Award-winning works

What kind of sparks can be created with the combination of AIGC (artificial intelligence generated content) technology and the clothing industry? On May 31, the first month-long Wenzhou AIGC Design Competition of Apparel & Footwear Industry came to an end. Focusing on “Children’s Wear Design”, netizens and experts voted for the top 20 from more than 2,000 AI design drafts. The awarded works would be used to hold a digital virtual human catwalk show and be made into real clothes, adding a new idea to celebrating Children’s Day.

The competition was guided by China AIGC Industry Alliance and Wenzhou Federation of Social Science Associations, and jointly initiated by Wenzhou AIGC Industry Alliance and Wenzhou Fashion Chamber of Commerce (WFCC). It was the first quasi-professional design competition in the apparel and footwear industry based on AIGC in the country. Scientific research institutions, technology companies and public welfare organizations gathered together to organize a series of events, salons, research and surveys, aiming to promote the application of generative AI in Wenzhou’s apparel, footwear, cultural tourism, and other industries, and create a future highland for China’s digital economy in the GPT era.

Why was children’s clothing themed? According to the organizers, the focus on youth clothing design was to solve the “pain points” for children around the age of 13, such as the rapid height growth, inappropriate size of clothing for primary school students, and size-suitable but overmature clothing. At the same time, with the drawing ability of AIGC, the competition encouraged contestants to combine traditional design concepts with digital technology, design in a more efficient and intelligent way, create more fashionable, innovative and artistic works, and create the perceived image of youth in their minds.

The competition attracted domestic and foreign designers, artists, AI painting enthusiasts, as well as Wenzhou’s local practitioners and creators to compete on the same stage. In late May, the top 100 entries voted by the public entered the expert review process, and were scored by experts of fashion design, network media, and digital economy who were specially invited by WFCC. The final ranking was based on the judges’ scores and the netizens’ votes (both weight 50%). The first prize winner can receive a reward of more than 10,000 yuan.

Su Baoyan, a judge of the competition and a consultant of the China Fashion Association, said that the promotion of AI-assisted design tools in the competition allowed both professional and amateur designers to burst into creative inspiration, which would encourage fashion enterprises to increase the popularity of intelligent services and solutions, and greatly enhance their creative ability of product design.

“AI technology can greatly save the time of design and sample development to reduce costs.” Cui Yumei, another judge of the competition and a professor at the College of Fashion and Design of Donghua University, said that the effect of emulational models created under the support of AI with more design details can drive the technological innovation and development of the apparel industry.