Robots take the spotlight on fashion runway

When Thierry Mugler introduced his Robot Couture suit made of metal and translucent plastic in 1995, he created a fashion icon and raised a provocative question: Could machines become artistic subjects on the catwalk?

Four years later Alexander McQueen responded with his No.13 show, featuring two industrial robotic arms that spray paint directly onto a white dress worn by supermodel Shalom Harlow. According to Vogue, the moment became one of the most iconic in the history of fashion.

 

 

Robots take the spotlight on fashion runway

Robot Ameca dẫn truyện trong show Giuseppe di Morabito (sub)

Through the 2000s and 2010s fashion houses such as Hussein Chalayan and Chanel pushed the boundary between fashion and technology with collections that featured drones, stormtrooper-like robots and transformable garments controlled remotely.

But most robot appearances during this era were symbolic and focused on visual impact rather than involved any collaboration between humans and machines.

Since the early 2020s robots have become more prominent on the runway. Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot stole the spotlight during Coperni’s Fall/Winter 2023 show at the Paris Fashion Week. Founders Sebastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant told Vogue: "Our message is one of optimism: humans and technology can coexist in harmony."

At Schiaparelli’s Spring/Summer 2024 Haute Couture show in Paris, supermodel Maggie Maurer cradled a robot baby inspired by AI. It was adorned with crystals, computer circuit boards, electronic parts, and microchips.

At the Milan Fashion Week, Giuseppe di Morabito’s show made headlines with its opening sequence featuring Ameca, one of the world’s most advanced humanoid AIs.

Vogue said: "Ameca awakens, moves expressively, and reads philosophical excerpts from Thomas Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus before model Yasmin Wijnaldum appears and engages with the robot in a thought-provoking catwalk moment about the future of fashion."

At the Shanghai Fashion Week, the fashion brand NMTG introduced Unitree G1, a 127 centimeter-tall humanoid robot, on the runway alongside robot dogs. G1, equipped with 43 motorized joints powered by a Machine Learning system, walked with human models in a show inspired by cyberpunk and Evenki tribal culture.

Forecasts from WGSN and Fashionating World predict that in the next five to 10 years fashion houses will see a more impactful use of robots in their creative processes and consumer engagement.

Portraying the heroine Ellen Ripley from the film "Alien", model Maggie Maurer cradles a robot baby at Schiaparelli’s Spring/Summer 2024 Haute Couture show in Paris. Photo by courtesy of Gorunway

Vogue predicts that robots like Ameca could be programmed to interact directly with customers in flagship stores, acting as AI models or brand ambassadors.

Fashion for robots may be a reality as they gain more visibility. Designers could create exclusive collections for robots that conceal components and sensors, and turn them into brand symbols.

AP reported that Creative studios are developing "Digital Twin Robots," robotic models calibrated to match human body measurements, allowing for real-time testing and minimizing environmental impacts.

The collaboration between fashion designers, robotics engineers, performance artists, and AI programmers can redefine the runway experience.

Soon robots will not just share the stage, they will be colleagues and co-creators.