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19 Ethical Implications of AI-Driven Trend Forecasting in Fast Fashion

  • Anupreet Bhui
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De Gruyter Handbook of Fashion Supply Chains and Operations
This chapter is in the book De Gruyter Handbook of Fashion Supply Chains and Operations

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of Artificial Intelligence–driven trend forecasting in the fast fashion industry, focusing on the ethical and cultural implications of AI’s influence on global fashion trends. AI-powered recommendation systems are central to personalising consumer experiences and forecasting fashion trends. However, their reliance on Eurocentric training data perpetuates Western-centric biases that marginalise non-Western fashion identities. This systemic bias homogenises cultural expressions and suppresses diverse sartorial traditions, raising significant epistemological and ethical concerns. AI-driven forecasting mechanisms often amplify power asymmetries by prioritising commercial viability over cultural plurality. Western-centric datasets and algorithmic biases systematically reinforce dominant aesthetic paradigms, constraining alternative fashion narratives and exacerbating structural inequities. Such exclusionary practices deepen ethical issues surrounding cultural appropriation and intellectual property misappropriation. The chapter concludes with a set of principles for embedding cultural sensitivity into AI architectures, emphasising the inclusion of diverse and representative datasets, fostering equitable partnerships with local fashion communities, and establishing robust ethical guidelines for AI implementation. By adopting a critical, interdisciplinary approach, these principles aim to advance scholarly discourse on AI’s role in shaping global fashion narratives and the development of a more equitable, culturally responsive, and representative paradigm for AI-powered trend forecasting in the fast fashion industry.

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of Artificial Intelligence–driven trend forecasting in the fast fashion industry, focusing on the ethical and cultural implications of AI’s influence on global fashion trends. AI-powered recommendation systems are central to personalising consumer experiences and forecasting fashion trends. However, their reliance on Eurocentric training data perpetuates Western-centric biases that marginalise non-Western fashion identities. This systemic bias homogenises cultural expressions and suppresses diverse sartorial traditions, raising significant epistemological and ethical concerns. AI-driven forecasting mechanisms often amplify power asymmetries by prioritising commercial viability over cultural plurality. Western-centric datasets and algorithmic biases systematically reinforce dominant aesthetic paradigms, constraining alternative fashion narratives and exacerbating structural inequities. Such exclusionary practices deepen ethical issues surrounding cultural appropriation and intellectual property misappropriation. The chapter concludes with a set of principles for embedding cultural sensitivity into AI architectures, emphasising the inclusion of diverse and representative datasets, fostering equitable partnerships with local fashion communities, and establishing robust ethical guidelines for AI implementation. By adopting a critical, interdisciplinary approach, these principles aim to advance scholarly discourse on AI’s role in shaping global fashion narratives and the development of a more equitable, culturally responsive, and representative paradigm for AI-powered trend forecasting in the fast fashion industry.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. Contributors IX
  4. Introducing Fashion Supply Chains and Operations 1
  5. Section I: Perspectives on Fashion Supply Chains and Operations
  6. 1 Interwoven: A Historical Examination of Relational Capital in the Context of Shetland Hand Knitting and the Barter Economy 11
  7. 2 The Evolution of the Fashion Supply Chain 25
  8. 3 Legislating Fashion Circularity: Policy Design Challenges 43
  9. 4 Coopetition for Fashion Supply Chains 55
  10. 5 Fashion Supply Chain Management in Disruptions 71
  11. 6 Fair Trade Fashion Branding and Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities 87
  12. Section II: Geographies of Fashion Supply Chain Operations
  13. 7 Consumer Textile Recycling Behaviour in Hong Kong and Implications for Fashion Supply Chain Management 99
  14. 8 Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of Fashion Supply Chains: Applications in China 115
  15. 9 Opportunities and Challenges of China’s Silk Supply Chain 129
  16. 10 Refugee Workers in Global Fashion Supply Chains 145
  17. 11 A Circular Reformation of Slow Fashion Supply Chains Through Industrial Symbiosis: A Case Study from Turkey 161
  18. 12 Fashion Supply Chain Challenges in Brazil 177
  19. 13 Review of Procurement Practices in the South African Clothing Industry 189
  20. 14 The Final Stop in the Fast Fashion Supply Chain: Waste Management Practices in Ghana’s Second-Hand Clothing Trade 207
  21. Section III: Operations Transformation in Fashion Supply Chains
  22. 15 Decoding Blockchain Technology: Understanding the Impact for Luxury Fashion Supply Chains 225
  23. 16 Fashion Product Development for Clothing Longevity in the Supply Chain 245
  24. 17 Regenerative Systems in Textile and Fashion Supply Chains 259
  25. 18 Digital Technology and Modern Slavery in Fashion Supply Chains 275
  26. 19 Ethical Implications of AI-Driven Trend Forecasting in Fast Fashion 287
  27. 20 Unlocking Sustainability in Fashion Supply Chains Through Industrial Digital Technologies 303
  28. 21 Adopting a Design Thinking Approach to Embedding Sustainability Practices into Fashion Supply Chain Education 319
  29. 22 Reframing Fast Fashion: A Paradigm Shift for the Two Dirtiest Words in Our Fashion Vocabulary and the Introduction of Flow Fashion 333
  30. 23 Circular Fashion Ecosystems: The Role of Social Enterprises in Blending Environmental and Social Sustainability 345
  31. Section IV: Implementing Sustainable Operations in Fashion Supply Chains
  32. 24 Exploring Challenges and Enablers in Textile Recycling Supply Chains 363
  33. 25 The Scottish Cashmere Supply Chain: An Investigation of Reuse Through Sustainability as a Service 379
  34. 26 Weak Sustainability, Strong Structures: Approaches to Change by Two Industries Within the Global Textile Value Chain 393
  35. 27 Transparency in Fashion Supply Chains: Examining the Influence of Country Regulation 407
  36. 28 Sustainable Fashion Supply Chains: Innovative Practices of Chinese Silk Enterprises 425
  37. 29 Sustainable Fashion Supply Chain Management: Environmental Focus on Bangladesh 441
  38. 30 Informal Circular Textile Supply Chains in Türkiye 459
  39. 31 Traceability, Transparency, and Collaboration for Sustainable Fashion Supply Chains 477
  40. Index
  41. De Gruyter Handbooks in Business
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111384771-020

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. Contributors IX
  4. Introducing Fashion Supply Chains and Operations 1
  5. Section I: Perspectives on Fashion Supply Chains and Operations
  6. 1 Interwoven: A Historical Examination of Relational Capital in the Context of Shetland Hand Knitting and the Barter Economy 11
  7. 2 The Evolution of the Fashion Supply Chain 25
  8. 3 Legislating Fashion Circularity: Policy Design Challenges 43
  9. 4 Coopetition for Fashion Supply Chains 55
  10. 5 Fashion Supply Chain Management in Disruptions 71
  11. 6 Fair Trade Fashion Branding and Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities 87
  12. Section II: Geographies of Fashion Supply Chain Operations
  13. 7 Consumer Textile Recycling Behaviour in Hong Kong and Implications for Fashion Supply Chain Management 99
  14. 8 Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of Fashion Supply Chains: Applications in China 115
  15. 9 Opportunities and Challenges of China’s Silk Supply Chain 129
  16. 10 Refugee Workers in Global Fashion Supply Chains 145
  17. 11 A Circular Reformation of Slow Fashion Supply Chains Through Industrial Symbiosis: A Case Study from Turkey 161
  18. 12 Fashion Supply Chain Challenges in Brazil 177
  19. 13 Review of Procurement Practices in the South African Clothing Industry 189
  20. 14 The Final Stop in the Fast Fashion Supply Chain: Waste Management Practices in Ghana’s Second-Hand Clothing Trade 207
  21. Section III: Operations Transformation in Fashion Supply Chains
  22. 15 Decoding Blockchain Technology: Understanding the Impact for Luxury Fashion Supply Chains 225
  23. 16 Fashion Product Development for Clothing Longevity in the Supply Chain 245
  24. 17 Regenerative Systems in Textile and Fashion Supply Chains 259
  25. 18 Digital Technology and Modern Slavery in Fashion Supply Chains 275
  26. 19 Ethical Implications of AI-Driven Trend Forecasting in Fast Fashion 287
  27. 20 Unlocking Sustainability in Fashion Supply Chains Through Industrial Digital Technologies 303
  28. 21 Adopting a Design Thinking Approach to Embedding Sustainability Practices into Fashion Supply Chain Education 319
  29. 22 Reframing Fast Fashion: A Paradigm Shift for the Two Dirtiest Words in Our Fashion Vocabulary and the Introduction of Flow Fashion 333
  30. 23 Circular Fashion Ecosystems: The Role of Social Enterprises in Blending Environmental and Social Sustainability 345
  31. Section IV: Implementing Sustainable Operations in Fashion Supply Chains
  32. 24 Exploring Challenges and Enablers in Textile Recycling Supply Chains 363
  33. 25 The Scottish Cashmere Supply Chain: An Investigation of Reuse Through Sustainability as a Service 379
  34. 26 Weak Sustainability, Strong Structures: Approaches to Change by Two Industries Within the Global Textile Value Chain 393
  35. 27 Transparency in Fashion Supply Chains: Examining the Influence of Country Regulation 407
  36. 28 Sustainable Fashion Supply Chains: Innovative Practices of Chinese Silk Enterprises 425
  37. 29 Sustainable Fashion Supply Chain Management: Environmental Focus on Bangladesh 441
  38. 30 Informal Circular Textile Supply Chains in Türkiye 459
  39. 31 Traceability, Transparency, and Collaboration for Sustainable Fashion Supply Chains 477
  40. Index
  41. De Gruyter Handbooks in Business
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