Discover how JAG is revolutionising the fashion industry using generative AI tools to produce digital imagery that can replace on-location photo shoots.
Generative AI is stretching the fabric of the fashion industry’s reality in new directions.
JAG, a part of APG & Co (the company behind Sportscraft and Saba), is an early adopter of the revolutionary trend of using AI to produce digital imagery to replace on-location photo shoots.
Rather than hiring models per individual shoot, the new digital process sees models paid a “usage fee” for the repeated use of their avatars. JAG CEO Elisha Hopkinson says, “Models are paid for their likeness, and we can save time and money by using their images in different ways.”
The company’s latest campaign adopted this new approach, initially photographing models in various poses. JAG’s digital team then virtually applied specific clothing to these models. They can further enhance these hybrid real-world and computer-generated images using scanned fabric imagery, reproducing how it would look when draped on the models in actual environments.
Full-scale photoshoots can run up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, requiring considerable logistical planning and human resources. However, JAG’s generative AI method will reduce the time, costs, and resources associated with traditional production processes.
Many AI technologies have attracted criticism for lacking authenticity and the ability to create story-driven human connections. However, Hopkinson refutes this issue within JAG’s use case.
“If I was to show you two images – one that is rendered by 3D software and one that is shot by us, I doubt you’d be able to tell the difference,” she said. “There is absolutely the playfulness we want in the campaigns. But sometimes people just want pictures of a piece of clothing on a model, not necessarily a story.”
The fashion industry has experimented with frontier technologies, including the metaverse, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), virtual reality and augmented reality; the latter gaining traction throughout the pandemic as online brands saw rapid success with “virtual try-on” tools for at-home shoppers.
Research from McKinsey suggests that generative AI may be the next big thing in the fashion industry. The company’s predictions show AI technology will add between $150 billion and $275 billion to the apparel, fashion, and luxury sectors’ operating profits in the next three to five years.