The AI Revolution In Fashion: How Genera Is Shaping The Digital Future Of Design

Fashion economy has largely relied on the same archaic design-to-wholesale processes for decades, despite the seismic shifts brought on by the internet, and with it e-commerce. While many industries have undergone dramatic transformations, fashion’s supply chain remains stuck in a framework that prioritizes mass production, long lead times, and rigid distribution channels. The rise of e-commerce may have revolutionized the consumer end, but the backend of design, production, and wholesale has seen little of the same disruption—until now.

The industry is finally primed for change. The confluence of shifting consumer expectations, demand for sustainability, and the emergence of groundbreaking technologies is pushing fashion into a long-overdue revolution. Legacy systems that depend on months-long production cycles and speculative inventory models are giving way to agile, tech-driven processes. Innovations like AI-generated designs, on-demand manufacturing, and blockchain-enabled supply chains are reimagining every step of the design-to-wholesale pipeline. These tools not only cut inefficiencies but also allow brands to respond in real time to trends and market shifts, reducing waste and improving profitability.

As fashion embraces these disruptions, it’s clear we are on the cusp of a new era—one that will render old processes obsolete and set a new standard for how the industry operates in a digital-first world. Just as the internet and e-commerce once redefined how consumers shop, this wave of innovation is poised to redefine how fashion is created, sold, and delivered.

At the forefront of this transformation is Genera, a London and Lisbon based technology company that is revolutionizing the design and wholesale process with AI-powered solutions. CEO Artem Kupriyanenko puts it simply: “Genera is a disruptor. Our main goal is changing and evolving the system.” With over 15 years of experience in creating hyper-realistic CGI imagery – computer generated visuals that replicate real-world textures and details – Kupriyanenko is prepared to lead this shift. By integrating AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics into the design-to-production workflow, the company is helping businesses optimize every stage of the process, from product ideation to inventory management. As fashion companies face growing pressure to adapt to a rapidly changing marketplace, Genera’s technology just might be the right solution that could empower them to forge ahead.

Genera combines cutting-edge AI and advanced digital tools to bridge the gap between creative vision and digital execution. At the heart of its sustainability mission is its suite of tools designed to replace traditional, resource-intensive methods with more efficient alternatives. One of such tools is the “tech pack converter,” which allows designers to create photorealistic garment images directly from technical drawings—eliminating the need for costly, resource-heavy physical samples.

According to some estimates, around 15% of textiles intended for clothing production are wasted during the cutting process when creating fashion samples, essentially ending up on the cutting room floor as excess fabric; this highlights the significant amount of waste generated in the early stages of fashion design and sample creation. To put this into a global context, as of 2023, the fashion industry produced 97 million tons of waste annually, of which 18 million were leftover textiles. Genera’s promising technology reduces the waste generated by unsold samples while cutting down on the carbon footprint linked to shipping, production, and disposal of materials.

“It’s a win-win for the industry,” Kupriyanenko explains. “Because of technology, you’re saving resources, you are saving time. You can see everything before it is produced.” In such a fast-paced industry, agility and responsiveness remains paramount for brands. With the ability to visualize designs early in the process, physical sampling costs are reduced, and time-to-market is much faster. “There’s huge liability and waste, because in a wholesale model, you’re constantly overproducing, hoping to catch your customer with a sale,” says Kupriyanenko. “What happens is the drop rate is huge. No one talks about this, really, in the industry, because it’s really bad. It’s a lot of fabric and wastage.”

While there is growing awareness and momentum for sustainable practices—such as recycling, eco-friendly materials, and responsible consumption—the challenge remains in scaling these efforts to address the industry’s global footprint. Genera is aiming to optimize these solutions.Fashion is, at its core, a deeply artistic field driven by intuition, emotion, and individual vision. Traditional fashion houses may fear that that technology could dilute or replace their creative legacy. However, Kupriyanenko argues that innovation should begin earlier in the creative process—not during the sample-making phase. “No one can predict which sample a customer will choose from a large showroom selection,” he says. The company is working to address this uncertainty by offering an unlimited supply of options that are not only cost-effective but also better for the environment.

Established methods, such as handcrafting, tailoring, and pattern-making, are deeply embedded in the fashion landscape. AI represents a departure from these time-honored techniques. Rather than viewing this as a replacement, Genera is positioning this as a tool to enhance and augment the design. Designers can focus on their craft while the system handles repetitive tasks like optimizing patterns for fabric efficiency or predicting trends. By taking care of the more time-consuming, data-driven aspects of production, creatives have more flexibility to bring their vision to life—whether that’s conceptualizing new ideas, exploring unique patterns, or experimenting with materials.

Another tool Genera has developed is called the “AI Try-On”, offering a more immersive online shopping experience. Recently trialed by Daily Paper, a Gen Z-oriented brand based in Amsterdam and New York, the brand’s co-founder Hussein Sulemain reflected on Genera’s solution: “This feature gives not only the possibility to try on garments digitally but also to share on various social platforms, allowing for cross-platform interaction and a fantastic opportunity to continue telling our brand story.”

Genera is committed to making these technologies accessible to mid-sized fashion brands, often the ones with the most to gain from digital innovation. “Smaller brands sometimes have issues getting vendors to believe in them,” Kupriyanenko explains. “They can use the technology to market themselves, and as a vehicle for sustainability, responsibility and to achieve a new product.” As a result, it’s leveling the playing field for smaller, mid-sized fashion companies, giving them the opportunity to innovate and thrive in a competitive marketplace. As consumers increasingly demand transparency and responsibility, these tools enable smaller brands to meet these expectations.

Brands can spend from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars a year on physical production, covering large crews, models, logistics, and unforeseen costs. In addition to the high expenses, generating look books, campaigns, e-commerce imagery, and social marketing visual content often faces constraints on time and budget. With Genera’s Product Display Page (PDP) Creator tool, which offers a solution by eliminating the need for traditional photoshoots. The tool generates high-quality product cards utilizing the inputs from brands such as CLO 3D files, tech packs, or transparent mannequin photos, creating any possible set design and visual identity of the shooting. With Genera, creating a single PDP with one-to-one fit of the garment, a specific set design, fully retouched imagery with the customized AI fashion model – produces about four ready-to-use pictures in less than 30 minutes, while a traditional photoshoot would take about half a day.

Brands are starting to take notice of Genera’s disruptive solutions. Designer Neil Barrett recently collaborated with Genera to create an AI-powered shoot for missing items in his latest collection. Simple mannequin photos were captured using a phone and then digitally transformed into a stunning shoot. “We’re truly intrigued by the idea of executing an entire capsule collection through Genera,” Barrett told us. “The ability to create impossible destinations and immersive environments that push the boundaries of imagination presents a unique opportunity. It’s not just about technology for the sake of it, but about discovering new ways to enhance storytelling.”

Keiron Birch, Head of Creative and Business at Genera, and former Vice President of European Design at Calvin Klein, recognizes AI’s immense potential to enhance both decision-making and creativity. “AI represents a powerful tool to elevate design, presenting it in innovative and impactful ways,” Birch says.

“Genera’s mission isn’t just to address isolated challenges, but to overhaul a wide range of outdated processes within the industry. Take AI Try-On, for example—a consumer-facing solution designed as a complementary tool, this product enhances the consumer experience by providing support for both selecting and visualizing their desired item, boosting engagement on web shops while delivering entertainment value.”

Personalized shopping, the sustainability crisis, design and production efficiency, ethical and transparent supply chains—all key challenges that demand fresh solutions. Making AI more accessible and scalable ultimately cements brands to be ahead of the curve in an increasingly digital and eco-conscious market. However, the choice to embrace it lies in the hands of the creators. “It all comes down to your personality, and your relationship with technology,” Kupriyanenko shares. “Will you adapt or will you fall behind?”

With more companies like Genera, leading the way in both innovation and sustainability, the future is set for a smarter, greener, and more connected world, where technology and responsibility go hand in hand.