In high-end fashion, handmade items remain more important than automated ones. At least until, Brunello Cucinelli explains while pointing to the inside of his jacket to La Repubblica‘s interviewer, he sees a robot “capable of sowing like this”. There is a lot of talk about the impact of artificial intelligence on fashion, and with good reason. The Umbrian entrepreneur, who organizes symposiums in his spaces with Silicon Valley personnel, is not hostile to technological innovation: “I’ve never been afraid of it. So much so, in fact, that I have brought AI into the company”. In what ways? “To write messages and sentences, or for e-commerce, for example”, he replies. “But on the condition that those who use it must always declare it”.
The robotic tailor is still not there
The point remains: a robotic tailor does not currently exist, and Cucinelli cannot even “imagine” it. Sure, these are the thoughts and priorities of an authentic luxury brand, the kind that can make choices about production that so many lower segment brands simply cannot apply. But Cucinelli’s is also an example of a business model that works well, and therefore one worth paying attention to. It was Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn and co-founder of venture capital firm Greylock Partners) who first told him about artificial intelligence, he says. What he learned is that a non-fear-driven approach should be applied. That said, luxury manufacturing remains, mostly, manual.
The jobs
“Will AI replace employees?” that is the question. Cucinelli answers no: “52 percent of our products, up to three years ago, were handmade. Today it’s 60%“. Moreover: the Umbrian group invests in its human capital: “In a few years our tailors will earn twice as much”. Of course, the possibility of a machine as good (if not better) than artisans remains on the horizon: “If it arrives”, Cucinelli concludes, “I will not be afraid”.
Photo of Cucinelli’s Penne factory from LinkedIn
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