AI or Not AI? How Fashion Brands Are Drawing the Line

AI is no longer a distant future tool, it’s a creative crossroads. As generative technology evolves at lightning speed, fashion brands are being pushed to make a defining choice: embrace AI or stay firmly human.

And whichever path they choose, they are revealing far more than a marketing tactic. They’re signalling their values, their creative identity, and the audience they want to build trust with in 2026 and beyond.

Aerie’s Stand: When “Real” Is Your Brand Equity, AI Isn’t an Option

In 2014, Aerie changed the game by pledging never to retouch models. A decade later, they’ve expanded that commitment: no AI-generated models, no AI-generated creators, no AI-generated music.

Today’s Gen Z consumers are hyper-aware of AI’s rise and cautious about anything that feels synthetic, manipulated, or inauthentic. By taking a public stance, Aerie reinforces the emotional safety and trust their community expects.

And transparency is the real engine here. In 2026, audiences don’t assess only the final image, they scrutinise the process behind it.

Image Credit: Aerie

Meanwhile, Other Brands Are Going All-In on AI, Deliberately

On the opposite side of the spectrum, brands like Fiorucci, H&M, Valentino, and Vans see AI not as a threat, but as a creative accelerant.

Fiorucci: Reimagining Iconic Codes Through AI

For a house built on irreverence and rebellion, AI is a natural evolution. Partnering with Milan-based AI artist Black Elephant, Fiorucci reinterpreted its legendary 1980s Love Boots, turning them into surreal chair legs, telephone receivers, and dreamlike sculptural forms.

It didn’t replace the brand’s heritage. It revived it.

Image: Fiorucci's "Love Boots" campaign, created by Milan-based AI artist Black Elephant

H&M: Creativity at Scale for the Algorithm Age

For massive retailers, AI is a practical solution as much as a creative one. It enables:

• faster content production

• concept testing

• personalised storytelling

• platform-specific visualisation

  
  

H&M’s position is clear: AI expands creativity, but human direction remains essential.

Image: H&M's twin AI models

The Real Debate: Innovation vs. Consumer Comfort

Fashion now sits in a delicate tension zone. On one hand, there is genuine curiosity about the creative possibilities AI unlocks; on the other, growing concern about job displacement and skepticism around authenticity.

Some audiences welcome the surreal worlds AI can build, while others worry that AI-generated models undermine real representation and the human stories behind the industry. This is precisely why brands must communicate openly.

How AI is used matters, but why it’s used matters even more. Without transparency, consumers tend to assume the worst.

What Brands Need to Get Right in 2026

AI choices are identity choices: The way a brand approaches AI has become a direct reflection of who it is.

Those embracing AI signal a commitment to creativity without borders, agility, experimentation, and future-focused thinking. Meanwhile, brands choosing to reject AI express their dedication to values-driven marketing, emotional trust, consistent representation, and human-first storytelling. Both approaches are valid. Both speak to different audiences.

And both can succeed, but only when the brand’s intention is clear and consistent.

Whether a brand is pro-AI or anti-AI, the expectations from consumers are the same. Transparency has become the new creative currency; audiences want to understand how and why AI is incorporated into the process. Human artistry must remain at the core, because AI is only as strong as the brief guiding it. A brand’s own DNA should shape its stance — not trends, pressure, or fear of missing out. And while AI can accelerate ideation, it also raises the bar for creative direction, demanding sharper vision rather than shortcuts. Ultimately, AI isn’t a replacement for creativity; it’s an amplifier whose impact depends entirely on intention.