Kate Barton brings IBM AI to New York Fashion Week runway

Designer Kate Barton is pushing the boundaries of the runway at this year’s New York Fashion Week, integrating advanced artificial intelligence directly into her latest collection’s presentation. By partnering with Fiducia AI and utilizing the IBM watsonx platform on IBM Cloud, Barton has developed a multilingual AI agent designed to deepen audience engagement through virtual try-ons and real-time garment identification.

For Barton, the integration of technology serves as a bridge to the collection’s narrative rather than a mere gimmick. She views the AI-driven set design as a “portal” into her creative world, aimed at sparking curiosity rather than simply showcasing technical capability.

Technical Orchestration Behind the Runway

Ganesh Harinath, founder and CEO of Fiducia AI, noted that the complexity of the project lay in the orchestration of various IBM technologies, including IBM Cloud Object Storage. The system functions as a production-grade visual AI lens capable of recognizing specific collection pieces and providing photorealistic virtual try-ons, all while communicating in multiple languages via voice and text.

While many fashion houses currently utilize artificial intelligence for internal operations or content generation, Barton believes the industry is hesitant to showcase these tools publicly due to potential reputational risks. She draws a parallel to the early days of the internet, when brands were initially wary of digital platforms before their adoption became inevitable.

The Future of AI in Fashion

Looking ahead, industry experts and collaborators see a clear trajectory for AI integration:

• 2028: Expected normalization of AI applications within fashion showcases.
• 2030: Anticipated full embedding of AI into the operational core of retail businesses.

Dee Waddell, Global Head of Consumer, Travel and Transportation Industries at IBM Consulting, emphasized that when product intelligence and consumer engagement are linked in real-time, AI evolves from a simple feature into a “growth engine” that provides a competitive advantage.

Despite the technological shift, Barton remains firm that the goal is not to replace human craftsmanship. “If the technology is used to erase people, I am not into it,” she stated, noting that the most compelling future for the industry involves using new tools to deepen storytelling rather than automating the creative process entirely. For her, the success of these tools depends on clear licensing, credit, and the recognition that human creativity is an essential asset.