As the curtains close on this season’s fashion shows in London, Milan, New York, and Paris, a metamorphosis is silently unfolding behind the scenes — the fusion of the imaginative brilliance of creative directors and AI. 

In the Middle East, like elsewhere, AI is propelling fashion to the marketplace with speed, efficiency, and an enhanced customer journey — a seismic shift in fashion styling. 

If you can’t decide what to wear, the data-driven, AI-powered style assistant can analyze your outfits through a combination of algorithms to tell you how the shape and size will work on your body.

DESIGNING A MAKEOVER

One such startup, UAE-based Get Outfit, has introduced a recommendation platform for personalized fashion with an AI-powered stylist, inspired by the simplicity of music streaming platforms like Spotify, where artists and songs are available at one’s fingertips.

“It would be great to democratize personal stylist services for everyone so that you could get ready-made outfits and personalized recommendations in one tap,” says Kim Sanzhiev, Founder, Get Outfit, adding the goal is to simplify the often overwhelming process of sifting through countless products and websites. 

Another player is Taffi, an AI-powered platform founded by Shahad Geoffrey that caters to shoppers seeking unique styles by leveraging big data, analyzing consumer preferences, attributes, cultural influences, purchase histories, and more to create tailored recommendations. “Our emphasis is on hyper-personalization and leveraging the personal data to the specific consumer, including the consumer’s cultural and regional preferences,” says Pradeep Bisht, co-founder of Taffi. 

Yet another fashion technology startup that leverages AI is Dresos, founded by Vladimir Radojevic. It asks users to take a short quiz to select their style preferences before recommending styles to them.

“AI-powered retail solutions enable online retailers to make highly accurate and data-driven decisions, where automated services provide customers with an improved and personalized shopping experience,” says Radojevic.

Radojevic adds retailers sit with so much data and do so little to create a personalized shopping experience. “Retailers in the region are slow to change but still open to new technologies – and this is where we see our big opportunity.” 

TAILORED TO PERFECTION

Compared to traditional methods that can be comparatively expensive and constrained by human expertise and in-person consultations, an AI-powered stylist like Get Outfit benefits from analyzing vast databases of clothing items, brands, and styles, which enables a wide array of options, unhindered by human stylist preferences or biases. 

“When users open the GetOutfit application, they can select brands and occasions that align with their preferences and lifestyle,” says Sanzhiev.

The algorithms sift through substantial user data, encompassing style preferences, previous outfit selections, and feedback. This accumulation builds a comprehensive profile for each individual. 

“This data-centric approach ensures that suggestions are finely tuned to match the distinctive fashion preferences of each user,” adds Sanzhiev. 

This iterative process gains momentum with each new customer and purchase, allowing the platform to learn more about users, identify similar profiles, and offer increasingly pertinent product recommendations.

The company is now looking at launching functionality for fashion creators, influencers, and personal stylists to monetize their passion for fashion and to gather diverse communities with different style preferences in our app and train their algorithms. “This is one of the main drivers of our growth cycle,” he says.

Taffi’s Amira, the AI-powered stylist, provides real-time personalized fashion advice, answering questions about how to style an item, what to wear for a specific occasion, or even how to adapt an outfit for different events. 

“To make the advice actionable, with every style advice, Amira also provides complete shoppable recommendations personalized to the consumer that can be purchased instantly,” Bisht adds. 

The platform ensures that all the recommendations are presented as comprehensive outfits. “This approach provides the consumer with a complete context, making it easier to visualize wearing the recommended products in a real-world setting.” 

To help consumers visualize the recommended styles, Taffi is working on a personalized try-on that presents the styles with the consumer’s photos. ”This helps consumers make purchasing decisions and also provides the system with more data about the consumers’ preferences,” says Bisht.

Stylists are an integral part of Taffi’s data flywheel for both customer service and model quality. “If our consumers are not happy with our recommendations, we immediately connect them with a real human expert stylist,” says Bisht.

Dresos meanwhile employs a unique approach, where a carefully curated Dresos box containing selected garments matching the earlier quiz answers and handpicked by a stylist is delivered to the consumer within 48 hours, at no additional cost. Users can make their selections within three days, pay for the chosen items, and return the rest.

This distinctive strategy has significantly contributed to Dresos’ robust subscriber base, surpassing 5,000 registered users. Many of these users frequently return to the site, citing two primary reasons: convenience and personalization.

The platform has partnered with brands such as Levi’s, DKNY, Oakley, Skechers, New Era, and Sacoor Brothers.

“Our focus is on integrating technology into our operations and service offerings. As part of this, we are also having initial conversations with retailers to offer our solution of AI product recommendation across their network,” says Radojevic.

CRAFTING THE FUTURE

Within a region where fashion holds sway, the valuation of the industry at $89 billion foretells, as per a recent report by BoF Insights, the MENA market is geared to experience an upswing in the quest for bespoke styling and curated shopping experiences.

Sanzhiev affirms that while AI will not replace human stylists, it has made it possible for everyone to have a personal stylist in their pocket. 

“Thanks to the capabilities of AI, a personal stylist is no longer a privilege but something that can be accessible to everyone.” He asserts that as technology advances, AI-powered stylists will become even more adept at understanding individual style preferences, seamlessly adapting to each user’s changing tastes, current wardrobe pieces, and life goals.

Experts believe AI has huge potential to make shopping personalized and scalable for retailers. “AI is here to stay, and while it will partially replace some low-skilled jobs, that should be an incentive for everyone to upskill and reap the real benefits of the AI revolution,” Radojevic says.

Meanwhile, Bisht affirms that the future of AI in the fashion space, particularly for personal styling, holds great promise. “AI could create new designs based on current trends, consumer preferences, and cultural influences which could lead to highly localized and personalized clothing lines, enabling truly unique personal styles.” 

He notes that AI could also recommend sustainable choices, considering the environmental impact of different brands, materials, and manufacturing processes. This could help consumers make more eco-friendly fashion decisions.

One of the biggest challenges in online fashion is getting the size right, but AI is poised to change that as we move forward. “The integration of advancements can democratize personal styling, making it more accessible, personalized, and engaging and could empower individuals to express themselves through fashion, regardless of their background, body type, or budget,” adds Bisht.