Deep tech fashion: AI, 3D printing, and virtual worlds reshape the industry

Emerging technologies like AI, 3D scanning and printing, augmented and virtual reality, smart fabrics, and digital twins are driving deep tech fashion toward a new chapter. AI enables product development and trend forecasting, allowing brands to produce only what customers demand. Solventus 2019 exemplifies this: human models were 3D-scanned into avatars, garments designed digitally, and items 3D-printed on demand for 100% customization. Nike envisions consumers 3D-printing custom shoes at home. Virtual fashion is expanding into gaming and metaverses, with brands like Balenciaga creating immersive experiences such as 'Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow' for its Fall 2020/2021 collection. Hanifa presented a virtual runway with 3D garments on invisible avatars. McQueen combined fashion with Unreal Engine 3D technology for a digital show. Matthew Drinkwater of the Fashion Innovation Agency at London College of Fashion notes that mixed reality will let people share virtual garments on others' devices, controlling how they are perceived. Virtual fashion shows, digital fashion weeks, and immersive showrooms are becoming common. The article by Elisabetta Rotolo, CEO and founder of MIAT (Multiverse Institute For Arts & Technology), argues that fashion will remain a means of self-expression in both physical and virtual societies, with smart fabrics acting as new interfaces.