01 Industry overview
The ai and fashion industry at a glance
The global AI-in-fashion market reached $2.56 billion in 2026, with adoption expanding across design, product discovery, demand forecasting, personalization and virtual try-on despite limited production-scale deployment.
- $2.56B[49]
- AI fashion market, 2026
- 41.39%[49]
- Forecast CAGR, 2026–2034
- 33%[49]
- North America share, 2025
- 74%[1]
- Fashion firms using AI, 2026
- Market size
- The global AI-in-fashion market was valued at $1.81 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $2.56 billion in 2026. A separate 2026 industry study estimates the market at $2.9 billion, illustrating the variation among market definitions and methodologies.[49][1]
- Forecast & CAGR
- Fortune Business Insights forecasts growth from $2.56 billion in 2026 to $40.81 billion in 2034, equivalent to a 41.39% CAGR. Kōbō Labs estimates annual growth of 36%–40% and projects the market to reach $8–12 billion by 2028.[49][1]
- Market share & regions
- North America accounted for 33% of the global AI-in-fashion market in 2025, followed by Europe at 26% and Asia-Pacific at 23%. South America represented 7%, while the Middle East and Africa accounted for 11%.[49]
- Segmentation
- The market is segmented by category into apparel, accessories, footwear, jewellery and watches, beauty and cosmetics, and other products. Key applications include supply-chain management, virtual assistants, customer relationship management, product recommendations, product search and discovery, creative design, trend forecasting and fraud detection.[49]
- Key players & concentration
- Named participants include Microsoft, IBM, Amazon Web Services, Google, Oracle, Zalando, Huawei, 3DLOOK, Lily AI, Vue.ai and PTTRNS.ai. Kōbō Labs reports that 48% of fashion brands have integrated some form of AI, but only 15%–20% use generative AI in production, indicating a fragmented market with a large gap between experimentation and scaled deployment.[49][1]
- Trends, drivers & challenges
- The main drivers are personalized shopping, AI-powered search, virtual try-on, demand forecasting, inventory optimization and creative production. McKinsey reports that 75% of fashion executives prioritize AI for demand forecasting, inventory optimization and cost control, while Kōbō Labs reports that 90% of AI initiatives fail to scale beyond the pilot stage and identifies data quality and fragmentation as the leading barrier.[2][1]
- Consumer behavior & competition
- McKinsey reports that 82% of consumers want AI to reduce product-research time, while 50% of fashion executives prioritize AI-driven discovery. Kōbō Labs reports that product recommendations drive 31% of e-commerce revenue, size recommendations reduce returns by 24%–40%, and dynamic pricing cuts markdowns by 18%.[2][1]
- M&A
- ZOZO acquired 100% of Lyst on April 18, 2025, paying ¥22.094 billion in cash; Lyst operated a fashion-shopping platform covering more than 27,000 brands and 97 million SKUs. Perfect Corp. completed its acquisition of virtual-try-on company Wannaby in January 2025, expanding its AI and augmented-reality fashion capabilities.[50]
- Regulation
- Under the EU AI Act, transparency rules and enforcement for applicable provisions began on August 2, 2026. The current implementation timeline sets a December 2, 2026 transition deadline for certain providers of generative AI systems producing synthetic content, while high-risk AI rules are scheduled for December 2, 2027.[51]
- Latest news
- In 2026, fashion AI activity continued to shift from experimentation toward commerce and workflow tools. Kōbō Labs reports that 74% of fashion executives have adopted AI for at least one purpose, while only 15%–20% report production use of generative AI in core operations; the same study estimates average agentic-AI ROI at 171% for early adopters.[1]
02 Ranking
Top 10 Companies in the Ai And Fashion Industry
The leading companies in the ai and fashion industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.
Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026
Browzwear stands out for digital product creation because its tools help fashion companies replace physical samples, while Style3D focuses on AI and 3D production workflows since it offers tools spanning fashion design, production, supply chain and marketing.
Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓
Editor's top 3 picks
Where to start, by need.
#1 Overall · Leader in digital fashion creation
Browzwear
SG
Ranked #1 · 9.7 · Digital fashion creation
Why we picked it: Its 3D fashion design, sampling and product-development tools focus on replacing physical sampling with digital product creation.
Leader in AI 3D design & production
Style3D
CN
Ranked #2 · 9.3 · AI 3D design & production
Why we picked it: Its platform covers fashion design, production, supply chain and marketing, tying creative generation to downstream operations.
Leader in AI fashion imagery
Botika
Ranked #3 · 9.1 · AI fashion imagery
Why we picked it: Its AI-generated fashion models and product photography generate on-model imagery and video directly from brand product photos.
Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.
Full ranking
| # | Company | Overall ↓ | Impact | Performance | Momentum | Innovation | Company snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Browzwear Digital fashion creation · SG | 9.7 | 9.9 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 9.9 | |
Company snapshot · Browzwear · Data as of November 11, 2026 Its digital product-creation tools help fashion companies replace physical samples.[52]
| |||||||
| 2 | Style3D AI 3D design & production · CN | 9.3 | 8.9 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 9.9 | |
Company snapshot · Style3D · Data as of November 11, 2026 Offers AI and 3D tools spanning fashion design, production, supply chain and marketing.[53]
| |||||||
| 3 | Botika AI fashion imagery | 9.1 | 7.3 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | |
Company snapshot · Botika · Data as of November 11, 2026 Generates on-model fashion imagery and video from product photos for brands.[54]
| |||||||
| 4 | Raspberry AI Generative fashion operations · US | 8.7 | 7.3 | 8.8 | 9.9 | 9.9 | |
Company snapshot · Raspberry AI · Data as of November 11, 2026 Its platform supports fashion design, merchandising, production and retail workflows.[55]
| |||||||
| 5 | DRESSX Virtual try-on & styling | 8.6 | 8.9 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 9.9 | |
Company snapshot · DRESSX · Data as of November 11, 2026 DRESSX AI provides virtual try-on, styling and clienteling for fashion brands.[56]
| |||||||
| 6 | FASHN Generative fashion imagery and virtual try-on · GB | 8.3 | 7.3 | 8.3 | 9.4 | 7.0 | |
Company snapshot · FASHN · Data as of November 11, 2026 Provides fashion-specific AI models for virtual try-on, product imagery and model generation.[57]
| |||||||
| 7 | The New Black AI AI fashion design, content and e-commerce tools | 8.0 | 7.3 | 7.8 | 8.9 | 7.0 | |
Company snapshot · The New Black AI · Data as of November 11, 2026 Offers AI workflows for fashion design, product imagery, virtual try-on and tech packs.[58]
| |||||||
| 8 | 3DLOOK AI body scanning and apparel fit technology | 7.8 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 7.0 | |
Company snapshot · 3DLOOK · Data as of November 11, 2026 Turns two smartphone photos into body measurements and digital body models for apparel use.[59]
| |||||||
| 9 | Fashable Generative AI for fashion design and visual content | 7.8 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 8.9 | 7.0 | |
Company snapshot · Fashable · Data as of November 11, 2026 Provides proprietary generative AI for fashion design, product creation and customer engagement.[60]
| |||||||
| 10 | Mad Street Den AI retail automation through Vue.ai · IN | 7.7 | 8.7 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | |
Company snapshot · Mad Street Den · Data as of November 11, 2026 Its Vue.ai platform applies computer vision and AI to fashion and retail automation.[61]
| |||||||
How we score
- Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
- Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
- Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
- Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.
Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.
Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.
Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.
Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.
Cite this ranking
APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 10 companies in the ai and fashion industry. In AI And Fashion Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ai-and-fashion-industry-statistics/#top-companies
Worldwide fashion market revenue
Worldwide fashion market revenue grew from $525.1B in 2019 to $953.0B in 2024.
03 Trends & forecasts
Top 10 Ai And Fashion Industry Trends & Forecasts 2027
What is changing in the ai and fashion industry, with the evidence behind each trend and a forecast for 2027.
Forecasts were generated by an AI model from the cited evidence. They are estimates, not guarantees.
01AI market growth accelerates sharply
Medium confidenceFortune Business Insights estimates the global AI-in-fashion market at $2.56 billion in 2026, up from $1.81 billion in 2025, and projects $40.81 billion by 2034 at a 41.39% CAGR. Kōbō Labs uses a narrower methodology and estimates roughly $3 billion in 2025, highlighting substantial variation in market definitions.[49][1]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, the market should expand rapidly but remain smaller than the most aggressive forecasts imply because production deployment is still uneven. A plausible range is approximately $3.5–4.5 billion under the broader market definition used by Fortune Business Insights.
02Commerce AI leads fashion adoption
High confidenceKōbō Labs reports that product recommendations can drive 31% of e-commerce revenue, size recommendations can reduce returns by 24%–40%, and dynamic pricing can cut markdowns by 18%. McKinsey identifies product discovery and customer search as the leading generative-AI use case, prioritized by 50% of fashion executives in its 2025 survey.[1][2]
Forecast 2027: By 2027, recommendation, search, sizing and pricing tools will remain the most widely deployed fashion-AI applications because they connect directly to conversion, returns and margin KPIs. Adoption should spread from large platforms to mid-market brands through packaged software and commerce integrations.
03Demand forecasting becomes operational
High confidenceMcKinsey reports that 75% of fashion executives prioritize AI for demand forecasting, inventory optimization and cost control. Kōbō Labs classifies AI demand forecasting as production-ready and cites potential forecast-error reductions of 20%–50% and 65% fewer stockouts in documented deployments.[2][1]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, forecasting will move from isolated pilots toward integration with merchandising, replenishment and allocation systems. The strongest gains will occur among retailers with clean SKU-level sales histories and connected inventory data; data-poor brands will see slower benefits.
04Generative AI scales slowly beyond pilots
High confidenceKōbō Labs reports that 74% of fashion executives have adopted AI for at least one purpose, but only 15%–20% use generative AI in production and 90% of AI initiatives fail to scale beyond the pilot stage. Its readiness research also finds that only 21% of enterprises fully meet its data-readiness criteria.[1]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, production use will increase, but the gap between experimentation and scaled deployment will remain a defining industry feature. Investment will shift toward data preparation, product-lifecycle management and workflow integration rather than standalone generative tools.
05Agentic workflows enter fashion operations
Medium confidenceKōbō Labs estimates the agentic-AI market at $7.84 billion in 2025, growing 49% year on year, and reports average ROI of 171% among early adopters. However, only 5% of enterprises in its research see returns at scale, reflecting the technical and governance barriers to autonomous workflows.[1]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, agentic systems will expand first in bounded workflows such as tech-pack creation, supplier follow-up, sample tracking and exception management. Fully autonomous product development and sourcing will remain uncommon because human approval, structured data and liability controls will still be required.
06AI-assisted design remains human-led
High confidenceMcKinsey reports that 41% of fashion executives identify product design and other creative processes as a high-potential generative-AI use case. Kōbō Labs rates AI tech-pack generation as early production, while AI patternmaking and sketch-to-3D remain experimental.[2][1]
Forecast 2027: By 2027, AI will be broadly used for ideation, variant generation, colorways, copy and technical documentation, but final design direction will remain human-controlled. The commercial advantage will come from reducing iteration time and sampling costs rather than eliminating creative teams.
07Virtual try-on broadens beyond experimentation
Medium confidenceFortune Business Insights lists virtual try-on and virtual assistants among the principal AI applications supporting fashion-market growth. Perfect Corp. completed its acquisition of virtual-try-on company Wannaby in January 2025, expanding capabilities across shoes, bags and apparel.[49][62]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, virtual try-on will become more common in footwear, eyewear, accessories and selected apparel categories where fit or visual confidence strongly affects conversion. Adoption will remain selective because accuracy, device compatibility and content-production costs limit universal deployment.
08AI search reshapes product discovery
High confidenceMcKinsey reports that 82% of consumers want AI to reduce product-research time, while 50% of fashion executives prioritize AI-driven discovery. Its executive survey ranks product discovery and customer search above other generative-AI use cases for fashion in 2025.[2]
Forecast 2027: By 2027, conversational search, visual search and stylist-like recommendation interfaces will become standard features on major fashion platforms. Competition will shift toward the quality of product attributes, catalog structure and first-party behavioral data that make AI search reliable.
09Resale expands while supply tightens
High confidenceThredUp’s 2026 report estimates the global secondhand market at $393 billion and says supply, rather than demand, is becoming the primary constraint. Its 2025 U.S. report projects online resale to reach $40 billion by 2029, growing at a 13% average annual rate.[63]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, AI-supported listing, pricing, authentication and discovery will be used to unlock more resale supply and reduce transaction friction. Resale platforms will compete increasingly for quality inventory, while brands will expand take-back, recommerce and trade-in programs.
10Circularity data becomes commercial infrastructure
High confidenceThe European Commission identifies textile apparel as a priority product group for Digital Product Passport requirements under the Ecodesign Regulation. Its indicative timeline plans adoption of the textile delegated act in the fourth quarter of 2027, with passport data supporting traceability, repair, reuse and recycling.[64]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, leading brands and suppliers will invest in material, origin and product-identity data ahead of binding textile requirements. AI will increasingly use this data for compliance checks, product matching, resale classification and circularity recommendations.
04 Statistics
Technology & Innovation
Scaling remains the constraint in 2026, with 90% of fashion AI initiatives failing to move beyond the pilot stage.
AI in the ai and fashion industry
- 90% of fashion AI initiatives failed to scale beyond the pilot stage in 2026.[1]
- 35% of fashion executives reported using generative AI for business functions in 2026.[1]
- 62% of global fashion executives said their companies used generative AI in 2023, either regularly, occasionally or experimentally.[2]
- 48% of fashion brands had integrated some form of AI by 2026, while only 15%–20% used generative AI in production.[1]
- 73% of global fashion executives said generative AI would be a key priority for their businesses in 2024.[2]
Automation in the ai and fashion industry
- 32% of customer-service work at US apparel, fashion and luxury companies is expected to be automated by 2030 with generative-AI acceleration.[2]
- 22% of product-design, marketing and HR work at US apparel, fashion and luxury companies is expected to be automated by 2030 with generative-AI acceleration.[2]
- 42% of work in finance and manufacturing at US apparel, fashion and luxury companies is expected to be automated by 2030 with generative-AI acceleration.[2]
- 38% of procurement and warehousing work at US apparel, fashion and luxury companies is expected to be automated by 2030 with generative-AI acceleration.[2]
Digital Transformation in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 65% of textile companies in the 2023 sample had a website, according to analysis of company websites in the EU textile ecosystem.[3]
- 38.3% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU used online platforms in 2023.[3]
- 4.8% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU had adopted digital-twin technology in 2023.[3]
- 26% of textile-ecosystem companies in the EU reported having a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[3]
Technology Adoption in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 40% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used electronic data interchange in 2023.[4]
- 44% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used warehouse-management systems in 2023.[4]
- 58% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used enterprise resource planning software in 2023.[4]
- 58% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used supply-chain-management software in 2023.[4]
- 54% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used product-lifecycle-management software in 2023.[4]
- 68% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used an online payment platform in 2023.[4]
Cloud Computing in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 39% of apparel organizations with revenue below $100 million were in the process of moving to cloud ERP in 2025.[4]
- 33% of textile-ecosystem companies in the EU used cloud technology in 2024.[3]
- 32.3% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU had adopted cloud technologies in 2023.[5]
- 16% of apparel organizations with revenue below $100 million had already moved to cloud ERP in 2025.[4]
- 48% of apparel organizations with revenue of $100 million or more were in the process of moving to cloud ERP in 2025.[4]
- 19% of apparel organizations with revenue of $100 million or more had already moved to cloud ERP in 2025.[4]
Big Data in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 12% of textile-ecosystem companies in the EU used big-data technology in 2024.[3]
- 12.8% of European textile SMEs had adopted Big Data and related data analytics in 2023, according to the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems survey.[3]
- 52% of surveyed Indian companies said they were likely or very likely to adopt Big Data analytics within five years in 2023; the report identifies textile companies among respondents.[6]
- 12% of companies in the European textile ecosystem reported Big Data adoption in 2024, based on the EMI Enterprise Survey.[3]
- 12.8% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU had adopted big-data technologies in 2023.[3]
05 Statistics
Data & Analytics
Back-end automation is taking shape: 75% of fashion executives prioritized AI for demand forecasting, inventory optimization and cost control in 2025.
Business intelligence in the ai and fashion industry
- 33% of fashion executives ranked back-end supply-chain and logistics applications among the generative-AI use cases with the most potential in 2025.[2]
- 75% of fashion executives were prioritizing AI for demand forecasting, inventory optimization and cost control in 2025.[2]
- 38% of work time in fashion procurement could be automated by 2030 with moderate generative-AI adoption.[2]
- 34% of work time in fashion logistics and distribution could be automated by 2030 with moderate generative-AI adoption.[2]
Data analytics in the ai and fashion industry
- 48% of fashion customers who moved to online shopping channels in 2021 said the pandemic was the reason for the move.[2]
- 45% of fashion executives saw AI-driven marketing as a major value driver in 2025.[2]
- 39% of work time in fashion merchandising and related activities could be automated by 2030 with moderate generative-AI adoption.[2]
- 39% of fashion executives ranked curated product recommendations among the generative-AI use cases with the most potential in 2025.[2]
Data Quality in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 51% of garment-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[7]
- 75% of fabric-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[7]
- 77% of raw-material-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[7]
- 46% of fashion and apparel businesses had visibility into Tier 4 raw-material suppliers in 2025, according to a global industry survey.[8]
- 79% of yarn-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[7]
- 44% of fashion and apparel businesses verified their current traceability data in 2025, based on a survey of more than 450 industry professionals globally.[8]
Data Governance in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 52% of textile firms affected by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation reported using industry data-sharing standards in 2025.[7]
- 32% of raw-material suppliers in the surveyed textile supply chains used recognized data-sharing standards in 2025, compared with 55% that used none.[7]
- 38% of surveyed textile firms in the Global South used recognized industry standards for data sharing in 2025, while 44% used none and 18% were unsure.[7]
- 30% of textile firms using recognized data-sharing standards reported using ISO/IEC 27001 in 2025, making it the most commonly cited standard.[7]
- 45% of textile firms not affected by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation reported using industry data-sharing standards in 2025.[7]
- 83% of surveyed textile firms in the Global South actively shared product-related data with suppliers in 2025, while 17% had not adopted this practice.[7]
KPIs in the ai and fashion industry
- 89% of Fashion Charter signatories complied with basic sustainability reporting in the latest Global Fashion Agenda monitoring data.[9]
- 99% of Fashion Charter signatories reported operational emissions in the latest monitoring data.[9]
- 24% of fashion brands did not disclose decarbonization efforts in the cited Fashion Revolution assessment.[9]
- 75% of fashion companies lacked key supplier-performance data for integrating climate indicators into contracts.[9]
06 Statistics
Strategy & Growth
Commerce AI drives adoption focus, and shopping-related searches on generative-AI platforms grew 4,700% between July 2024 and July 2025.
Growth in the ai and fashion industry
- 18% year-on-year profitability growth was reported by Zalando for the second quarter of 2024, partly attributed to generative-AI features.[2]
- AI infrastructure attracted $341 billion in announced investment in 2025, making it the largest strategic investment sector.[10]
- Fashion-industry revenue growth was expected to remain in the low single digits in 2025.[2]
- Shopping-related searches on generative-AI platforms grew 4,700% between July 2024 and July 2025.[2]
Differentiation in the ai and fashion industry
- 39% of fashion executives identified curated product recommendations as a high-potential generative-AI use case for 2025.[2]
- 50% of fashion executives identified product discovery and customer search as a high-potential generative-AI use case for 2025.[2]
- 45% of fashion executives identified personalised marketing as a high-potential generative-AI use case for 2025.[2]
- 41% of fashion executives identified product design and other creative processes as a high-potential generative-AI use case for 2025.[2]
Mergers and acquisitions in the ai and fashion industry
- The top 20 digital-economy multinational enterprises were mostly headquartered in the United States and China.[10]
- Cross-border technology mergers and acquisitions averaged nearly $1 trillion annually over the past decade.[10]
- International merger-and-acquisition values declined 10% in 2025 despite a boom in domestic deals.[10]
- Less than 15% of cross-border technology mergers and acquisitions involved companies from developing countries over the past decade.[10]
Strategic partnerships in the ai and fashion industry
- BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners, MGX and Microsoft planned to mobilize up to $100 billion for data centres and supporting power infrastructure in 2024.[10]
- At least 10 countries and the European Union pledged or launched AI safety institutes following international summits in 2024.[11]
- 50% of fashion executives identified product discovery and customer search as a leading generative-AI opportunity, supporting partnerships between fashion brands and AI-commerce providers in 2025.[2]
- 84% of organisations prioritised hyper-personalised experiences across customer touchpoints, increasing the strategic importance of AI and retail partnerships in 2025.[2]
07 Statistics
People & Workforce
Workforce plans emphasize role change for 2026, with 87% of surveyed US fashion companies planning to strengthen teams and redefine roles.
Hiring in the ai and fashion industry
- 87% of surveyed US fashion companies planned to strengthen teams and redefine roles in 2026.[12]
- Data scientists, compliance specialists and sustainability professionals were the three roles expected to be in highest demand in US fashion from 2026 to 2031.[12]
- 81.4% of advertised fashion and textile jobs in Australia were filled in 2024.[13]
Remote Work in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- Among non-manager manufacturing employees able to work remotely, 67% can work from home two days per week, according to a 2024 member survey.[14]
- Across U.S. manufacturers, 95% of employees with work flexibility use it, according to a 2024 member survey covering operations and production roles.[14]
- In a global survey of more than 1,000 fashion professionals, 65% identified flexible working policies as the most important employer benefit.[15]
- In 2024, 15% of non-factory-floor employees at surveyed global manufacturers worked fully remotely, compared with 8% of factory-floor employees.[16]
Hybrid Work in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- In 2025, 23% of surveyed manufacturers were actively updating hybrid policies to add more structure around required office days.[14]
- Across surveyed manufacturers in 2025, 79% operated a hybrid model for non-production employees, while 17% were fully back in the office.[14]
- Among fashion and beauty professionals globally, 52% preferred a hybrid schedule with two or three days in the office.[15]
- Among global manufacturers in 2024, 42% of non-factory-floor employees worked in hybrid arrangements, compared with 10% of factory-floor employees.[16]
Upskilling in the ai and fashion industry
- 16% of fashion workers had received comprehensive, structured AI training in 2026.[15]
- 39% of fashion workers said their desire for AI training remained unmet in 2026.[15]
- Around 25% of fashion workers said investment in AI tools and training would make a company significantly more attractive as an employer in 2026.[15]
Employee Engagement in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- Burberry reported a colleague engagement score of 74 points in its fiscal 2023/24 Glint survey.[17]
- Global Fashion Group reported that 76% of employees would recommend it as a great place to work in its 2025 engagement survey.[18]
- H&M Group reported an employee satisfaction score of 76 out of 100 in 2024, up from 75 in 2023.[19]
- Moncler Group recorded a 76% employee engagement rate in 2024, based on responses from 6,777 employees worldwide.[17]
- Fast Retailing reported a 78.0% overall employee-engagement index in its fiscal 2025 survey, covering 36,827 respondents globally.[20]
Change Management in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- Fashion and apparel companies attributed a 35% improvement in inventory and warehousing KPIs to digital transformation in a 2023 survey.[4]
- Across surveyed fashion and apparel companies, 75% were already on a digital-transformation journey and reporting positive results in 2023.[4]
- Fashion and apparel companies attributed a 39% improvement in sales and customer-service on-time-in-full KPIs to digital transformation in 2023.[4]
- Fashion and apparel companies attributed a 40% improvement in procurement KPIs to digital transformation, according to a 2023 industry survey.[4]
- Fashion and apparel companies attributed a 37% improvement in analytics and business-intelligence KPIs to digital transformation in a 2023 survey.[4]
08 Statistics
Customer & Sales
Consumer-facing value centers on time savings, and 82% of consumers want AI to reduce product-research time.
Customer experience in the ai and fashion industry
- 61% of EU5 fashion shoppers considered personalisation important to their online shopping experience in 2025.[15]
- 39% of fashion and sportswear shoppers abandoned a purchase after a payment failure in 2026.[21]
- 55% of fashion and sportswear shoppers said they would shop elsewhere when faced with stricter returns policies in 2026.[21]
- 35% of fashion and sportswear shoppers saw value in AI price-drop alerts in 2026.[21]
- 54% of apparel shoppers said they preferred buying clothing in brick-and-mortar locations rather than online in 2025.[15]
Customer retention in the ai and fashion industry
- 60% was the reported five-year increase in customer-acquisition costs for fashion brands in 2025.[22]
- Around 23% was the fashion-and-apparel customer retention rate in Decile’s 2023 benchmark, down from 30% in its prior benchmark.[23]
- 23.2% was the average customer retention rate for fashion brands reported in 2025.[22]
Customer acquisition in the ai and fashion industry
Customer loyalty in the ai and fashion industry
- 32% of fashion consumers said existing loyalty programmes made them feel that the brand understood them in 2024.[24]
- 36% of fashion consumers said existing loyalty programmes incentivised them to shop more often in 2024.[24]
- 80% of fashion consumers said it was important for retailers to offer an attractive rewards programme in 2024.[24]
Lead generation in the ai and fashion industry
- 61% of EU5 fashion shoppers considered online personalisation important in 2025, indicating a major lead-nurturing requirement for fashion brands.[15]
- Almost 70% of fashion retail sales were digitally influenced in 2025, making physical stores more important for conversion and loyalty than initial discovery.[15]
09 Statistics
Marketing & Brand
Marketing use is visible but still selective: 26% of global fashion executives used generative AI for marketing visual content in 2023.
Marketing in the ai and fashion industry
- 26% of global fashion executives used generative AI for marketing visual content in 2023.[2]
- 34% of global fashion executives used generative AI for marketing copy in 2023, according to the State of Fashion 2024 survey.[2]
- 73% of global fashion executives said generative AI would be an important business priority in 2024.[2]
- 45% of fashion executives identified AI-driven marketing as a major value driver for 2025.[2]
Digital marketing in the ai and fashion industry
- 25% of global fashion executives used generative AI for digital shopping and customer experience in 2023.[2]
- 41% of global consumers used AI assistants to research products in 2026.[25]
- 31% of global consumers used AI assistants to find product deals in 2026.[25]
- 33% of global consumers used AI assistants to look for product reviews in 2026.[25]
Branding in the ai and fashion industry
- 84% of retail and consumer-products executives expected AI to improve responsiveness to market disruptions and customer needs by 2027.[26]
- 83% of luxury consumers reported high or very high satisfaction with AI shopping tools in 2026.[2]
- 62% of global fashion executives said their companies were already using generative AI in 2023.[2]
- 80% of retail and consumer-products companies had a clear strategy to integrate AI into their long-term innovation roadmaps in 2025.[26]
Influencer Marketing in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- $15.1 billion in earned media value was generated by the top 100 global fashion brands in 2025.[28]
- 1.8% was the average influencer engagement rate for giant fashion brands, compared with 1.9% for challengers and 1.6% for up-and-comers in 2024.[29]
- 25% of fashion earned media value came from TikTok globally in 2025, following 45.2% year-over-year growth in TikTok fashion earned media value.[28]
- 76% of fashion earned media value was generated by affordable fashion brands globally in 2025.[28]
- 1.53% was the average engagement rate for fashion influencer content in 2023, rising to 2.26% on TikTok.[30]
10 Statistics
Operations & Execution
Demand forecasting and inventory planning adoption stands out, with 56.3% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies using AI for demand forecasting and inventory planning in 2026.
Process optimization in the ai and fashion industry
- 14% of surveyed apparel organizations planned to use AI for automation and repetitive-task reduction in 2025.[4]
- 27% of surveyed apparel organizations planned to use AI for data analysis, including demand forecasting and market-trend analysis, in 2025.[4]
- 63% of fashion supply-chain respondents considered AI a top priority in the 2025 BlueCherry survey.[31]
- 18% of surveyed apparel organizations planned to use AI to improve performance, efficiency, productivity or data accuracy in 2025.[4]
Operational efficiency in the ai and fashion industry
- 82% of surveyed fashion respondents expected AI to optimize 20%–40% of supply-chain management outcomes in 2024.[27]
- 72% of fashion supply-chain respondents had analytics or AI projects in progress or planned in 2025.[31]
- 55% of surveyed fashion executives expected AI-driven data analysis to influence 20%–40% of operational decisions by 2025.[27]
- 30% of surveyed fashion executives expected AI-driven data analysis to influence 41%–60% of operational decisions by 2025.[27]
Quality management in the ai and fashion industry
- 44% of fashion professionals were verifying their current supply-chain data in 2025.[8]
- 61% of fashion professionals said traceability would be extremely or very important within three to five years in 2025.[8]
- 16% of surveyed fashion businesses were actively investing in emerging traceability innovations in 2025.[8]
- 16% of surveyed apparel organizations planned to use AI for supply-chain, logistics, inventory-management or quality-control activities in 2025.[4]
Supply chain in the ai and fashion industry
- 56.3% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies used AI for demand forecasting and inventory planning in 2026.[32]
- 22% of surveyed U.S. and UK fashion executives rated their supply chains as efficient in 2024.[33]
- 43.8% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies used AI for customs, trade compliance or tariff optimization in 2026.[32]
- 50% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies used AI for sourcing strategy and cost optimization in 2026.[32]
Outsourcing / Offshoring in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- Among U.S. fashion companies, more than 80% planned to further reduce apparel sourcing from China over the following two years through 2027.[12]
- Among U.S. fashion companies, 60% sourced less than 10% of their apparel products from China in 2025.[12]
- Among surveyed apparel and footwear brands globally, 49% prioritized transforming their supply base to increase margins or decrease costs over the next two years.[34]
- Among large U.S. fashion companies with 1,000+ employees, approximately 60% sourced apparel from at least 10 countries in 2025.[12]
- Among 67 surveyed apparel and footwear brands globally, approximately 7% reported mature practices across strategic sourcing, collaborative supply planning, and proactive supplier management.[34]
11 Statistics
Finance & Pricing
Inventory use cases are expected to move numbers, with McKinsey analysis indicating stock-out performance could improve by 15%–25%.
Pricing strategy in the ai and fashion industry
- 35% of fashion executives expected no change in average retail prices in 2025.[2]
- 11% of fashion executives expected to raise retail prices by more than 5% in 2025.[2]
- 39% of fashion executives ranked pricing, promotions and markdowns among the three economic-model areas under greatest pressure in 2026.[2]
- 41% of fashion executives expected to raise retail prices by 1%–5% in 2025.[2]
Cost reduction in the ai and fashion industry
- AI-enabled inventory use cases could improve fashion stock-out performance by 15%–25%, according to McKinsey analysis published in 2025.[35]
- AI-enabled inventory use cases could reduce fashion inventory by 5%–15%, according to McKinsey analysis published in 2025.[35]
- 87% of fashion supply-chain respondents considered reducing cost or boosting efficiency a top priority in 2025.[31]
- 75% of fashion executives planned to prioritize data-driven planning and forecasting tools for inventory optimization in 2025.[35]
Profitability in the ai and fashion industry
- 60% of fashion brands were behind on sustainability targets in 2025, increasing pressure to reduce overproduction and waste while protecting margins.[2]
- 10% was the increase in fashion warehousing costs in 2023 compared with the prior year, according to McKinsey analysis.[2]
- 3.4 percentage points was the year-on-year decline in Hugo Boss’s inventory-to-sales ratio in the second quarter of 2024.[35]
- 25% of fashion’s potential generative-AI value is expected to come from design and product development, according to McKinsey analysis.[2]
Financial planning in the ai and fashion industry
- 75% of fashion executives planned to use data-driven planning and forecasting to optimize inventory in 2025.[35]
- 26% of fashion executives planned to recycle excess inventory as an inventory-optimization tactic in 2025.[35]
- 35% of fashion executives planned to increase their share of open-to-buy inventory in 2025.[35]
- 35% of fashion executives planned to increase private sales as an inventory-optimization tactic in 2025.[35]
12 Statistics
Product & Service
Digital after-sales and customer-service automation remain targets, as 32% of work time in fashion customer service could be automated by 2030.
Product development in the ai and fashion industry
- 22% of work time in fashion product design and development could be automated by 2030 with moderate generative-AI adoption.[2]
- 28% of global fashion executives said their companies had tried generative AI for design and product development in 2023.[2]
- Up to 25% of generative AI’s potential value in fashion is expected to come from creative activities such as design and product development.[2]
- 41% of fashion executives ranked product design and other creative processes among the generative-AI use cases with the most potential in 2025.[2]
Product lifecycle in the ai and fashion industry
- 36% was the decrease in the number of times clothing was worn before disposal between 2000 and 2015.[36]
- Eight times faster than the broader retail clothing sector was the growth of fashion resale in 2024.[36]
- 3.5% of the global fashion market was represented by resale, rental, repair and remaking business models in 2021.[36]
- USD 460 billion in value is lost globally each year when consumers discard clothing that could still be worn.[36]
After-sales in the ai and fashion industry
- 15% of fashion executives identified front-end logistics, including automated returns, as a high-potential generative-AI use case for 2025.[2]
- 72% of fashion customers reported interacting with brands online in 2021, expanding the role of digital after-sales and service channels.[2]
- 32% of work time in fashion customer service could be automated by 2030 with moderate generative-AI adoption.[2]
- 17% of fashion executives identified store operations and customer experience as a high-potential generative-AI use case for 2025.[2]
Value proposition in the ai and fashion industry
- 50% of fashion executives ranked product discovery and customer search as the leading generative-AI use case for 2025.[2]
- 79% of consumers surveyed by Google said AI understanding their needs and recommending products would be helpful in fashion shopping.[2]
- 84% of organizations said hyper-personalized experiences across customer touchpoints were a priority for the next 12 months in fashion research cited for 2025.[2]
- 82% of consumers surveyed by Google wanted AI to reduce the time they spend researching what to buy.[2]
13 Statistics
Sustainability & Ethics
Circularity economics are framed as commercial infrastructure, with USD 700 billion projected value of circular fashion business models by 2030.
Sustainability in the ai and fashion industry
- 82% of Materials Benchmark participants’ cotton sourcing came from preferred production systems in 2025, compared with 38% of global cotton production.[37]
- 2% of total raw-material usage came from textile-to-textile feedstocks for key fibers in both 2024 and 2025.[37]
- 80% of H&M Group’s commercial products used recycled or sustainably sourced materials in 2025.[38]
- 72% of key-fiber sourcing by Materials Benchmark participants came through sustainability programs in 2025, compared with 20% of global production.[37]
ESG in the ai and fashion industry
- 94% of fashion companies lacked renewable-energy targets for their supply chains in the cited Fashion Revolution assessment.[9]
- 7 Italian fashion and textile companies were interviewed in a 2025 study of AI-supported ESG reporting.[39]
- 45% of Fashion Charter signatories had set climate targets aligned with keeping warming below 1.5°C.[9]
- 42% of Global Fashion Agenda monitoring respondents reported having set 2030 greenhouse-gas-reduction targets.[9]
Circular economy in the ai and fashion industry
- 90% of fashion materials globally were estimated to be wasted or unused in 2023.[9]
- 1.8 to 9 million new jobs could be created globally by 2030 through circular fashion activities such as sorting, recycling, upcycling and repair.[9]
- Less than 1% of textile waste was recycled into new fiber, according to Global Fashion Agenda’s 2024 upstream-circularity report.[9]
- 7.2% was the fashion industry’s circularity rate in 2023, down from 9.1% in 2018.[9]
- USD 700 billion could be the value of circular fashion business models by 2030, equivalent to 23% of the global fashion market.[36]
Carbon footprint in the ai and fashion industry
- 2.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions were produced by the global fashion industry in 2018, equal to 4% of the global total.[9]
- 1.243 gigatonnes of apparel-industry emissions could be reached by 2030 if current trends persist.[9]
- 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources were used annually by the textiles industry, including oil, fertilizers and chemicals.[36]
- 0.879 gigatonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions were attributed to the apparel industry in 2022, approximately 1.85% of global emissions.[9]
- 0.489 gigatonnes is the apparel-industry emissions level required by 2030 to remain on a 1.5°C pathway.[9]
14 Statistics
Risk, Compliance & Legal
Regulatory enforcement timelines start mid-2026, with EU AI Act transparency rules and enforcement beginning on August 2, 2026.
Compliance in the ai and fashion industry
- 131 U.S. state-level AI-related laws had been passed by 2024, up from 49 in 2023.[11]
- 60% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies planned to allocate more resources to sustainability, social responsibility and compliance in 2025.[12]
- 59 AI-related regulations were introduced in the United States in 2024, more than double the 25 introduced in 2023.[11]
- 53% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies planned to invest more in technology for supply-chain traceability or isotopic testing in 2025.[12]
Risk Management in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 60% of fashion, apparel, and footwear respondents across 24 countries identified supplier resistance or limited supplier capability as their biggest compliance barrier.[40]
- 92% of U.S. fashion companies rated protectionist trade policies and related uncertainty among their top two business challenges in 2026.[12]
- 50% of U.S. fashion companies used AI for risk management, sustainability tracking, and sourcing strategy or cost optimization in 2026.[12]
- 21% of fashion, apparel, and footwear brands across 24 countries reported experiencing shipment detentions at U.S. borders because of compliance issues.[40]
Cybersecurity in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 22% of North American apparel organizations with annual revenue below $100 million identified cyber or digital threats as a significant external pressure in 2025.[4]
- 31% of North American apparel organizations identified cyber or digital external threats as a significant concern in 2025.[4]
- 27% of North American apparel organizations identified cyber or digital external threats as a notable concern in 2025.[4]
- 40% of North American apparel organizations with annual revenue of at least $100 million identified cyber or digital threats as a significant external pressure in 2025.[4]
Data Privacy in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 83% of North American companies publicly reported their policies on disclosure of customer data to third parties in 2024.[41]
- 91% of European companies publicly reported customer control provisions such as opt-in or opt-out consent, access, transfer, correction, or deletion rights in 2024.[41]
- 86% of North American companies publicly reported their customer data-protection practices in 2024.[41]
- 92% of North American companies publicly reported the nature of information they collect from customers in 2024.[41]
Crisis Management in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)
- 87.0% of organizations globally considered staff wellbeing a key requirement of their crisis-management teams in 2024.[42]
- 75.1% of organizations globally activated their crisis-management plans during the 12 months covered by the 2024 survey.[42]
- 84.7% of organizations globally preferred a crisis-management structure with some degree of centralization in 2024.[42]
- 83% of fashion and lifestyle CFOs in German-speaking countries considered fundamental restructuring necessary in 2026.[43]
- 46.4% of organizations globally conducted post-incident or after-action reviews in the 12 months covered by the 2024 survey.[42]
Governance in the ai and fashion industry
- 26% of company boards met a digitally and AI-savvy-board definition in 2024.[44]
- 34 of 50 large companies disclosed evidence of board-level AI oversight in 2025, compared with 23 in 2024.[45]
- 15% of S&P 500 boards had a technology committee in 2024.[44]
- 68% of S&P 500 companies had at least one non-executive director with AI skills in 2026.[46]
15 Statistics
Globalization & Expansion
Purchase paths through AI tools remain measurable, with 18.0% of U.S. AI users completing an apparel, footwear or accessories purchase directly through an AI tool in June 2026.
Globalization in the ai and fashion industry
- China received $7.8 billion of private AI investment in 2023, while India received $1.4 billion.[10]
- $67 billion of private AI investment occurred in the United States in 2023, equal to 70% of global private AI investment.[10]
- The three leading source economies accounted for 72% of strategic-sector project values in 2025, including AI infrastructure and related technologies.[10]
- AI infrastructure attracted $341 billion in announced foreign investment in 2025.[10]
Cultural adaptation in the ai and fashion industry
- 84% of organisations identified hyper-personalised experiences across customer touchpoints as a priority for the following 12 months.[2]
- 63% of fashion executives identified mature Asia-Pacific markets as promising growth prospects for 2025.[2]
- 79% of surveyed consumers said AI understanding their specific needs and recommending products would be helpful for shopping.[2]
- 23% of consumers primarily used generative AI to discover products in 2025.[2]
Supplier management in the ai and fashion industry
- 50% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies planned to provide sustainability and social-compliance training for suppliers in 2025.[12]
- 64% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies sourced from CAFTA-DR countries in 2025, down from 75% in 2024.[12]
- 70% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies no longer ranked China as their top apparel supplier in 2025.[12]
- 50% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies sourced from Mexico or Canada in 2025, down from 60% in 2024.[12]
Stakeholder management in the ai and fashion industry
- 17% of organisations reported that their board oversaw AI governance in 2024.[47]
- 60% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies considered close collaboration with industry associations essential for policy updates and industry practices in 2025.[12]
- 50% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies planned to provide sustainability and social-compliance training for internal employees in 2025.[12]
- 42% of investors identified board oversight of AI risks and opportunities as their most-cited AI governance interest in the 2024 proxy season.[48]
Distribution channels in the ai and fashion industry
- 18.0% of U.S. AI users completed an apparel, footwear or accessories purchase directly through an AI tool in June 2026.[2]
- 8% of H&M's and Aritzia's inbound traffic came from ChatGPT between June and August 2025.[2]
- 50% of fashion executives identified product discovery and customer search as a high-potential generative-AI use case in 2025.[2]
- 16% of Zara's inbound traffic came from ChatGPT between June and August 2025.[2]
Key questions about the ai and fashion industry
What was the global AI-in-fashion market size in 2026?
How fast is the AI-in-fashion market expected to grow after 2026?
Which companies lead the ai and fashion industry?
What shift is occurring in technology deployment during 2026?
How fragmented is adoption between AI experimentation and production use?
What data and scaling barriers show up most often?
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). AI And Fashion Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ai-and-fashion-industry-statistics
Samuel Norberg. "AI And Fashion Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/ai-and-fashion-industry-statistics.
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "AI And Fashion Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ai-and-fashion-industry-statistics.
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Social media in the ai and fashion industry