The forum highlighted how generative AI, integrated with digital textile databases, allows designers and textile manufacturers to reduce fabric development cycles by up to 50-63%. Industry leaders explored how this efficiency gain could benefit the textile sector across innovation, sustainability, and operational effectiveness.
Frontier.cool, led by CEO and Chief Strategy Officer Wayne Fan, is a key player in this shift. As the world’s largest cloud platform for digital textiles, Frontier.cool uses AI to generate digital fabrics that closely mimic real textures, enhancing the sense of physical fabric while accelerating production. This generative AI application is pivotal for reducing energy consumption and waste, furthering sustainable practices within the textile industry.
Joshua Young, a renowned brand consultant who has worked with Nike and The North Face on digital transformations, shared similar views. According to Young, generative AI provides brands with robust tools to evaluate supplier performance and improve supply chain efficiency, creating economic and environmental benefits. Young noted that AI also supports strategic decision-making for sourcing and logistics, reducing both waste and carbon emissions.
As textiles become the second-largest polluting industry globally, the forum stressed the urgent need for sustainable production models driven by consumer demand. Both Young and Fan emphasized that AI-based digitalization enables smarter production, aligning with sustainability goals to limit environmental impact and address the growing issue of surplus inventory.
During the panel discussions, industry experts examined how AI can bridge fashion brands and supply chains, reinforcing digital transformation strategies to meet the demands of real-time fashion. The conversation underscored that generative AI is not only changing production processes but also driving a broader industry shift toward sustainable and efficient practices.
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