H&M’s Chief Creative Officer on the digital twin journey

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the fashion industry. While some companies are taking a wait-and-see approach, others are taking bold steps forward. At Swedish fashion group H&M, one of the world’s largest fashion retailers, Chief Creative Officer Jörgen Andersson is researching how AI can support creativity. This happens primarily through the creation of digital twins.

In this interview, Andersson explains how the journey began, what challenges and opportunities it brings, and what the future might hold.

What sparked the idea of ​​digital twins and how was this project realized?

From the beginning, I approached AI with fascination. This not only applied to me personally, but also to us as a company. We wanted to see how it intersects with everything we do.

In the creative area, we felt we had to handle it responsibly. We decided early on not to use avatars. These are often created by borrowing fragments of existing features without compensating the creators. It’s like taking tiny bits of music. Enough to create something new, but not enough for the original creators to get paid. This used to happen, before Spotify, until the platform ensured that musicians’ rights were respected. Avatars may not cost anything, but nothing in life is free.

We are committed to protecting the integrity of the industry, models and the intellectual property rights of creators. The digital twins belong to the models and their agencies. You retain ownership and are compensated. We are just buyers interested in working with both the real and digital versions.

The first digital twin was created in Sweden at the modeling agency MIKAs (Stockholm). We collected the data of one of her top models and brought her digital twin to life. Her reaction was: ‘Jesus, that is me, and yet not me.’ This is how I imagine people must have felt when they saw the first photograph centuries ago. Something flashed and suddenly they appeared on paper. Almost like witchcraft! We then presented the idea to the major modeling agencies in New York.

What was the motivation for the project?

First, because the demand for content has exploded through e-commerce and social media. Where once a handful of images was enough, now endless variations are required for mobile devices. Flying models around the world for e-commerce pictures that people swipe away in seconds is a waste. This applies to both human effort and the planet’s carbon footprint.

Secondly, this project is about redefining the relationship between humans and machines. For me it’s not man versus machine, but man and machine. Think of AI as a tool. Compare it to a camera: A camera doesn’t decide what or when it shoots. The photographers are people with the vision who frame the shot and press the shutter button.

AI opens up new possibilities for the future. It creates new freedoms and new ways of working that were previously not possible. For models, this means that they can now be booked both physically and digitally. While a model walks the runway, her digital twin can simultaneously create e-commerce images or social media content. Just like musicians perform live on stage and at the same time earn money through streaming.

What does the creative process look like at H&M? Does AI replace the creative process?

Does AI have consequences for us? Absolutely. Is it eliminating creative people? On the contrary.

To work with AI, you still need the same creative team: stylists, hair and makeup artists, photographers. The process is not much different from a traditional shoot. Normally you would tell a model: ‘Smile a little more’ or ‘Make your hair more voluminous’. Now these instructions are given to the AI ​​artists instead.

For me the key is control. Here, human creativity guides the machine. In my opinion, AI will never replace humans. The machine may be more productive, but we will always be more creative. For me, this combination is a match made in heaven.

Now to the result. How did people react? Did you find it innovative and exciting or scary and too new?

Both. The internal and consumer reactions were quite similar. Some felt inspired while others felt scared. And that is understandable. Whenever technology develops rapidly, it’s natural to ask, “Where is there room for us?”

Some consumers even felt that H&M was making models and photographers disappear. Our goal was exactly the opposite: to highlight human creativity and show that we are entering a new era. In hindsight, social media probably wasn’t the right place to post these images as it didn’t provide any room for context. It also showed that our job is to reassure people that people are in control. The machine only does what we ask of it.

At the same time, this trip aroused curiosity. Some photographers said after trying it that it felt like picking up a new kind of camera. Maybe it’s similar to the transition from analogue to digital photography. Digital cameras initially met with resistance, but today they are just as common as analog ones.

The models’ reactions were also great. One told me, ‘Now I can live in New York and still work around the world without having to travel.’ Another said: ‘I always thought I had to choose between being a mother and modeling, now I can do both.’

Were there any other challenges along the way?

In addition to people’s reactions, there is also the uncertainty that comes with artificial intelligence. With AI, we honestly have no idea what will happen. You have to be confident enough to say: I don’t know where it’s going to go. That’s why it’s important to take things step by step. Along the way, we chose to discard things we created because they simply weren’t good enough.

Will the journey of the digital twin continue?

Yes, absolutely, but carefully. We don’t want to move too quickly and risk creating unnecessary fear or resistance. For me this is just the beginning. The project will continue and other companies will follow. However, the industry could be divided on digital twins and avatars.

We recently conducted a fascinating test with a Swedish university. We showed one hundred people images of real models, digital twins and avatars. The avatars were quickly recognized: people sensed that something was wrong. But they couldn’t distinguish between the real models and the digital twins. And that’s because a digital twin is human – just a digital version of a person. For me, this shows why this path is so promising. People connect with other people, with the imperfections that make us real.

So what’s next on the AI ​​front for H&M?

What is important now is to further develop the technology and at the same time further train our employees. It’s easier to teach someone with a deep understanding of fashion the necessary technical skills than it is to teach fashion sense to tech experts. That’s why we’re focused on transforming and preparing our teams to use AI as a creative tool. Our designers are already using AI tools and for them it’s like opening a sketchbook with endless possibilities.

We are also setting up an AI studio in Stockholm, just like we have a photography studio. It will become part of our content production capabilities, be it for product photos of shoes, home accessories or e-commerce images. The AI ​​tool will simply be another part of the process.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for AI in the future of fashion?

AI has the potential to transform every part of our industry. If AI can help us better predict demand, we will dramatically reduce overproduction. Not only is this good for business, but it also has a huge positive impact on the planet. This also applies to allocation: ensuring that garments end up in the right stores, at the right time, for the right customers. Fewer errors there means less overstock.

And then there is the customer experience. If you search for a t-shirt online today, you might get a thousand or more hits, but you just want the right t-shirt for you. AI enables hyper-personalization, where your version of an e-commerce website can look completely different than mine.

One final piece of advice about AI.

AI can help us make smarter decisions. By letting the machine take over repetitive tasks, we gain time to sharpen and improve our true skills.

The AI ​​train has left the station, so don’t stay on the platform. Get in and find out where your place is. Ask yourself: ‘How can I use AI to become a better creative person, designer, buyer or seller?’

At H&M we say we are radically curious, and we mean it. Stay curious because curiosity is the fuel of creativity.