Artificial Intelligence and Ageism in Fashion

The topic of inclusivity has been a major theme for the global fashion industry in recent times. The elderly demographics have been repeatedly ignored, with more brands focusing on the younger population. Yet statistics shows that older consumers have a higher spending power and continually show interest in fashion. Also, global fashion enthusiasts from the older demographic such as Iris Apfel and Nike Okundaye show that the stereotype about this consumer category is unfounded. There is a continued interest by this demographic in not just fashion products but also fashion-related activities. Fashion innovations driven by AI are quite popular amongst Gen Z and has been used in promoting diversity, accessibility and personalization. This study argues that these technologies can be applied to ensure that representation and recognition of the older demographic in the fashion industry is prominent. Leveraging the content analysis and in-depth interview approach, this paper analyses the AI fashion-driven series developed by Malik Afegbua featuring African models of an older demographic. Findings from this study contributes to the growing discourse on inclusivity driven by the application of AI in the fashion industry and inspire further exploration of other approaches to challenge long-held industry and beauty standards.