Alexis Mabille caught guests at his show by surprise by presenting his spring collection without live models — or even physical clothes, for that matter.
Larger-than-life models appeared on wraparound screens at the Lido theater, their images running on a loop down the 110-foot space. It took some a moment to realize this was more than a pre-spectacle warm-up. In a first for a fashion house, the entire show was created through AI.
“I wanted to work with artificial intelligence in a different way. Usually, it’s used in a degenerative way, feeding it ideas and it creates for you,” he said ahead of the reveal. “Here, we did it different: it was like having an extra person in the team in the studio.”
Over the course of several months Mabille worked with French studio Glor’IA to create the silhouettes, which ranged from a red crepe frock coat with an embroidered shawl-collar, to a tracksuit-dress in blush pink with bejeweled drawstrings — right down to the sheen of micro-pearls embroidered on a collar.
Animating the lineup was a step he likened to new virtual walk-throughs created in interior design and architecture, the other facet of his career.
The result was surprisingly realistic, even in motion. Back at the studio, toiles for each silhouette have been developed ahead of client fittings, the designer said.
Opening the show was supermodel and longtime friend Diana Gartner, while the final exit was Mabille’s mother Mireille, given a throrough digital makeover.
The brand, which said last year it’s seeking investors, has been experimenting with various formats for its couture showcase over the years, from full-scale runway shows to portrait sessions with famous friends.
Mabille stressed that this wasn’t a cost-cutting measure. What was not spent on a cast of live models was used on the long-haul digital process, which required a team of up to 10, and a whole suite of tools. And the process wasn’t smooth sailing, given AI isn’t exactly a model coworker and needs to be trained repeatedly, he added.
While it left some discombobulated or downright skeptical, amid debate about the difference between watching couture online or considering it an intimate physical experience of clothing, Mabille offered a reminder that it is, above all, a place to experiment.
