Spanish apparel brand Mango just released their summer campaign for their teens line. A limited-edition collection called Sunset Dream, it marks their first fashion campaign made solely through artificial intelligence. In a press statement posted on their official website, Jordi Alex, Mango's Chief Information Technology Officer, emphasized the brand's dedication to innovation. "Artificial intelligence is a technological revolution that presents great opportunities that should act as a co-pilot to extend the capabilities of our employees and further amplify our creativity," he explains. "Because technology will either make us more human or it won't."
LOOK: Mango's Photorealistic AI-Generated Fashion Campaign for their Teens Line
According to the fashion giant's press release, Mango Teen's design, art, styling, dataset, and AI model training teams collaborated on the campaign photos. To produce images with "editorial quality similar to a fashion campaign," they started by photographing each garment, which was then fed into a generative AI platform to produce the initial images. This AI platform has been trained to generate images by placing real garments on the model. From there, Mango's art team then selected, retouched, edited, and finalized these images through their photography studio. Long story short: The model and location are all AI, except the clothes.
The Spanish fashion retailer noted that this foray into AI-generated campaigns is part of the brand's broader strategic plan and commitment to innovation, one that "aims to create value through technological development, data management, and operational excellence."
This, however, isn't the first time Mango has employed a generative AI model for their visual assets. Since 2018, the brand's design and product departments have been using an artificial intelligence platform to "co-create" prints, fabrics, and garments. They also use this platform to look out for inspiration for window dressing, architecture, and interior design.
Netizens React to Mango's AI-Generated Fashion Campaign for their Teens Line
The AI-generated campaign has sparked discussions about its implications for the future of fashion creatives. "What in the Black Mirror is this, Mango?" TikTok user Erin from @thosemarketinggirlies remarked in a video. "I think it's a bit unsettling to think about how many jobs this kind of technology could put on the line," she added.
Users shared similar concerns, with one noting, "Entire crews, replaced by one single computer."
Moreover, the campaign has also raised concerns about how using AI-generated models could have detrimental implications on beauty standards. "How are you supposed to tell what clothes look like on an actual person?" one netizen pointed out.
Celeste Aria, a TikTok influencer and a former model herself, questioned the AI model's appearance that the Mango team essentially shaped. "I also find it really sus[picious] that the first AI-generated campaigns seem to always be like an ethnically ambiguous, super skinny model," she explained in a video.
Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!
