August 2025. A blonde model with wavy hair poses in a striped dress in the August issue of American Vogue. In small print, a note: “Produced by Seraphinne Vallora with AI.” This model, named “Vivienne,” does not exist.
The Creative Process
The London-based agency Seraphinne Vallora, founded by Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu, first photographed a real model for a week wearing Guess clothing, in order to understand how the garments fell and which poses would be most flattering. This data was then used to generate the final AI avatar.
Public Reaction
The TikTok video denouncing this campaign generated more than 2.7 million views. Several calls to boycott Guess and Vogue followed. The comments especially pointed to the risk of replacing industry professionals (models, photographers, stylists) and the worsening of unrealistic beauty standards.
Condé Nast clarified that no AI model has ever appeared in Vogue’s editorial content, but only in paid advertisements.
A Growing Trend
In March 2025, H&M announced the creation of “digital twins” of 30 real models. The models retain rights to their avatar and receive compensation every time it is used, including for competing brands.
Michael Musandu, CEO of Lalaland.ai, says that the use of AI models is already more widespread than people think, with many brands not disclosing it due to a lack of legal obligation.
Regulatory Framework
The New York State Fashion Workers Act, which took effect in June 2025, is starting to regulate the use of digital replicas. Sara Ziff, founder of Model Alliance, notes that this is a starting point but not a definitive solution.
Inspiring, isn’t it? What do you think?
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