AiDLab, jointly established by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the UK's Royal College of Art, will pair its pioneering Styling Advice & Retail Assistant (SARA) with the expertise and insights of Lane Crawford's fashion stylists to enhance the retailer's styling experience.
Underpinned by SARA, this collaborative initiative will introduce a virtual personal fashion stylist. The virtual stylist will track customers' preferences, what's in store and real-time fashion trends to generate personalised mix-and-match recommendations and offer virtual try‑ons of full head-to-toe looks, taking into account body type and fashion style. Each customer will have a unique avatar that adapts its visual identity to reflect their styling choices. Generative AI tools enable customisation with instant social sharing for enhanced engagement and organic marketing.
"Personal styling is an important and valued service at Lane Crawford, helping customers create and build their wardrobes balancing timeless essentials with on-trend pieces selected from more than 350 fashion and accessories brands," said Jennifer Woo, Chairman and CEO of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group. "Partnering with AiDLab will help us innovate the customer experience and scale this service to more customers in more markets beyond our physical stores, while optimising the expertise of our own team and ensuring the authenticity of our point of view"
As part of the partnership, Lane Crawford will also explore different uses for AiDLab's Interactive Design Assistant for Fashion (AiDA) system, which provides AI supported trend forecasting and product design and development through the fashion supply chain, blending human creativity with machine intelligence.
In parallel, the alliance will also launch the LC×AiDLab Community Building programme—a series of talks, workshops, and events designed to connect talent across fashion, design, and technology, and to highlight the role of Fashion AI in building a more sustainable and innovative industry.
"As a globally top-ranked university, PolyU is committed to advancing innovation and entrepreneurship to drive positive change. This partnership exemplifies the critical importance of collaboration between industry and academia, ensuring that research outcomes effectively benefit both the industry and society," said Professor Wing-tak Wong, Management Board Chairman of AiDLab and Deputy President and Provost of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Professor Calvin Wong, CEO and Centre Director of AiDLab said: "AiDLab is committed to developing a range of innovative technologies that will further enhance the fashion retail experience and support the evolving needs of the industry. By merging the strengths of AiDLab and Lane Crawford, we can ensure that our technologies are not only innovative but practical and aligned with the needs of retailers and consumers."
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About Lane Crawford
Founded in 1850, Lane Crawford is an iconic, luxury department store in Greater China with four stores in Hong Kong, one in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, as well as a global digital flagship and shopfronts on WeChat and RED (Xiaohongshu).
Our designer brand portfolio extends across Womenswear, Menswear, Beauty and Wellness, Home and Lifestyle and Fine Jewellery, and is curated each season by our buyers who travel the world to bring back what they love – the special, the new, and beautifully crafted.
Lane Crawford forms part of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, Asia's premier fashion retail, brand management and distribution group, which also includes fashion boutique Joyce; and fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brand management and distribution business Imaginex Group.
About the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AiDLab) (www.aidlab.hk)
AiDLab is the regionally leading research platform that focuses on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with design. It was jointly established by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Royal College of Art (RCA) in the UK, and is funded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the InnoHK Research Clusters. Located at the Hong Kong Science Park, AiDLab has established a new creative cluster of AI in design and is in a leading position internationally to conduct interdisciplinary research that drives innovation and sustainability, and makes a positive impact on both industry and society. AiDLab brings together a diverse mix of leading researchers and practitioners from its founding institutions to conduct research in three thematic programmes: AI in Fashion Design, AI in Textile and Apparel Quality Control, and AI in Ergonomic Design.
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