4-minute read.

From small in-house teams to global brand departments, marketing professionals across fashion and textiles are exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can support their work. AI tools are already reshaping how we engage with audiences, plan campaigns and manage creative output, enabling more personalised campaigns, creating content at scale or furthering data insights.

In this article, UKFT Associate Partner Westbrook Agency shares five practical ways AI is transforming fashion and textile branding. The piece explores both the opportunities and challenges that come with emerging technologies, offering key insights on navigating this evolving space.

This article is written by UKFT Associate Partner Westbrook Agency*.

*Information about referrals

5 Ways AI is transforming fashion and textiles branding

AI is shaking up the fashion and textiles world. From virtual fitting rooms that bring the store into your home to trend forecasting tools that outpace the high street, the AI revolution isn’t on the horizon – it’s already here.

For brands navigating this changing space, the possibilities are exciting: more efficiency, sharper insights, richer customer experiences. But not every new tool is right for every brand, and without diligence, AI can dilute creativity, damage trust, or miss the nuance that makes a brand resonate. That’s why we see AI not as a creative replacement but as a sidekick — helpful, powerful, and only as effective as the humans guiding it.

Here, we explore ways AI is helping fashion and textile brands overcome some of the challenges in traditional marketing approaches, to connect with audiences, market their products and services, and tell their stories.

1. Build audience engagement with personalised marketing that speaks to individuals

Challenge:

Traditional marketing leans on broad segmentation that can result in generic messaging that misses the mark.

How AI helps:

Platforms like Mailchimp and Klaviyo now offer built-in generative AI that analyses browsing habits, purchase history and style preferences. The result is hyper-personalised emails, product recommendations and targeted ads that feel tailor-made.

Examples:

• Nike uses AI-driven recommendation engines to tailor product suggestions and content based on user preferences.
• Zalando employs AI to create personalised newsletters based on individual user behaviour and engagement.

2. Analyse data for smarter forecasting

Challenge:

Predicting what customers want next has long relied on manual data crunching and market analysis, sometimes arising to missed opportunities and unsold inventory.

How AI helps:

Tools from Edited and Heuritech scan vast data streams (social media, e-commerce sites, publications) to flag emerging trends early. They won’t replace buyer instinct, but they offer a solid data-backed foundation.

Examples:

• Tommy Hilfiger partnered with IBM and the Fashion Institute of Technology to explore AI-led insights for design and planning.

3. Enhance buying experiences with visual search and virtual styling

Challenge:

Online shoppers often struggle to describe what they want or visualise how something will look on them.

How AI helps:

Visual search lets users upload images and find similar products instantly. Virtual try-on tools use AR and AI to show how items fit or pair together, simultaneously boosting conversions and reducing returns.

Examples:

• In-app visual search tools (ASOS and H&M) let customers shop by image.
• Farfetch and Zara use virtual fitting rooms to enrich the online experience.

4. Transparent, sustainable storytelling

Challenge:

Shoppers are increasingly sceptical of vague sustainability claims and many brands struggle to measure and communicate environmental impact.

How AI helps:

AI tools can map supply chains, assess carbon footprints and pinpoint inefficiencies. This helps brands tell honest, data-driven sustainability stories that today’s conscious consumers expect.

Examples:

• Stella McCartney partnered with Google Cloud to develop tools for supply chain transparency and environmental impact tracking.
• EON Product Cloud provides digital IDs giving shoppers access to a product’s lifecycle data.

5. Consistent and scalable brand content

The challenge:

Expanding across markets and platforms can stretch creative teams thin, risking inconsistency in tone and visuals.

How AI helps:

Tools like ChatGPT, Claid.ai and Adobe Firefly can generate brand-aligned copy and imagery at scale, from email subject lines to social graphics. They save time and maintain consistency, freeing teams to focus on strategy (just always check AI’s work for quality).

Examples:

• The North Face uses AI to generate personalised product descriptions and email content.
• Cosabella improved engagement using AI copywriting tools, while keeping tone on-brand.

Common pitfalls to avoid

For brand agencies like Westbrook, the key to leveraging AI effectively is balance. Rather than replacing human creativity, AI should be used as a tool to enhance and complement it. Which is why at Westbrook we’ll always:

• Use AI for efficiency not creativity: Automate repetitive tasks but leave strategy, hero creative, storytelling and brand voice development to human experts.
• Ensure human supervision: Everything AI touches is reviewed and refined by our team for brand authenticity.
• Stay ethical and transparent: Keep across ethical concerns, copyright laws and use AI responsibly.
• Keep investing in human talent: Creativity, intuition and originality still belong to humans and we intend to keep it that way.

Summary

We have no doubt that AI is here to stay and will continue to change the landscape of fashion and textiles branding. With smart tools in our back pockets, we can create meaningful customer connections, predict trends with added confidence, and bring online shopping experiences to life. As always, the brands that thrive will be the ones who embrace technology in a way that feels authentic to their values.

AI can streamline and scale, but it’s no substitute for human creativity – the kind that evokes emotion, tells unforgettable stories and builds lasting brand loyalty. Use it wisely and it can be a powerful ally, but use it carelessly, and you risk losing the magic that makes your brand unforgettable.

ABOUT WESTBROOK

About UKFT associate partners: UKFT associate partners are organisations that are specialists in their areas of expertise and can offer business enhancing benefits to other UKFT members. Associate partners’ products and services range from logistics, sustainability and insurance to legal, software, end of life solutions, compliance and more. *Information about referrals

Interested in becoming an associate partner? Join a diverse and valuable network for support, partnerships, and collaboration to play a key role in helping us to deliver our commitment to sustainable growth for the entire UK fashion and textile supply chain. Explore Associate partnership:

UKFT ASSOCIATE PARTNERSHIP

READ MORE:

UKFT LAUNCHES SMALL MARKETING TEAM NETWORK

STRATEGIC BRANDING SOLUTIONS FOR UK FASHION & TEXTILE BUSINESSES

Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Westbrook Agency.