Levi’s plans to invest in virtual models, creating avatars through artificial intelligence to boost inclusivity and personalization. The San Francisco-based clothing retailer said it would partner with startup Lalaland.ai to create fashion models through AI.

Lalaland.ai is a digital fashion studio that builds customized AI-generated models. Later this year, Levi’s is planning tests of this technology using AI-generated models to supplement human models, increasing the number and diversity of its models for its products sustainably. Levi’s wants to introduce avatars that reflect more people with different body types, ages, weights, and skin colours.

“We realize there is understandable sensitivity around AI-related technologies, and we want to clarify that this pilot is something we are on track to experiment with later this year in the hopes of strengthening the consumer experience. Today, industry standards for a photo shoot will generally be limited to one or two models per product. Lalaland.ai’s technology, and AI more broadly, can potentially assist us by allowing us to publish more images of our products on a range of body types more quickly,” Levi notes.

Founded in Amsterdam in 2019, Lalaland.ai uses advanced artificial intelligence to enable fashion brands and retailers to create hyper-realistic models of every body type, age, size, and skin tone. With these body-inclusive avatars, the company aims to create a more inclusive, personal, and sustainable shopping experience for fashion brands, retailers, and customers.

AI technology: The future of fashion

Right now, when a customer shops on Levi.com, generally, there is only one model for each product. The company underlines that it is aware that customers now want to shop with a model who looks like them. According to Levi’s, this AI technology can assist the fashion company by supplementing models and unlocking a future where Levi’s can enable customers to see its products on more models that look like themselves, creating a more personal and inclusive shopping experience.

“While AI will likely never fully replace human models for us, we are excited for the potential capabilities this may afford us for the consumer experience,” said Dr Amy Gershkoff Bolles, global head of digital and emerging technology strategy at Levi Strauss & Co. “We see fashion and technology as both an art and a science, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Lalaland.ai, a company with such high-quality technology that can help us continue on our journey for a more diverse and inclusive customer experience.”

Smart design and sustainability

However, artificial intelligence makes things faster and cheaper. Consequently, there are already concerns about the possibility of job cuts in the company. At present, Levi’s is making no mention of layoffs. However, the company seems to be using AI instead of human models, or at least using fewer models for its product shoots.

In recent months, however, and in the post-pandemic era, there have been mass layoffs among giant tech companies, and there are concerns about more layoffs in other industries as well. Using fewer models, the company aims to promote one of its core values: sustainability. Levi’s can save money and reduce its carbon footprint by creating fewer clothes and accessories to dress the real models.

“LS&Co. is always focusing on our digital transformation journey, and we’re balancing digital fundamentals with investing in emerging technology to keep us at the forefront of innovation. Using our innovation framework for evaluating emerging technologies, we’re continuing to particularly explore technologies that improve the customer experience, whether in-store or online. We are excited to continue creating innovative customer experiences that are more personal, relevant, and engaging, adding value for both our customers and our business,” the company notes.