Imagine buying a couture jacket that never physically exists.
Or trying on a designer outfit without stepping into a store.
Or predicting next season’s trends before they hit the runway.
This is not the future, it’s already happening.
These shifts will take center stage at global platforms like the BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit, where emerging markets are redefining fashion’s future.
Fashion digitalization is no longer an experiment. It’s a structural shift redefining how fashion is designed, produced, sold, and experienced. From artificial intelligence and augmented reality to digital-only collections and blockchain-backed authenticity, technology is quietly reshaping the industry’s foundations.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: brands that don’t adapt now risk becoming irrelevant faster than they expect.
Fashion Digitalization: How Technology Is Reshaping the Industry
Fashion has always evolved with culture. Today, technology is culture.
The digital transformation of fashion is accelerating at a pace the industry has never seen before and the numbers make that clear.
This is how the following BRICS+ countries are leveraging the use of digitalization in fashion:
- India – AI-driven trend forecasting, 3D sampling, and AR-led e-commerce at scale. Myntra uses AI-led trend forecasting and demand prediction to reduce overproduction and plan faster collections.
- China – Virtual fashion ecosystems, digital influencers, and advanced supply-chain digitization. Alibaba’s Tmall integrates AI-driven personalization and livestream commerce to launch fashion collections in real time.
- Brazil – Tech-enabled sustainable fashion and traceable supply chains. Natura uses blockchain-based traceability to prove sustainable sourcing across its fashion and lifestyle supply chains.
- UAE – Blockchain-backed luxury authentication and immersive retail experiences. Chalhoub Group uses blockchain and digital product passports to authenticate luxury fashion goods.
- South Africa – Digital tools empowering local designers and global market access. Thebe Magugu uses digital platforms and global e-commerce to scale African design internationally.
Together, these country-level innovations underline the need for a collaborative platform, one that the BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit aims to provide.
- The Rise of Virtual Fashion and Digital-Only Collections
Luxury is going virtual.
Industry forecasts suggest that nearly one-third of premium fashion revenue will soon come from virtual products and digital collections. These include:
- Digital garments for avatars and social platforms
- NFT-backed fashion drops
- Virtual runway shows and immersive brand worlds
Why does this matter?
Because digital fashion offers:
- Zero inventory risk
- Higher margins
- Instant global scalability
- Sustainability advantages
For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, owning a digital outfit can be just as meaningful as owning a physical one and sometimes more.
- Artificial Intelligence in Fashion: From Guesswork to Precision
Fashion was once driven by intuition.
Today, it’s driven by data.
AI in fashion is already transforming how brands operate by:
- Predicting trends using consumer behavior data
- Optimizing assortments in real time
- Reducing new collection development cycles by several times
- Minimizing overproduction and waste
Instead of asking “What might sell?”, brands now ask “What will sell and why?”
This shift from creative instinct to augmented intelligence is one of the most powerful outcomes of fashion digitalization.
- Augmented Reality Is Changing How Consumers Buy
More than 50% of buyers say augmented reality influences their purchase decisions.
That’s not a feature, it’s a behavioral shift.
AR enables:
- Virtual try-ons
- Interactive product visualization
- Personalized shopping experiences
When customers can see themselves in a product before buying, hesitation drops and trust increases. This is especially critical in luxury and premium fashion, where confidence drives conversion.
- 3D Fashion Design and Digital Creation Tools
Behind the scenes, fashion creation itself is changing.
The demand for 3D fashion design and digital prototyping tools is growing rapidly because they allow brands to:
- Design collections faster
- Reduce sampling costs
- Collaborate globally in real time
- Test ideas before physical production
Digital-first design is no longer optional, it’s becoming the industry standard.
- Blockchain, Transparency, and the Fight Against Counterfeiting
Trust is the new luxury.
Blockchain technology in fashion is helping brands:
- Authenticate products
- Track supply chains
- Combat counterfeiting
- Prove sustainability claims
In a world where consumers demand transparency, blockchain offers something rare: verifiable truth.
- The Talent Gap: Fashion’s Biggest Digital Challenge
Here’s the paradox.
Technology is advancing rapidly but talent is lagging behind.
The industry faces an acute shortage of professionals who can combine:
- Creative design thinking
- Digital tools and platforms
- Data literacy
- Web3 and immersive technologies
This talent gap is forcing a rethink of fashion education, pushing institutions and brands to redesign how the next generation of designers is trained.
The Future Is Hybrid Or It Doesn’t Exist
The future of fashion does not lie in technology alone.
And it doesn’t lie in tradition alone either.
It lies in the fusion of craftsmanship and code, creativity and computation, emotion and engineering.
Fashion digitalization is not about replacing designers it’s about empowering them.
Those who embrace AI, AR, 3D design, and Web3 today will define the industry tomorrow.
As fashion and technology continue to converge across BRICS+ nations, platforms like the BRICS+ Fashion & Lifestyle Summit will play a defining role in shaping dialogue, partnerships, and future-ready talent.The question is no longer if fashion will go digital.
The question is how fast you’re willing to adapt to the changing face of fashion digitalization.
