Maliha Rehman
Published August 10, 2025
ICON/DAWN
Men with perfectly sculpted bodies navigate the sandy dunes around Abu Dhabi. They wear linen co-ord sets, smouldering into the camera, with camels and a gorgeous black stallion forming the backdrop, blowing aesthetic clouds of sand into the air.
And they do all this at the command of a sophisticated software programme and a tech expert.
This video reel titled ‘Sands in Style’, posted on Instagram by the Humayun Alamgir menswear brand, is but a small glimpse into what the future of fashion imagery may look like. You might pause a bit while watching it — is that model stroking the horse in a slightly mechanical manner? Do the men stalk through the desert a bit too slowly? Is it real or is it not?
The AI — Artificial Intelligence — bots have arrived and, whether you like it or not, they are revolutionising the world. And not just the fashion runway. Even at the time at which this article is being written, a heated debate has ensued in Bollywood where the end of a movie — 2013’s Raanjhanaa — has been artificially ‘tweaked’ in preparation for a re-release. It may seem to lack the human touch but, as technology improves, the differences are getting more difficult to see and the lines between reality and the virtual world are rapidly getting blurred.
The bots, in fact, streamed into our lives some time ago — a lot of us just didn’t realise it. On the fashion front, perhaps you could think back to that e-store catalogue of a high street brand from some months ago. You may have inadvertently mused over the model looking a bit odd. There is a big chance that you were looking at a bot generated by AI and not an actual human model at all!
Only a little while ago, AI technology was being used mainly to create dramatic images with the aid of fantastical backdrops and to mix lights, shadows and colours. Soon though, the world woke up to how so much more could be achieved — the possibilities that had opened up merely from the vantage point of a keyboard, and the time and money that could be saved in the process.
The AI magic carpet could literally swoop you away to around the world and beyond, and many eagerly climbed on to it. Locations could get replaced by exotic AI-generated locales. And, if needed, models could be replaced by bots who could walk, pose, smoulder and wink for the camera if you liked, albeit a bit mechanically.
Fashion images were long being Photoshopped to remove imperfections and Artificial Intelligence was already being used to create backdrops and tweak lighting. Now human models are also increasingly being generated by AI. Given the cost and time savings involved, will AI upend the fashion industry?
Peer closely at an AI-generated model and you might feel that the eyes are blank or that the jawline is unnatural. The hands, the feet or the tilt of the head may strike you as strange. However, the more sophisticated the software being used, the more scarily lifelike these cyber models are becoming.
Vogue x AI!
Only recently, a small furore was created when Vogue’s August 2025 print issue included a two-page Guess advertisement featuring an AI-generated model. The images came with a small disclaimer reading “Produced by Seraphinne Vallora on AI.” While the ad was a paid one and not part of Vogue’s editorial content, the fact that it had appeared in what many consider fashion’s longest-standing bible was met with dismay.
Concerns were voiced that the AI-generated blonde model represented impossible standards of beauty. At a time when inclusivity and body positivity have become frequent points of conversation in the fashion landscape, an image that eschewed human imperfections altogether could feed into insecurities by setting unattainable ideals.
Furthermore, if virtual models become a norm, a considerable workforce could face extinction — fashion models and photographers, stylists, make-up artists, set designers, all imperative to a fashion campaign shot at an actual location featuring human models. The Guess model’s creator, marketing agency Seraphinne Vallora, had counter-argued that, while AI tools were useful, human involvement was still needed to utilise them effectively.
Fashion aficionados also pointed out that while AI-generated models could serve the generic purpose of showcasing clothes, they could not replicate the creativity and emotion that could only be depicted by actual humans.
The AI bandwagon
On the flip side, the budget for a campaign created entirely with the aid of technology, is only a fraction of what needs to be invested into an actual on-ground fashion shoot. Think transportation, visas, hotel bookings, models fees, crew fees, food, security, equipment and prop rental, studio rentals, post-production etc.
Designer Humayun Alamgir who, having tapped into AI’s potential, has big plans for the future, says, “We save massively on time and money. A brand like my own is introducing new collections every few weeks and it gets extremely difficult to shoot each and every product. There is no standardisation in Pakistan’s modelling industry, which is why every male model has a different height and physique. Designs have to be tweaked so that they fit them well and, then, once the photography has been done, we have to run after the photographer and editor for weeks sometimes before they eventually deliver.”
He continues: “Right now, there are 3,000 products within my menswear brand, and just a few hundred of them are listed online on my website. If I had each product modelled and photographed separately, it would cost me a fortune! AI simplifies the process for me. Different versions of the black sherwani with only small variations in design — one with black buttons, one with gold buttons and one with no buttons at all! — won’t have to be photographed separately. Instead, virtual images can be utilised in our e-store catalogues.”
But then, are the clothes worn by an AI-generated model real at all? Or are they just computerised designs that aren’t actually physically available in store?
“Of course, they are physically available,” says Humayun. “For the ‘Sands in Style’ campaign for instance, the clothes were photographed and then the software created digitised images of them.”
While Humayun’s ‘Sands in Style’ is particularly an eye-opener — being one of the very first elaborate campaigns in Pakistan to have utilised AI to conjure up backdrops as well as virtual humanoids — many other local brands have been implementing the technology for more basic product shoots.
Shamoon Sultan, CEO of high-street brand Khaadi, says that his team dabbled with the technology for basic e-store shoots about two years ago but then didn’t continue with it because the results were not satisfactory.
Similarly, Generation sparked off an online debate back in March 2024 when it was noticed that the models in a shoot released online had strange hands — with far too many fingers! Some conjectured that the brand was using AI — others, based on Generation’s consistent efforts as a socially responsible brand, suggested that perhaps differently abled models had been hired.
Khadija Rahman, director of design and marketing at Generation, had refrained from commenting at the time. She now recalls, “That was our only experiment and once it went awry, we ran away from AI. Having said that, I think the technology has vastly improved since then. I do not know if and when we will be using AI technology in the future. It does feel a bit like a cop-out, allowing us to save on costs by relying on virtually created shoots.
“Also, there are other questions around morality where I feel, if we proceed, we need to get the models’ consent. AI can morph real people’s faces on to other people’s bodies, which raises lots of questions and also feels so inauthentic.”
What’s real, what’s not
The concern that many professionals in the fashion industry would end up being collateral damage in the wake of the AI revolution is very real and valid. Photographer Muhammad Husnain Mahmood — ‘MHM’ — observes: “A lot of brands are experimenting with AI right now, particularly creating props and effects. Yes, it might eventually lead to me getting less work. I sometimes joke with brands that, if need be, I’ll set my cameras aside and learn how AI technology works.”
In contrast, fashion stylist and model Yasser Daar feels that AI-generated imagery could never be a substitute for the real thing. “AI is killing creative thought by providing quick shortcuts. When I work as a stylist, the brand gives me a brief on the kind of images they want to create. Earlier, their inspirations for these images would be based on research on history, art, culture. Now, we just get a write-up that has clearly been put together through ChatGPT! It doesn’t reflect the vision of the brand or the designer at all.”
He continues: “And yes, we are seeing AI-generated campaigns more and more frequently but they lack soul. They may get my attention but they wouldn’t push me towards buying a product. The fabric doesn’t look real and, when I buy something, I want to see how it falls on the human body. I want to zoom in on an image of the actual thread embroidery, not on a digitised version of it!”
Then again, it is no secret that nearly every fashion campaign gets tweaked and perfected before it is released for public consumption. Long before AI became a popular choice, Photoshop had become designers’ best friend, enhancing colours and embellishments and, if needed, adding a bit of drama to the final image. The model and the clothes may not have been digitised by AI, but they were still not entirely ‘real’ either.
“When unstitched lawn campaigns are shot,” Humayun Alamgir points out, “it is a norm for the foot-long dupatta to be extended by many more inches, with the aid of computerised copy-and-pasting. In every fashion campaign, the wrinkles on the clothes worn by models are ‘ironed out’ through Photoshop. For instance, when a male model wearing a soft silk straight pant sits in a shoot, wrinkles appear in the fabric, which are then tweaked digitally.
“Fashion brands everywhere have been actually using AI for a very long time,” he adds, “and, now, having realised the technology’s potential, they are implementing it in new ways.”
The couture side of the story
Still, while fast fashion brands, with their constant need to release content and relatively simpler design sensibilities, may latch on to the AI bandwagon (and never let go), would couturiers want to do the same? Would a designer, investing weeks into meticulously creating hand-embroidered paisleys on a bridal lehnga, be willing to cut costs by featuring a digital version of this work of art in a fashion shoot?
“We sell luxury and I wouldn’t want to sell it through AI-generated images,” claims designer Fahad Hussayn. “I actually use AI-generated visuals frequently to create backdrops for my shoot. I utilise the technology to add smoke and props, create florals, dim lighting or — recently — entire hallways following Persian architectural designs. But I don’t think I would ever replace a human model with a computerised one.
“My idea of creation is based on individuality and the particular kind of people that I want to create them for and the particular kind of character that I can build. I don’t think an AI-generated personality can keep on morphing into the kind of characters that I want to keep on showing. This isn’t the kind of imagery that I would want for my luxury-wear.”
He adds: “Also why would I want AI to do a half-baked job at something I’m actually capable of shooting in real, down to every detail? I enjoy that as a skill set.”
These are brave claims that perhaps belie the speed with which AI technology is improving. Already, AI can not only craft realistic models but have them mouth dialogues like real actors, expressions and all. At least a couple of television advertisements running currently in Pakistan are entirely curated by AI. It is not at all inconceivable that keyboard prompts will soon replace many specialised jobs such as photographers, set designers, light technicians, editors and, yes, models. Cheaper and easier to handle.
Veteran designer Rizwan Beyg, one of the country’s most renowned couturiers, is also hesitant about the virtues of AI for a brand like his own, which has always celebrated Pakistan’s heritage and craft. Would he ever want to translate the meticulously crafted hand embroideries on a bridal lehnga on to a digitised version?
“I might, one day, but I’m not sure,” he says. “The beauty of a hand-embroidered creation lies not just in the minute threadwork but also in the flaws. They make the design more human, more relatable. Even in our more affordable, machine-embroidered designs, we make sure that we incorporate these flaws.
“AI offers flawless images in an alternate reality. But we don’t live in that reality. We live in the real world and my clients are buying real clothes. Also, my brand is all about the product rather than creating drama and selling stories. I would always want the design to be in focus in my fashion campaign, rather than the backdrop.
“Maybe one day, if I create a fantasy world in a campaign, I could work with AI,” he says. “Or perhaps at some point, when the results are not so obviously plastic, I would consider it but, for now, I am happy to stick with the real deal. It gives me a lot more control on the final outcome.”
He admits, “It is very tempting though, because AI is much more affordable and makes things easy, eliminating the need to arrange a shoot with real models, photographer and incur hair and make-up expenditures.”
Can the human factor truly be eliminated quite so easily, even if it means saving up on costs and time? Are we entering into an eerie version of the sci-fi movies of yore, where technology became all-pervasive and took over the world?
Would you make an online purchase based on a digitised AI campaign or would you want to zoom in on a photograph of the actual design before you buy? But is the photograph even real or has it been Photoshopped to depict perfection?
And can Pakistan’s fashion industry, already grappling with a sinking economy and lack of sponsorship, be able to survive should AI take over and eliminate the jobs of many fashion professionals?
Published in Dawn, ICON, August 10th, 2025
.jpg)
