AI models becoming more fashionable

By Hoang Nguyen April 11, 2023 | 07:23 am PT

AI-generated models models have replaced human beings on the cover of Vogue Singapore and in a Levi's ad campaign recently.

Vogue Singapore’s March issue cover shoot was modeled entirely by AI-generated avatars. The women avatars have South Asian features and represent the area’s "unique ethnicity and heritage".

In one picture, an AI model can be seen wearing a 'maang tikka', a piece of jewelry that is typically seen on Indian women on their foreheads.

It is the first time that AI models have graced the cover of a famous fashion magazine – one that dictates the fashion world to a large extent, said Vogue Singapore’s new editor-in-chief, Desmond Lim.

The cover of Vogue Singapore’s March issue featuring AI avatar Aadhya. Photo by Vogue Singapore

Vogue Singapore wasn’t the only magazine under the group to experiment with AI this month. Vogue Brasil’s March issue features not one but six covers created in collaboration with photographer Zee Nunes using AI.

Also in March, Levi's introduced its exclusive AI-generated model, in partnership with digital studio LaLaLand.ai. According to The Guardian, the model will start appearing on Levi’s e-commerce website later this year.

"These virtual models have the advantage of being customizable in ways that are impossible with human models," Sofie Mählkvist, a London-based style columnist and socialite told South China Morning Post.

"They don’t require payment, they don’t get tired, and they have no agency fees," she added.

Kyle Glenn, a New York-based model and fashion photographer also appreciates the novelty of the work, as long as it doesn’t dominate magazine covers and the industry at large, which he doubts will happen.

"At the end of the day, they’re incredible images and they’re pushing the boundaries of design."