H&M's AI Models and the Future of Fashion Marketing

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Apr 1, 2025

In this eye-opening discussion, Marc Bain, a technology correspondent at Business of Fashion, dives into H&M's bold move to use AI-generated models in marketing. He addresses the industry's mixed reactions, focusing on fears about job security and the essence of creativity. The conversation extends to how AI is reshaping marketing strategies across fashion, from fast fashion to luxury brands like Coach. With transparency and regulatory concerns in play, Bain encourages a collaborative future where AI enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity.

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ANECDOTE

Levi's AI Model Backlash

Levi's faced backlash for using AI-generated models, aiming for diverse representation.
Critics argued for hiring diverse human models instead of using AI.

INSIGHT

AI's Expanding Impact

AI's impact on marketing has broadened since 2021, affecting various creative roles.
It's leading to a gig economy where tasks are completed faster, requiring creatives to adapt.

ANECDOTE

AI Replicates Photos

Photographer Yana Shepchevitskaya recreated her photos using AI, showcasing its capabilities.
Brands approached her for an "AI Creative Director" role, blending human vision with AI execution.

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Fast-fashion giant H&M recently announced its plans to deploy AI-generated "digital twins" of real-life models in marketing campaigns. While H&M argues it's proactively managing inevitable industry changes, including by working with models to compensate them for use of their AI versions, the decision has sparked significant backlash. Comments on social media and statements by industry figures highlight deep-seated anxieties around job security, creative integrity and the value of the human element in fashion.

BoF correspondents Marc Bain and Haley Crawford discuss the potential outcomes and tensions arising from AI’s expanding role in fashion marketing.

Key Insights:

H&M is just the tip of the iceberg: Fashion brands are increasingly embracing AI, from fast fashion to luxury. While AI-generated imagery has quietly infiltrated lower-end markets for some time, H&M's public embrace signifies its move out into the open, and into the world of high-profile campaigns. High-end brands like Coach and Estée Lauder have started using AI for product-focused imagery, indicating a cautious yet clear shift. "Coach uses Adobe Firefly to create digital twins of its products… to scale marketing content and test designs," says Crawford, highlighting how AI is already reshaping marketing across the fashion spectrum.

Transparency around AI use in marketing is still inconsistent, and regulations are lagging behind. "The technology is moving so rapidly, it's making its way out into the world already, and the law is trying to catch up," Bain explains. While the EU is moving toward legislating transparency in AI-generated imagery, the lack of clear rules globally adds complexity for brands and consumers alike, creating uncertainty around ethical marketing standards.

The rise of AI-generated imagery raises concerns over the loss of the creative collaboration intrinsic to traditional fashion shoots. "What's really at risk of being lost here is that communal process of creating fashion imagery," says Bain. "Some level of creativity and humanity, in addition to all the jobs themselves, which are also hugely important, will also be lost."

As AI image generation continues to be adopted by brands, it is creating increased competition, forcing both digital and traditional creatives to innovate further. "You can't only live in an endlessly self-referential cycle of AI image generation, even if AI is piecing different concepts together to generate newness," Crawford says. "People working on photography, art, whatever the artistic format is, will only get more creative and people are going to experiment more to stand out."

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