ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN FASHION

The fashion industry, known for its creativity and rapid evolution, is undergoing a transformative shift driven by artificial intelligence (AI). From content creation to consumer engagement, AI is reshaping how brands craft their narratives and connect with audiences. In a recent episode of the Good to Great Podcast, hosted by Timea Hejja and Tamara Hejja, George Hartel, Chief Commercial and Development Officer at GQ Group Thailand, shared his insights on how AI is revolutionizing brand storytelling in fashion. With over 20 years of experience transforming brands and integrating AI-driven strategies, Hartel offered a compelling perspective on the opportunities and challenges of adopting AI in this dynamic industry.

The Impact of AI on Brand Storytelling

At GQ Group Thailand, AI has become a cornerstone of operations, touching every department from design to marketing. Hartel emphasized the widespread benefits, stating, "The benefits of AI have really touched every part of the company. If you haven't started using AI yet, you really, really should." By integrating AI early, GQ Group has gained a competitive edge, moving faster than many peers to embed AI across its processes. This has led to significant productivity gains, enabling the company to experiment with new tools and streamline operations without being hindered by excessive legal or procedural constraints.

AI's impact is particularly evident in content creation. For GQ Group, which specializes in repeatable, high-quality apparel like the "best white shirt" or "men's cooling underwear," AI has simplified the process of generating designs and marketing materials. By training AI models with consumer insights, the company can produce content that aligns with its brand identity while reducing bias. Hartel noted, "When you run those same insights through an AI system, in many cases, it’s less biased than our own people." This ability to combine data-driven insights with creative output has enhanced GQ Group's storytelling, making it more efficient and impactful.

Overcoming Challenges in AI Adoption

Implementing AI in a creative industry like fashion comes with unique challenges. One significant hurdle is the demand for constant innovation, particularly in fast fashion, where uniqueness is paramount. Hartel explained, "When you have lots and lots of unique designs, it gets harder and harder for utilizing the AI tools as things become more and more unique." However, GQ Group's focus on repeatable products has allowed it to train AI models effectively, leveraging consumer insights to refine designs season after season.

Another challenge is balancing AI's efficiency with human creativity. Fashion brands often rely on designers' intuition and vision, but AI can generate designs faster and sometimes with unexpected flair. Hartel described this as an "interception" between technology and human learning, where AI augments rather than replaces creative roles. By fostering collaboration between AI tools and designers, GQ Group has found a balance that enhances productivity without sacrificing originality.

Evolving Creative Professions

As AI capabilities expand, concerns about the future of creative professions are common. Hartel addressed this during a CMO panel at the British Chamber of Commerce, where audience members frequently asked about potential job cuts. He reassured listeners that AI has not led to redundancies at GQ Group but has instead boosted productivity. "Maybe a graphic designer before could put out 10 graphics in an hour a day. Now they can do 100," he said, likening AI's impact to the transition from paper-based math to calculators. This analogy underscores AI's role as a tool that amplifies human potential, allowing creatives to work faster and explore more ideas.

To remain relevant, creative professionals must adapt to AI-driven workflows. This involves mastering prompt engineering—crafting precise inputs to guide AI outputs—and focusing on tasks that require human intuition, such as spotting "aha moments" in AI-generated concepts. Hartel emphasized that AI enables teams to "accelerate the work that we can do," empowering creatives to push boundaries and deliver high-quality content at scale.

Maintaining Brand Voice and Authenticity

One critical concern in AI-driven content creation is preserving a brand’s unique voice and authenticity. Hartel acknowledged that generic AI outputs can feel impersonal, but this is easily overcome with proper training. "It’s quite straightforward to start getting the AI to really understand your brand voice," he said. By feeding AI systems existing content and desired inspirations, brands can ensure outputs align with their identity. This process mirrors traditional creative workflows, where mood boards and competitor analyses inform brand positioning, but AI executes it at "hyper, hyper fast" speeds.

For example, Hartel described how he can now complete a brand positioning or marketing plan during a 30-minute train ride, a task that previously took days or weeks. This efficiency stems from training AI to replicate GQ Group’s brand voice, ensuring that even rapid outputs feel authentic and cohesive.

Building Emotional Connections

A key question in AI adoption is whether machine-generated content can forge emotional connections as effectively as human-created content. Hartel cautioned against directly copying AI outputs, as this can result in generic or inauthentic messaging. "There’s an element of making sure that the words that are coming out are authentic," he said. At GQ Group, AI is used to refine and polish content, such as smoothing out emails or adding empathy to feedback, rather than replacing human input entirely.

By feeding AI specific prompts that reflect the brand’s tone and values, GQ Group ensures that its content resonates with consumers. This hybrid approach—combining human intent with AI’s polish—maintains the emotional depth needed to build lasting connections with audiences.

Ethical Concerns and Risks

As AI becomes more sophisticated, ethical concerns are emerging, particularly around video content. Hartel highlighted the risk of impersonation, noting, "What I really think is going to get harder and harder for brands is the ethics around other people impersonating your brand." AI-generated videos can be so realistic that consumers may struggle to distinguish authentic brand content from fakes, especially in regions like Asia, where counterfeit goods are prevalent. This could lead to scams or reputational damage if not addressed.

To mitigate these risks, Hartel predicted that platforms will introduce authentication mechanisms, similar to verified social media accounts, to certify the authenticity of brand videos. Brands must also remain vigilant about how their AI-generated content is used and perceived, ensuring it aligns with ethical standards and consumer trust.

Future Innovations in AI-Driven Branding

Looking ahead, Hartel is excited about two AI-driven innovations: video content creation and AI agents. The ability to produce high-quality videos at speed and scale is transforming how brands engage with consumers, from advertisements to social media campaigns. Meanwhile, AI agents—software that automates repetitive tasks—are poised to become a hot topic. "How brands are using agents to help automate tasks and automate repetitive activities... I think this will be quite popular," Hartel said. These agents could reduce redundancies in workflows, allowing employees to focus on higher-value tasks like strategy and creativity.

GQ Group is preparing for these advancements by fostering a culture of experimentation. Hartel encourages teams to try new tools and share successes, creating a "flywheel effect" that accelerates adoption. This proactive approach ensures the company stays ahead of industry trends and leverages AI to drive innovation.

The Role of Personalization

AI’s ability to hyper-personalize content is another game-changer. Hartel noted that brands can now tailor experiences based on consumer profiles—offering executives one website view and students another. This mirrors how social media algorithms deliver relevant ads based on user behavior. While some consumers find this intrusive, Hartel argued that personalized ads are more relevant and effective than generic ones. However, he believes traditional marketing strategies will persist, as personal connections remain vital. "There will always be a need for a personal connection," he said, suggesting that AI will complement rather than replace human-driven marketing.

Synchronization Across Departments

GQ Group’s success with AI stems from its integration across all departments, from design to HR. For example, AI synthesizes consumer insights to identify standout products, while designers use it to create photorealistic visuals overnight. "This morning I can come in and the visuals could be as good as they could go on the website," Hartel said. AI also streamlines packaging development, forecasting, and interpersonal communication, particularly in a multicultural company where language barriers exist.

This synchronization is underpinned by a culture of enthusiasm and openness. Unlike some organizations that resist AI due to rigid rules, GQ Group embraces a "no rules, just use it" philosophy. This has led to rapid adoption and tangible efficiencies, positioning the company as a leader in AI-driven innovation.

Advice for Fashion Brands

For fashion brands hesitant to adopt AI, Hartel’s advice is simple: "Get started." He recounted a presentation to a multinational company where teams were amazed by GQ Group’s AI capabilities, realizing they were falling behind by sticking to traditional methods. Starting with small experiments can create a ripple effect, as employees share their successes and inspire others. Hartel emphasized the importance of learning to prompt AI effectively, as this skill unlocks its full potential. "The faster you start in on it, the more you learn, the better you get at being a prompt engineer," he said.

Conclusion

AI is not just a tool but a game-changer for the fashion industry, enabling brands to craft compelling narratives, streamline operations, and connect with consumers in new ways. George Hartel’s insights reveal how GQ Group Thailand has harnessed AI to enhance productivity, maintain authenticity, and stay ahead of the curve. By blending human creativity with AI’s efficiency, the company has set a blueprint for others to follow. As Hartel aptly put it, "If you haven’t started using AI yet, you really, really should." For fashion brands looking to elevate their storytelling, the time to embrace AI is now.