2024’s big tech lessons and surprises

At the start of 2024, we predicted a year of fashion-tech practicality and that brands would put pressure on new ideas and technologies to generate not only buzz, but results. That largely came true, with diversified strategies focusing on the here and now — not the hypothetical future.

But the fashion industry is still not immune to tech hype cycles. This year, predictably, was all about artificial intelligence. While the tech world buzzed about generative AI — with fashion’s uses spanning personal assistants, expedited image-making and more efficient copy writing — startups and big-brand data scientists saw an opportunity to latch onto the momentum with more established uses.