The Tamesis
All images generated using AI by Alexis Mabille
Question: How long did it take you to realize that none of these images were real?
Not the clothes; Not the models; nor the spectators in the shadows; nor the glittering runway. When we arrived at the lobby of the Lido Theater on the Champs Elysées, we sat on a bench facing a wall of screens and watched something strange, unnatural, yet avant-garde, daring, and the performance we were watching was real.
But today, Alexis Mabille went where no fashion week designer has gone before: His collection and show videos were entirely generated by artificial intelligence.
His surreal experiments take us straight to the heart of the uncanny valley. Is it ridiculous for a fashion designer to try this during Haute Couture Week? Purists will say “oui”. The shapes were designed in the form of drawings, and although they involved prototypes of tiles and scans of fabrics and embroidery, they did not exist as complete physical creations. Instead, high fashion is often likened to a laboratory, and Mabille worked with multiple platforms over the course of about five months to ensure that a coral caftan performed like crepe, or that a model’s wavy hair flowed like crepe.
“It’s like creating a mood board for each piece of clothing and keeping it going throughout so that in the end it obeys. Really, it’s about AI coming back and showing that the human element is absolutely important behind it. You see beautiful images, you see girls walking, etc.,” he said. “It’s to show that without us, without our ideas, without the technicians doing the calculations – sometimes going over a contour as many as 300 times to get an image and then feeding it into the algorithm – nothing would happen. Or at least, nothing would happen except something degenerate.”
Mabille explained how Catalyst helps customers better visualize samples and profiles. He looked for engineers through the computer science school 42 founded by Xavier Niel, which then42 recommended AI experts across Europe, including a production company called Gloria that was able to produce designs handcrafted in his studio.
Perhaps because the AI has an aversion to the handcrafting of haute couture (a term that refers to the highest form of sewing), this was not made explicit in the show notes. Instead, Mabil said he chose to “participate in technological innovation” using “new tools” [that] Opening up paths to untapped creative territories. He personified complex coding in the background, “It’s really like having someone on the team who is a bit of a beginner, who goes through a long internship and then becomes part of the team.” “
What about the other teams that are no longer participating — casting, hair and makeup artists, manicurists, makeup artists, etc.? Does Mabille miss that last bit of energy and the cheers backstage? “It’s different. I’m not sewing hems at 3 o’clock in the morning. Even the staff in the studio find it weird,” he said. Is it at least more cost effective? “It’s not very economical,” he said. “This is the time for a highly skilled workforce.”
The real-life gurus featured in other brands this week are the best bulwarks against more of this. Likewise, the elusive tremor that occurs in live moments. The music selection here includes “Vous êtes parfait.es” (You are perfect) by Lucie Anthunes. Give me shoddy tailoring and waifs teetering on heels, every day in this other world of smooth perfection, its front row composed of a sea of unrecognizable faces.
The final bridal look was styled by Mabile’s mother—well, a virtual version of her, sparkly—in frayed organza foam. Then Mabile stepped out in physical form and the energy felt strange and the people seemed to be processing what they had just witnessed. Whether his AI fashion shows become case studies in fashion schools, cause ripple effects throughout the industry, or increase customer orders, he’s getting our attention by crossing the Rubicon. For better or worse, he won’t be the last.
