Desigual embraces artificial intelligence to expand its creative universe and optimise its operations
In this new scenario, a hybrid logic is beginning to prevail in which the human and the artificial do not compete, but complement each other. It is a delicate balance, especially in a sector where aesthetics, emotion and innovation make all the difference. The key question is no longer whether to use AI, but how to do so without losing the soul of the brand.
FashionUnited spoke with Roser Bagó and Minerva Garcia —co-founder and expert respectively— of the creative start-up Neural Fashion and Sergio González, AI Lead at Desigual. This image was generated using artificial intelligence by Neural Fashion for Desigual's latest campaign. Credits: Desigual x Neural Fashion.
The Barcelona-based firm, immersed since 2019 in an ambitious rebranding process, has found in AI not only a creative tool, but a way to consolidate its market positioning.
One of the pillars of this integration has been Awesome Lab, the open innovation programme with which Desigual has been collaborating with technology start-ups for years to accelerate its digital transformation. In its latest edition, focused exclusively on generative artificial intelligence, the company has explored applications ranging from product design to personalised marketing.
Among the most prominent projects is its alliance with Neural Fashion, a start-up with whom they have created their first editorial campaign with real garments generated entirely with artificial intelligence. Using a combination of tools such as Flux, OpenAI models and upscaling systems, the brand achieved an interesting visual proposal.
But beyond the result, what has been relevant is the approach. Desigual does not use AI as a simple aesthetic resource, but as a coherent extension of its visual language. A tool that amplifies, not substitutes. Creative experimentation without fear
Desigual does not conceive of AI as a simple one-off solution, but as a structural lever that cuts across multiple areas of the company. Although the brand has only been working with this technology for a little over a year, it has already left the exploration phase behind and is fully in application mode.
The commitment goes far beyond marketing. As González explains, in the marketing department, for example, it is used to generate visual concepts, write creative proposals or experiment with new narratives. In the product area, AI enriches the design phase. Other departments such as IT or finance benefit from the automation of repetitive tasks and the optimisation of workflows.
'We were asked to be as creative as possible and not be afraid to make mistakes,' says González, stressing that Thomas Meyer, the brand's founder, has driven this philosophy of fearless experimentation.
Behind every image generated there are human decisions. Careful prompts, art direction, studio management, retouching. 'AI is just another tool in the hands of imagination that also helps us free up resources to invest in larger traditional campaigns. We are not looking to replace anyone, but to expand the possibilities,' explains González. Technological limits
The path towards the total integration of AI is not without its obstacles. While Desigual is moving forward firmly, other brands have had more complex experiences. This is the case of the Dutch brand Labfresh, which after four seasons decided to abandon the use of AI in its campaigns. The reason: low performance on social media and technical difficulties such as inconsistency in the generated models.
From Neural Fashion, the creative and technical team that has helped Desigual to materialise its latest campaign generated with artificial intelligence, recognise these technical challenges, but offer an alternative and proactive view in the face of such obstacles.
They do not deny that there are challenges such as the aforementioned inconsistency in generated faces. In fact, they openly acknowledge it as one of the most demanding aspects of working with generative AI in fashion. However, their approach is not to avoid the problem, but to rethink the rules of the creative game. Rethinking the rules of the creative game
According to them, the secret is not to force AI to replicate traditional processes to the millimetre, but to build campaigns from the limitations and strengths of the technology itself.
In other words, it is not about expecting AI to produce a perfect photoshoot, as a human team would do in ideal conditions. It is about using it to create something different, even unexpected, that connects with the audience in a different way. This philosophy has guided their collaboration with Desigual: if they knew that generating ten identical images of the same face was technically unstable, they opted for visual narratives that did not depend on that precision. This image was generated using artificial intelligence by Neural Fashion for Desigual's latest campaign. Credits: Desigual x Neural Fashion.
In addition, Garcia, an expert from the Neural team, stresses that we are dealing with a technology in full evolution. What seems like a limitation today may be solved tomorrow with a new tool or technique. Therefore, their working model is not based on a single platform or AI engine, but on a dynamic integration of different models and resources, which are adapted to the specific needs of each campaign. This ability to move with agility within a changing environment is what, they assure, allows them to continue obtaining results that combine the best of technology with a profoundly creative vision.
Where other brands may see frustration or underperformance, Bagó, co-founder of Neural, invites us to see untapped potential. For them, AI is not here to replicate what we already knew, but to open up new ways of imagining, telling and showing fashion. Always with one caveat: those who approach AI expecting an exact, closed and definitive solution will probably be disappointed. Those who do so with an open and curious mind will find fertile ground for fearless experimentation. This image was generated using artificial intelligence by Neural Fashion for Desigual's latest campaign. Credits: Desigual x Neural Fashion.
Now one of the projects in development is the generation of images for product pages with consistent models, exploring the possibility of using digital twins that allow maintaining visual coherence between multiple images of the same face.
H&M, for example, has already begun to implement this technology by creating digital replicas of real models for its marketing campaigns and social media posts, always with the consent and compensation of the models involved.
In this context, the brand underlines the importance of being transparent with the user: all realistic images created with AI must be presented to consumers duly labelled, thus avoiding misunderstandings and earning the public's trust. Far from hiding the technological origin, Desigual makes it part of the creative discourse.
The case of Desigual is an example that the future of visual communication will not be exclusively human or completely artificial. It will be hybrid. An ecosystem where technology amplifies creativity, frees up time and resources, and allows brands to tell more stories without losing their essence.
In this coexistence, the key is not to ask AI for what only a human being can offer: sensitivity, intuition, emotion. And, at the same time, to take advantage of its potential to push the limits of what is possible. This article was translated to English using an AI tool.
FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com
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