Fashion brands are using AI models to create product images and advertising campaigns at lower costs. This helps retailers save time and money. However, it also raises concerns about job losses among human models, photographers and other creative workers.
Retailers can now create images of virtual models wearing different outfits without arranging traditional photoshoots. Some companies report production cost savings of more than 90%.
An October 27 Reuters investigation found that major fashion and beauty brands had sought permission to alter models’ appearances. The proposed terms also included swapping faces and creating digital replicas.
Reuters interviewed 15 modeling agency directors as part of its investigation. It also reviewed more than a dozen confidential contracts. It involved various brands such as Diesel, Calvin Klein and L’Oréal. Zalando has expanded its use of AI-generated images, while its associated business, Scayle Studios, says the technology can cut production costs by more than 90%.
The shift raises concerns about models’ jobs, consent and payment. Should models receive additional compensation when brands reuse their digital likenesses, or can a single contract give companies lasting rights to their images?
Fashion Brands Can Now Create AI Models Without Traditional Photoshoots
Traditional fashion photoshoots require several steps, from hiring models and photographers to arranging studios, styling outfits and editing images. For retailers launching hundreds or thousands of products, these tasks can increase production costs and delay marketing campaigns.
Generative AI is giving fashion brands another way to create product and advertising images. Retailers can use AI to generate realistic models in different outfits, change image backgrounds, and produce multiple campaign versions.
Some brands also use digital versions of existing models to showcase new clothing without arranging a separate photoshoot for every look. This helps companies produce more marketing images in less time and potentially lower their production costs.
In May 2025, Reuters reported that Zalando was cutting marketing production costs by 90% using generative AI. The European fashion retailer said the technology had reduced the time needed to produce marketing images from six to eight weeks to around three or four days.
Zalando also reported that AI-generated images accounted for approximately 70% of its editorial campaign images in the fourth quarter of 2024. This is why fashion retailers are adopting AI image generation.
Instead of organizing a new photoshoot for every campaign, brands can create different image variations. This allows them to launch marketing materials more quickly as trends change. However, these savings may vary across companies.
Zalando’s reported 90% reduction does not mean every fashion brand can achieve the same results or cut its overall photography budget by that amount. Actual costs depend on campaign requirements, image quality, model licensing and the level of human editing and review involved.
Zalando’s AI Fashion Business Has Generated 190,000 Outfits in One Month
Zalando and About You are expanding their use of AI-generated fashion images to reduce production time and costs. Zalando, one of Europe’s largest online fashion retailers, has closed its two photography studios in Berlin as it shifts more work to AI-generated content. About You, acquired by Zalando in 2025, has also shut its studio.
Reuters reported the changes were accompanied by more than 340 job cuts at Zalando, although some affected employees moved to other roles. About You is now expanding its AI content services through Scayle Studios, which produces digital fashion images for other retailers.
The business says its technology can reduce production costs by more than 90%. Its reported output shows how quickly AI fashion imagery is scaling, with 190,000 outfits generated in a single month.
| Metric | Reported Data |
| Potential production cost reduction | Over 90% |
| Scayle Studios brand clients | 130 |
| Outfits generated in one month | 190,000 |
| Job cuts at Zalando | Over 340 |
| Traditional campaign production time | 6 to 8 weeks |
| AI-assisted production time | 3 to 4 days |
Source: Reuters
Julian Jansen, About You’s vice president of marketing, told Reuters that using AI was helping the company save significant amounts of money.
He said traditional photoshoots often struggle to keep up with online fashion retailers, which regularly launch new products. AI allows brands to produce large numbers of fashion images faster than conventional photography.
This can reduce the need for large production teams and help retailers create marketing content with fewer resources. However, the shift also raises concerns about the future of jobs in fashion photography and related creative roles.
Human Models Face Job Losses as Fashion Brands Adopt AI
AI-generated fashion images could threaten one of the main sources of income for working models. Online retailers regularly hire models to showcase new clothing collections, providing steady work beyond high-profile advertising campaigns and magazine shoots.
Adot Gak, a London-based model who has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar and worked with brands such as Balmain and H&M, told Reuters that AI could reduce job opportunities for models. She highlighted ecommerce photography as one of the areas most at risk.
Retailers can now use virtual models to display clothing across product pages and marketing campaigns. This could reduce demand for traditional photoshoots and affect other workers, including photographers, makeup artists, hairstylists, stylists and studio staff.
However, the impact may vary across the fashion industry. Luxury brands may continue hiring human models and photographers for high-profile campaigns, while mass-market retailers may use AI for routine product images.
As more fashion brands adopt AI, routine modelling jobs could face greater pressure than high-profile fashion assignments.
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Fashion Contracts Could Allow Brands to Reuse Models’ Faces Without Extra Payment
AI is raising concerns beyond job losses in the fashion industry. Some brands are seeking contract terms that give them greater control over models’ digital images and allow them to reuse those images in future campaigns.
A Reuters investigation found proposed contracts that included permission to change facial features, body shapes and expressions, swap faces between models and create digital replicas. Some agreements also sought permission to use model images to train AI systems.
These terms could allow brands to create new advertising images from an existing photoshoot without hiring the model again. Depending on the contract, the model might not receive additional payment for the new images.
Patrick Staal, head of Barcelona-based Uniko Models, told Reuters that brands were increasingly requesting rights to alter models’ faces, bodies, skin, ages and expressions.
Reuters also examined proposed contract terms involving Diesel, Calvin Klein and L’Oréal. Diesel’s casting document included permission for extensive digital changes, while Calvin Klein said it was testing AI technology while respecting models’ rights. L’Oréal said its standard AI editing tools did not affect models’ images but did not directly address the specific contract language.
However, proposed contract terms do not prove that brands have used all the rights described. Some agreements reviewed by Reuters were unsigned. Still, the documents highlight growing concerns about how fashion brands could use models’ digital identities and whether they would receive additional payment.
Digital Clones Could Create a New Problem for Models’ Rights
Digital twins are computer-generated versions of real people that can reproduce their appearance in different settings. In fashion, brands can use this technology to show the same model wearing hundreds of outfits without arranging separate photoshoots.
However, digital replicas raise concerns about consent, ownership and payment. Models may have questions about who controls their digital likeness, whether brands can change their appearance without permission and whether they should receive extra payment when their digital image appears in new campaigns.
Melanie Howard, a partner at law firm Loeb & Loeb who works with brands and talent, warned Reuters that broad contract terms can make it difficult for models to challenge unauthorised uses of their images.
The issue could be particularly serious for new models who may feel pressured to accept wide-ranging licensing terms to secure work. Agreements signed early in their careers could affect how brands use their digital likeness in the future.
As AI-generated models become more realistic, clear contracts, consent and fair payment will become increasingly important to protect models’ rights and future earning opportunities.
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New York Has Introduced Protections for AI Fashion Models
Governments and industry groups are taking steps to address concerns about AI-generated models, but legal protections still vary by location.
New York’s Fashion Workers Act, which took effect in June 2025, requires consent for the creation or modification of digital replicas of models. The law is significant because New York is a major center for fashion brands, modeling agencies and advertising.
However, it does not provide a global standard for AI fashion models. Brands and models often work across different countries, where legal protections can vary.
In Britain, the British Fashion Model Agents Association has introduced a voluntary AI code of practice. Its recommendations include obtaining models’ consent before using AI and ensuring they retain ownership of their digital twins. Association head John Horner told Reuters that models remain at risk without legally binding protections in Britain and Europe.
Sara Ziff, founder and executive director of the Model Alliance, has also pushed for stronger legal safeguards and supported New York’s legislation.
The debate is less about banning AI from fashion and more about setting clear rules for consent, fair payment and control over digital likenesses. These protections could help fashion brands adopt AI while respecting models’ rights.
Luxury Fashion Brands Are Taking a More Cautious Approach
Fashion brands are adopting AI at different rates. Fast-fashion retailers have strong reasons to use AI-generated models because they need large numbers of product images and frequently launch new collections.
Luxury brands face different challenges. Their campaigns often rely on well-known models, creative photography and the reputation of the people featured in their advertisements. Replacing human models with digital characters could lower costs but may also affect how customers view a brand.
Some luxury brands have already tested AI imagery. Moncler used AI-generated visuals in a 2023 campaign, while Gucci faced criticism after sharing AI-generated images on Instagram in 2026.
Moncler told Reuters that it does not currently use AI-generated models on its website or in advertising campaigns. Gucci did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Meanwhile, fashion retailer Mango has introduced AI-generated models in its marketing.
These examples show that AI adoption varies across the fashion industry. The technology may become more common in routine ecommerce photography before seeing wider use in major luxury advertising campaigns.
Could AI Models Eventually Replace Human Fashion Models?
AI technology can now create realistic fashion images, show clothing on virtual models and produce multiple image variations without arranging new photoshoots. These features help retailers reduce production time and costs.
However, replacing some modelling tasks does not mean AI can replace the entire profession. Human models take part in runway shows, work with creative teams, represent brands and connect with audiences in ways that virtual models may not fully match.
Customer trust is another concern. Some shoppers may prefer images featuring real people. AI-generated pictures can also misrepresent a garment’s fit, texture or proportions, making it harder for customers to judge products accurately.
For now, routine ecommerce photography faces a greater risk of automation than the entire fashion modelling industry. The long-term impact on runway shows, luxury campaigns and celebrity advertising remains uncertain as brands continue testing AI technology.
The Fashion Industry Faces a Choice Over Who Benefits From AI
AI fashion models can help retailers cut image production costs by more than 90% in some cases. For brands that produce thousands of product images each month, the savings can be significant.
However, the growing use of AI raises questions about how these benefits should be shared. Should models receive ongoing payments when brands reuse their digital likenesses? Can new creative jobs make up for the work lost by photographers and studio staff? Should retailers tell customers when they use AI-generated fashion images?
These issues will shape the future of AI in fashion. Brands are already testing digital replicas, closing photography studios and changing how they produce marketing content.
AI is likely to remain part of fashion production, but workers’ rights and fair payment need greater attention. The key challenge is ensuring that fashion brands can benefit from lower costs without leaving models and other creative workers to bear the cost of these changes.
