Articles

Connecting Fashion & the Future: How FIA is Transforming Creativity & Education with XR & AI

2025.08.08

AR, VR, AI, spatial computing—these advanced technologies are now poised to fundamentally change the very nature of fashion. At the center of this transformation is the Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA), housed within the London College of Fashion.

Its head, Matthew Drinkwater, focuses on the "emotional connection between technology and fashion," reconstructing the processes of creation, exhibition, and sales. This article delves into FIA's concrete projects, its educational approach, and its vision for the next generation of the fashion industry.

PROFILE

Matthew Drinkwater

Head of the Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA) at the London College of Fashion. After a career in retail, he created the FIA in 2013. He leads projects that merge cutting-edge technologies like AR/VR and AI with fashion, innovating how it is created, showcased, and sold. Hailed as a "pioneer" by “WIRED” magazine and serving as an advisor for the UK's national AI strategy, he is known as a global trailblazer in fashion tech.

The Intersection of Fashion & Technology—The Founding & Background of FIA

The Fashion Innovation Agency (hereinafter, FIA) was established in 2013 within the London College of Fashion. Its head, Matthew Drinkwater, originally built his career in the retail industry. Starting at the historic London department store Harrods, he also worked for Japanese companies like Casio, always centering his activities on "innovation."

"I was interested in using technology to change consumer reactions, and since the early days of e-commerce, I've been exploring the relationship between technology and the customer experience."

He created FIA in 2013, tasked with launching a team to explore the impact of technology on the fashion industry.

"An important early objective was to connect young designers with technology. There's a huge gap between design skills and engineering skills; they use different languages and have different mindsets. We saw our role as being the 'bridge' between the two.”

“Often, tech companies develop technology first and then try to apply it to fashion. We, however, aim to integrate it into the creative process from a much earlier stage of technological development.”

“We help engineers understand the design perspective and designers understand technical constraints. We believe that integrating these two worlds is the way to foster a generation with a new skillset."

How Technology is Changing the Forms of Creation & Exhibition

One reason FIA draws attention is its proven track record of demonstrating technology-driven transformation across the three basic processes of fashion: "Create, Showcase, and Sell."

For instance, the "world's first digital skirt," created in collaboration with Finnish telecommunications manufacturer Nokia, processed a smartphone screen into a fabric-like material, achieving a visually changing design. Another project that garnered attention was a "3D-printed prosthetic arm" developed for a “Star Wars” event.

"Our goal is to 'prototype the future.' Even if it's not feasible with today's technology, it might be possible in three or five years. To plant those seeds, we test technologies in the research phase and gather feedback."

There is a clear strategy behind these projects. The approach is not to "develop technology and then apply it," but to "involve technology in the creative process." Bridging engineering and design, technology and sensibility—this is the essential role of the FIA.

A New Environment Brought by AI

Among FIA's initiatives, its work in transforming design and prototyping using generative AI and AI-driven tools has been gaining attention in recent years.

FIA began seriously engaging with AI around 2019. It started with a project in collaboration with MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to generate dress design images using GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks). Initially, students reacted negatively to the AI-generated dress images, but what intrigued them instead were the AI's "failures."

"Seeing the distorted and broken designs, they reacted, 'This is interesting.' It was a realization that AI doesn't replace design, but rather can be a source of inspiration.”

“We are now in an era where anyone can perform advanced processing on their smartphone, allowing ideas to be visualized instantly. I'm aware of the concerns, but I still believe AI is a crucial tool that the next generation of creators should utilize."

This insight led to subsequent projects. They built a system where AI instantly converts a designer's sketch into a photorealistic video. This created the potential to fundamentally change the structure of the supply chain, for example, by conducting consumer testing before physically producing a product and then manufacturing only the necessary amount.

"We are in a state of 'overproduction and overconsumption.' We need to use technology to help consumers find more value in products, to truly love them, and to re-establish a 'new relationship with our clothes' so they keep them longer.

“If we can bring back the joy of discovery inherent in retail—finding something special—it could lead to the revitalization of the entire industry."

AI is influencing not only as a tool to expand creativity but also in building business processes and sustainable supply models.

Nurturing the Future Fashion Workforce in an Educational Institution

As part of the London College of Fashion, FIA leverages its position as an educational institution to conduct technology evaluation and support implementation from a neutral standpoint, distinct from industry and corporations. A key feature is that this simultaneously leads to "nurturing the next generation of fashion talent."

"The biggest advantage of being part of a university is that we can be 'neutral' about technology. We're not selling products, so we can objectively communicate both the 'cans' and 'cannots' of new technology to industry and academia.

“Our role is to move the industry forward and to ensure our students' skillsets are current and meaningful."

True to his words, the facility is equipped with advanced equipment worthy of a Hollywood film studio, such as a photogrammetry setup with 140 cameras and an LED virtual production studio. Through access to such cutting-edge technology, students acquire skills that make them immediately valuable to the industry.

"The important thing isn't just teaching them how to use software. We need to cultivate strategic thinking about which technology to choose and how to use it effectively. We provide students with the background and context of the technology, helping them develop the judgment to choose the best tools for their own creativity."

The educational approach is also project-based, with teams of designers, engineers, and marketers collaborating. This mirrors the actual structure of the fashion industry, allowing students to experience realistic professional collaboration while still in school.

Global Expansion & Outlook for the Future

Another key feature of FIA is its proactive collaboration with different fields beyond the fashion industry, such as film, music, architecture, and gaming.

For example, "Live CGX," conducted in 2018, was a fashion show that used technology to overlay real-time CG visuals onto physical space, proposing the potential of an "immersive fashion experience" long before the concept of the metaverse became widespread.

"The Fabric of Reality," held during the pandemic, is known as a pioneering example of a fashion show conducted in VR space. By turning the audience into avatars, the show eliminated the "sense of hierarchy" and judgment based on attire typical of fashion shows, creating a "fashion space where anyone could interact freely."

"However, technology is not a replacement for something else. Physical shows still have great value, and a VR show is not a substitute, but rather 'a parallel approach that can coexist.'

“What I'm watching closely now is the evolution of generative AI and the spatial computing brought by XR devices like the Apple Vision Pro. When technologies like these emerge, the very way we interact with information and design changes. Fashion and education will have to change along with them," says Drinkwater.

Finally, we asked about FIA's vision as it carves out a new horizon for the fashion industry.

"In the future, we want to partner with more industries and expand FIA's activities globally. And above all, we want to continue nurturing the next generation of talent while cherishing a culture of continuous learning ourselves."

What kind of talent can adapt to a changing industrial structure? FIA is attempting to provide a practical answer to that question.