than 10,000 brands over forty years at AIMS360. The most interesting work rarely comes from the biggest teams. It comes from brands whose people are not buried in administration.

Technology does not make anyone more creative. It clears the room so creativity has somewhere to go.

    Ken Weygand

    Solutions Architect

    Aptean

 Digital design tools have transformed the fashion design process by allowing designers to create sketches, experiment with colors, fabrics, and silhouettes, and produce detailed 2D and 3D garment models before making physical samples. This speeds up development, reduces material waste, lowers production costs and gives designers more freedom to test, refine and improve their ideas.

Artificial intelligence further enhances the creative process by analyzing fashion trends, predicting consumer preferences, recommending color palettes and patterns, and generating fresh design concepts. AI supports creativity by providing inspiration, increasing efficiency and enabling more personalized designs tailored to customer needs.

In addition, cloud-based platforms and digital communication tools have improved collaboration within the fashion industry. Designers, artists, textile specialists and manufacturers can work together in real time, sharing ideas, feedback and expertise. This collaboration encourages innovation and combines diverse creative perspectives, resulting in more original and successful fashion collections.

Adam Weir

Director of Innovation for Apparel Solutions

Avery Dennison

 We are seeing an unprecedented speed of change in the industry, with new construction techniques and materials breaking new horizons. The strong push toward onshoring makes tools and hardware, previously exclusive to large offshore manufacturers, much more accessible and affordable.

By owning parts of the supply chain with a lower investment, brands and designers can experiment quickly and easily—testing their ideas and evolving their products along the way. Digitization and automation have shifted focus away from large-scale uniformity toward enabling efficiency in smaller orders and fostering agility. This allows designers to test the market with new ideas without committing to large volumes, making micromanufacturing the digitally enabled atelier of the future.

Giuseppe Cianci

Chief Operating Officer

bierrebi International

 Technology is transforming fashion by giving designers new tools to turn creative ideas into reality. From digital design software to artificial intelligence and automated production systems, technological advancements are helping fashion professionals to experiment more freely and work more efficiently.

One of the most important changes is the ability to connect creativity with precision. Designers can create complex patterns, test different fabrics and assess new concepts digitally before moving into production.

Advanced bierrebi cutting machines represent a key example of how technology supports creativity, by combining high-precision fabric cutting with automation. This gives designers greater freedom to experiment with shapes and innovative compositions, knowing that their ideas can be translated accurately from the digital pattern to the final piece. Technology is therefore not replacing artistry; it is expanding its possibilities.

By automating manufacturing tasks and improving precision, modern technology gives fashion designers and manufacturers the freedom to focus on creativity and innovation. The result is a fashion industry where technology and human imagination work together to create more-distinctive and sustainable designs.

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    Paul F. Magel

    President

    BlueCherry by CGS

 There was a time when designers spent their days sketching, draping fabrics and chasing inspiration. Today, AI steps in not just to replace the designer but also to remove everything that gets in the designer’s way.

At BlueCherry, we believe the future of AI in fashion isn’t about creating the next collection, it’s about giving designers back the time and freedom to create it.

Imagine AI automatically identifying similar historical styles, recommending sustainable materials that meet cost targets, predicting sourcing risks before sampling begins, summarizing supplier feedback or highlighting potential compliance issues while a product is still being designed. None of those tasks diminish creativity, they amplify it.

The real opportunity is what we call AI Everywhere: embedding intelligent assistance directly into every stage of the product life cycle. Rather than asking designers to leave their creative workflow to search for information, AI brings relevant insights into the moment decisions are made.

Fashion has always been a balance of art and commerce. The artistry belongs to the people who understand consumers, trends, color and storytelling. AI simply helps remove friction so those creative minds can spend less time managing process and more time imagining what’s next.

The best fashion technology won’t design your next collection. It will give your designers more time to create it.

Pam Peale

Vice President for Global Sales and U.S. PLM Operations

DeSL

 Technology is creating more opportunities for creativity in fashion by removing many of the manual processes that have traditionally slowed product development. Rather than replacing creative talent, advancements in AI, digital collaboration, and connected workflows allow designers and product teams to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time exploring ideas, refining products and responding to changing consumer demand.

Digital tools are also helping preserve creative intent throughout the product life cycle. From concept through sourcing and production, connected platforms improve collaboration among designers, developers, suppliers and manufacturers, reducing miscommunication while ensuring that products reach the market as originally envisioned.

Technologies such as 3D design, digital color and print approvals, and AI-assisted workflows make experimentation faster and more practical. Teams can evaluate more options, identify potential issues earlier, reduce physical sampling and material waste, and make decisions with greater confidence. This allows brands to innovate more efficiently while supporting both sustainability goals and faster time to market.

Ultimately, the greatest impact of technology is not that it creates for us but that it gives creative professionals the time, visibility and tools to do what they do best. As the industry continues to evolve, the brands that successfully combine human creativity with intelligent digital technologies will be best positioned to deliver innovative products and exceptional customer experiences.

    Petersen Zhu

    Chief Executive Officer and President

    DigitBridge

 Having worked in the apparel industry for more than 30 years, I’ve seen firsthand how technology has transformed creativity in fashion. Early in my career, designers sketched ideas by hand, created story­boards, sourced fabrics and produced physical samples. Those samples would be reviewed, revised and remade multiple times before a collection was finalized. It was a lengthy, expensive and inherently risky process.

Today, technology enhances every stage of that creative journey. Software with AI-assisted features can help generate design concepts, visualize complete looks, develop technical sketches and tech packs, and create digital samples that can be shared with buyers before a physical sample is ever produced. Brands can gather feedback earlier, reduce costly iterations and make more-informed production decisions. Simultaneously, they can begin preparing product content, marketing and e-commerce listings while manufacturing is underway, dramatically shortening the path from inspiration to market.

Technology doesn’t replace creativity—it gives creative people more freedom to innovate with greater confidence. By connecting design, production, merchandising and commerce, brands spend less time managing processes and more time creating products that people love to wear, using technology to elevate artistry, reduce risk and help ideas reach consumers faster.

Tim Check

Senior Product Manager, Professional Imaging

Epson America

 Advancements in digital printing are allowing fashion designers and brands to push artistry further while running smarter, more responsive businesses. For the fashion community, this convergence of creativity and technology is reshaping how collections are conceived, tested and brought to market.

Technologies such as dye-sublimation, direct-to-garment and direct-to-film now reproduce artwork with near-photographic fidelity on an expanding range of textiles. Hand-painted designs, digital illustrations and photography can be translated into fabric with rich color, smooth gradients and fine detail, freeing designers from many of the color and registration limits of traditional screen printing. This precision gives creatives confidence that what they imagine in the studio is what customers will see on the finished garment.

Equally important, digital workflows decouple creative risk from production risk. Designers can print economically from a single sample to full-scale runs and test niche concepts and pilot capsules without committing to large inventories. Brands increasingly use on-demand and short-run manufacturing to validate demand before investing in bulk production, aligning artistic experimentation with better inventory control and sustainability goals.

    Tirsa Parrish

    Co-founder and Managing Partner

    Fashion Index

 What excites me most is how technology is making design tools more intuitive while giving designers powerful new ways to move fast: That combination is a genuine game changer for creativity.

Platforms like CLO 3D have lowered the technical barrier to entry, giving designers sophisticated capabilities. At the same time, generative AI tools such as Style3D and Raspberry AI let designers describe a concept in text and get multiple visual directions back in seconds. These tools are an ideal method for exploring silhouettes, prints, colorways and fabrications before committing to a single direction. Designers and brands that adopt these technologies are building a powerful toolbox for creativity. Fashion schools are taking it further, incorporating these tools into the curriculum so graduates hit the ground running.

AI can significantly shorten the iteration process. That speed changes the economics of experimentation: Conceptualizing unproven ideas now costs almost nothing, so designers can take more creative risks instead of settling due to time constraints.

To me, this isn’t AI replacing artistry; it’s technology expanding the creative sandbox. Designers still bring the aesthetic eye, curation and point of view that turn AI output into something meaningful, but now they’re spending less time on execution bottlenecks and more time on the parts that are actually creative.

Ana Friedlander

Senior Director of Industry Solutions and Strategy

Infor

 The greatest threat to creativity in fashion is not technology, it is forcing creative talent to work through outdated systems, disconnected information and slow, wasteful processes.

Technology is breaking down those barriers. AI can reveal emerging cultural signals, 3D design can turn an idea into an immersive experience within hours and digital collaboration can connect designers directly with sourcing, manufacturing and merchandising teams around the world. Instead of spending valuable time chasing information, correcting errors or waiting for physical samples, creative teams can explore more ideas, test more possibilities and make bolder decisions.

This is where technology becomes a creative multiplier. This is not simply digital transformation. It is creative transformation.

AI can surface emerging cultural and consumer signals. Digital design can expand experimentation without multiplying physical samples. Connected data can reveal the cost, availability, compliance and environmental impact of a decision while there is still time to influence it. Together, these capabilities allow designers to explore more possibilities while helping brands commercialize the strongest ideas more responsibly and profitably.

Technology should remain the enabler—not the author. Algorithms can recognize patterns and recommend options, but they cannot replicate human instinct, cultural intelligence or the emotional point of view that gives a brand relevance. Leadership must ensure that technology strengthens creative judgment rather than standardizing it.

The next era of fashion will unite human imagination with intelligent execution.

    Scott Pearson

    Vice President of Sales and Marketing

    Jesta I.S./FarsightIQ

 The next era of fashion will not be defined by technology replacing creativity but by how intelligently brands use it to expand creativity. In an industry where speed, relevance and originality must coexist, progressive fashion organizations are rethinking the creative process itself.

AI, advanced 3D design tools and digital prototyping platforms are shifting creativity upstream. Designers can explore fabrics, colors, silhouettes, fit and merchandising concepts digitally before committing to physical samples. This improves efficiency while giving teams more room to experiment, challenge assumptions and make better decisions earlier.

By surfacing signals from trends, preferences, cultural shifts and historical performance, AI gives designers and merchants a broader lens to evaluate ideas. The human role remains essential: interpreting those signals and creating work with emotion, context and point of view.

Augmented and virtual reality are also changing how fashion is experienced. Virtual showrooms, digital garments, 360-degree views and try-on experiences help brands present ideas with greater depth and flexibility while giving customers more-immersive, personalized ways to engage.

Personalization is another frontier. As data become more intelligent, brands can move beyond broad segmentation toward assortments, recommendations and experiences that feel relevant to individual customers without losing brand integrity.

Technology should be treated as a creative accelerator, not a substitute. The brands that lead will be those that use technology to remove friction, sharpen insight and give human creativity more space to perform.

Alison Bringé

Chief Marketing Officer

Launchmetrics

 For a long time, fashion, lifestyle and beauty brands have had to make creative decisions largely on instinct. They could feel what was resonating with their audience, but they couldn’t always prove it. What’s changed with AI is that we can now measure what used to be hard to pin down, and that clarity doesn’t limit creativity, it empowers it.

At Launchmetrics, the data and analytics we bring show the ideas that are actually connecting and why so brands can back their boldest ideas with confidence instead of defaulting to the safe choice. Once you can see what’s actually working, the creative gets sharper and the strategy becomes clearer. And, in an industry dealing with more channels, more voices and more noise, that’s what separates the brands cutting through from the ones adding to it.

The brands getting this right are the ones using AI-powered solutions to remove the guesswork so their teams can focus on what they do best: telling a story that actually lands. That’s ultimately where brand performance improves: when data and creativity move in step, each making the other stronger.

    Ketty Pillet

    Vice President Marketing for the Americas

    Lectra

 Fashion companies are navigating a landscape defined by constant change. Consumer expectations are evolving rapidly, supply chains are under pressure, and brands are expected to innovate at unprecedented speed. In this environment, technology has become a critical enabler of creativity.

The fashion industry is moving from disconnected processes toward highly connected ecosystems where information flows seamlessly from design to production. When teams have access to accurate, real-time data and automated workflows, they can make decisions faster and spend more time focusing on innovation rather than low added-value tasks such as chasing information, ensuring data consistency and coordinating teams.

Advancements in artificial intelligence and cloud-based platforms are helping companies transform creative ideas into finished products more efficiently. Brands can better anticipate demand, optimize production and manage smaller, more-personalized collections without sacrificing quality or speed. This agility allows creative teams to experiment, refine concepts and bring new products to market with greater confidence.

Technology also helps preserve what makes fashion unique: human expertise. The goal is not to replace designers, patternmakers or product developers. Instead, digital solutions remove barriers that often slow them down, enabling stronger collaboration and better execution across the entire product life cycle.

As the industry continues its transition toward more-connected and sustainable operations, we see technology playing an increasingly important role in unlocking creativity. The future belongs to fashion companies that combine craftsmanship, innovation and digital intelligence to create products that consumers want, when they want them.

Creativity remains the differentiator. Technology is what enables it to scale.

Frank Maeder

President

NedGraphics and Optitex

 Technology has always served creativity in fashion, but we are at an inflection point where it’s genuinely amplifying artistry rather than just supporting logistics.

At NedGraphics, designers can explore color palettes, complex repeat structures and surface aesthetics in ways that simply weren’t possible before. Instead of waiting days for a fabric strike-off, a designer can visualize exactly how a print behaves on a specific textile, testing dozens of colorways and variations in the time it once took to produce one. The result is richer creative exploration, not a compressed version of it.

Optitex extends that creative confidence into the sewn product itself. Through advanced 2D pattern development and high-fidelity 3D simulation of the assembled garment, designers and technical teams can see how a silhouette fits and how fabric drapes and moves on a virtual body before a single physical sample is cut. That ability to validate and refine creative decisions at the garment level is transformative.

What makes the combination powerful is continuity. Textile design intent that originates in NedGraphics carries through into Optitex 2D and 3D garment-development workflow without losing fidelity. Creative and technical teams work from shared data, reducing the costly translation errors that traditionally happen when design hands off to production.

When the gap between imagination and execution narrows, artistry advances, and that’s where the most exciting design work happens.

    Peter Hedrick

    President

    On Display Apparel Software

 While we are not the artists, our line of work deals with technology and support of the creatives we work with. As a small company, we know our customers by name and are in regular communication. Our customers generally consult us when they are approached with new technology requirements and any other needs that may arise. In addition, our customers come to us with big ideas they may need help executing.

For example, we had a creative and ambitious customer who had goals of scaling his shoe business quickly, so we helped him implement his plans, which allowed him to keep up with rapid growth. During COVID, another customer asked us to develop a private B2B website, specifically a place that allowed them to work hand-in-hand with their major retail customers. We were able to execute their vision, and we continue to implement new features to support their evolving needs. Ultimately, it’s important for creatives to understand technology to an extent, but a support system of technology specialists can help artists thrive even more.

Paul Bentham

Chief Product and Technology Officer

Oritain

 As regulatory expectations evolve and supply chains become increasingly complex, brands face growing pressure to have confidence in the integrity of their sourcing programs. Oritain’s 2026 Supply Chain Intelligence Report found that over 90 percent of brands analyzed recorded at least one garment containing prohibited cotton, despite widespread investment in traceability efforts, underscoring the importance of moving beyond documentation alone to understand the true origin of materials.

The benefits extend beyond risk management. Oritain’s report found that only 3 percent of consumers globally trust marketing claims, highlighting a broader trust gap between brands and their customers. Independent verification helps organizations substantiate sourcing claims with objective evidence, providing a stronger foundation for consumer confidence and brand credibility.

Advancements in technology are increasingly helping fashion brands bridge this trust gap. Technologies such as forensic origin verification enable businesses to validate sourcing claims with greater confidence, allowing creative and commercial teams to focus less on defending claims and more on creating compelling products and stories that resonate with consumers. When brands can demonstrate the integrity of their supply chains with evidence, they are better positioned to communicate authenticity and craftsmanship with confidence.

Ultimately, stronger supply-chain assurance is not simply about meeting expectations. It is about providing organizations with the confidence to innovate, create and grow. By equipping businesses with evidence-based insights into the products they bring to market, technology can help unlock greater focus on the activities that drive value, from product development and design to brand building and customer engagement.

    Minesh Pore

    Founder and Chief Executive Officer

    SourcingGPT.ai

 AI’s most valuable role in fashion is not replacing creativity—it is removing the friction that prevents creative ideas from becoming real products.

Designers can now use AI to explore new silhouettes, color combinations, materials and cultural references much faster. But creativity does not end with an image or sketch. The real challenge is translating that vision into the right fabric, finish, construction method, price point and responsible manufacturing partner.

This is where sourcing technology becomes a creative tool. Platforms such as SourcingGPT can help designers describe what they want in natural language, discover relevant materials and manufacturers, compare capabilities and costs, and identify more-sustainable or innovative alternatives. A young designer can explore supply-chain possibilities that previously required years of industry relationships and considerable resources.

AI can also reduce repetitive administrative work—supplier searches, RFQs, quote comparisons, follow-ups and documentation—giving creative teams more time to design, experiment and tell meaningful stories.

The future of fashion will not be created by AI alone. It will be created by imaginative people using AI to expand what is possible. Technology provides the speed, intelligence and access; human taste, emotion and cultural understanding remain the true source of artistry.

Ram Sareen

Founder

Tukatech

 The role of technology is not to replace artistic vision but to eliminate repetitive technical work so designers and product-development teams have more time to experiment and perfect the ideas that transform a good product into a great one. Technology is most valuable when it expands creative possibilities while ensuring every design remains grounded in fit, quality and actual production.

Our latest generation, TUKAcad-GC combines traditional pattern engineering with AI-assisted workflows and fully integrated 3D product development. Equally important is TUKAstylehub, our cloud-based collaborative platform that connects designers, pattern engineers, merchandisers, technical teams, factories and brands in real time.

The future of fashion technology is not about replacing designers—it is about empowering them. By eliminating repetitive technical tasks, enabling global collaboration and creating accurate digital prototypes before a single piece of fabric is cut, technology allows creative professionals to spend more time doing what they do best: designing products consumers love.

Responses have been condensed for clarity and space.