Our video embarks on a transformative journey into the heart of artificial intelligence, exploring the capabilities of the platforms DreamStudio and Runway to breathe life into the creation of a fashion house known as “Synthetique” and produce an AI-generated fashion catalogue.
This project was fueled by our shared passion for fashion, drawing inspiration from eminent houses like Heliot Emil and Balenciaga, and other aesthetic concepts such as brutalist architecture. We incorporated the most distinguishing elements from our inspirations into our prompts to achieve the best results, using terms like ‘monochrome’ or ‘buckled’ to describe Heliot Emil, for example. Our aim was not only to delve into the potential AI holds in revolutionizing the creative process but also to scrutinize its intrinsic biases, particularly evident in the AI’s portrayal of fashion models, commonly representing only female models. The focal point of our exploration became a key question: Could AI platforms effectively generate wearable, human-centred, and boundary-pushing fashion designs?
DreamStudio AI and Runway AI were the ideal platforms to realize our vision due to their nuanced capabilities and efficiency. These mediums allowed us to transform abstract fashion-related prompts (like, “photoshoot of a model dressed in a raver style, monochromatic, avant-garde outfit – brutalist architecture background”) into tangible visual representations, blurring the lines between the human touch and the algorithmic capabilities of AI.
The resulting collaboration between human creativity and artificial intelligence is nothing short of a symbiotic dance. We discovered that AI functions work harmoniously as a catalyst for ideation, propelling the creative process forward with unprecedented efficiency. We used these tools for their benefits during the conceptualization phase for their mass production capabilities. We created hundreds of images and videos and filtered through to select the ones with our desired qualities.
Yet, with the promises of innovation come the lurking shadows of bias and misinformation. Our exploration did not shy away from addressing these challenges head-on. The video unearths the complexities surrounding AI-generated content, especially in the context of fashion, and prompts a critical examination of its implications on creativity, diversity, and the emulation of real-life practices and trends – especially in regards to authenticity and theft.
Our project was submitted for the MDIA 100 Media Objects course and has been featured in the 2024 Beacon: UBC Journal of Media Studies' Multimedia Undergraduate Journal