Why AI use and operational transparency matters when launching a new fashion brand

We have recently been studying the case of a new, small Spanish fashion brand selling beautiful designs for special occasions, with garment images that are entirely AI generated. We have not been able to find a single image of a real garment online, on their website, nor worn by a customer or influencer (they might exist, but we could find them). Every single image in the collection is a digital render and not a single finished garment is featured anywhere on their platforms or their online shop (did we miss it every time?). The only occasional glimpses shown on social media are what looks like part of a sleeve being sewn or small snippets of fabric. Any direct questions about authenticity or the use of AI imagery are dismissed by the brand and DMs, even while praising the collection inspiration, are not answered.

The brand claims that each garment takes weeks to produce and that products sell out within minutes of launch, which leads to the website showing all items as “sold out” until the next season, so the hype builds again.

Praise appears on the brand’s social media with comments being virtually identical, repeating the same expressions of admiration over and over. It is hard to tell whether these are coordinated artificially, or simply a form of people mimicking other opinions. Whatever the reason, the result is unanimous enthusiasm while suppressing any critical voices.

There might well be a solid niche business behind the brand, yet the communication around it is extremely suspicious. As professionals with extensive experience in international fashion and luxury, this operation raises so many red flags we could fill up a stadium. Hopefully, we will be proved wrong in the future...

Charging hundreds of euros for garments that cannot be verified, using AI imagery as the primary representation in every single outfit, and deleting or not addressing legitimate questions about the obvious AI use falls outside any transparent business practice in the industry. The existence of these garments is based on faith alone. When a brand relies solely on AI and manipulates social media to control perception, consumers are left with nothing but risk, and the brand, with discredit. High-priced fashion should be verifiable, tangible, and accountable.

Our recommendation for consumers is simple: never pay for a product if you cannot see real images from different angles. Train your eyes to spot some very obvious AI-use signs. Ask for proof of authenticity, do not just buy into the hype. The concept may be beautiful but the execution has to match the proposal and the risk should not be assumed by the customer alone. We cannot think of a single solid, legitimate brand who is not able to show a real image of a product when asked. Food for thought...

The image used in this post is a generic AI render created by Traffic Seven for illustration purposes only, and does not reference any brand in particular.