Ralph Lauren Leads AI Revolution in Fashion with 'Ask Ralph' App

Ralph Lauren's new AI app is paving the way for a shopping revolution

In the early 2000s, fashion brands had a realization: They could throw their inventory up on a website and ask customers to sift through it to find what they were looking for. Two decades later, the fundamental structure of e-commerce hasn't changed much. Shopping is a drag that involves endlessly scrolling for merchandise. But change is in the air. AI is about to transform everything about online shopping. Consumers are already turning to chatbots to find and compare products, and to platforms like Daydream that are designed specifically for shopping for clothes. Now, we're about to see how fashion labels themselves can use AI to make shopping on their sites less laborious and more delightful. Today, Ralph Lauren launches Ask Ralph, an AI stylist in the brand's mobile app. The 58-year-old fashion brand has partnered with Microsoft to create an AI agent that mimics the experience of speaking with an stylist. You begin by expressing exactly what you're looking for. Depending on the day, it might be specific like, "I'm looking for a black cardigan for the fall," or open-ended like, "I'm moderating a panel at a big conference and I have no idea what to wear." Then, rather than sifting through rows of products, the app does the searching for you. It delivers fully styled looks from the current Ralph Lauren collection that you can shop immediately. And through the process, as you figure out what you're looking for (say, cropped cardigans made of cashmere), the AI adapts to your preferences. "We're trying to recreate the experience of working with a well-trained Ralph Lauren salesperson," says David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer at Ralph Lauren, and son of the founder. "We've taken all of our own best practices and built them into the AI."

Ralph Lauren Begins Rollout of AI-Powered Conversational Shopping Experience | PYMNTS.com

By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. Dubbed "Ask Ralph," the AI tool can answer questions about things like what to wear to a concert or how to style a navy blue men's blazer, the company said in a Tuesday (Sept. 9) press release. Ask Ralph also refines its recommendations when users ask clarifying questions, presents images of complete outfits, and makes it easy to add some or all the items to a shopping cart, according to the release. The AI-powered shopping experience began rolling out Tuesday in the Ralph Lauren app for Apple and Android devices in the United States, per the release. Its content is based on available inventory from the Polo Ralph Lauren brand. The company expects to expand the tool to additional Ralph Lauren brands and to more markets around the world, the release said. The new feature is powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI, according to the release. "Twenty-five years ago, we partnered with Microsoft to launch one of the fashion industry's first eCommerce platforms, and today, we are once again redefining the shopping experience for the next generation," Ralph Lauren Corp. Chief Branding and Innovation Officer David Lauren said in the release. Shelley Bransten, corporate vice president of global industry solutions at Microsoft, said in the release: "AI is transforming the way consumers get inspired, educated and purchase from fashion brands around the world." PYMNTS reported in February 2024 that AI is revolutionizing the fashion industry by enabling innovations across design, production and shopping. A 2023 study by McKinsey & Company predicted that the technology could add up to an additional $275 billion in fashion profits over the following three to five years. The PYMNTS Intelligence report "Getting to Know You: How AI Is Shaping the Future of Shopping," published in September 2024, found that 32% of all consumers said they had used or would use AI shopping tools. When luxury accessories membership club Vivrelle announced its launch of an "AI stylist" Thursday (Sept. 4), the company said the tool enables consumers to, "Borrow, style and shop in one seamless 360 experience and checkout."

AI gets stylish as designers embrace it at New York Fashion Week

Designers are finally embracing artificial intelligence at New York Fashion Week, with brands including Ralph Lauren and Alexander Wang debuting high-tech new innovations. Ralph Lauren, which was one of the first major fashion brands to begin selling clothes online 25 years ago, has launched Ask Ralph, an in-store AI assistant that engages customers in conversation and make style suggestions. The tool can answer specifics, like how to style a certain blazer, and general questions like whether you should pair black and brown. Unveiled earlier this week by David Lauren, Ralph's son and the company's chief innovation officer, Ask Ralph was created in partnership with Microsoft and OpenAI and has been integrated with the brand's shopping app. "Part of fashion is exposing yourself to newness and evolving," David Lauren said in an interview with New York Magazine. As part of his comeback fashion show later this week, Alexander Wang is relying on AI for runway backdrop art -- telling Glossy, "I like to embrace change and what's next... AI allows us to reserve our human mindset for bigger things." Vivrelle, which rents designer handbags, launched a new AI tool, Ella, that offers styling advice and suggests the brand's own products as well as clothing from partners Revolve and FWRD. Glance AI is hosting NYFW parties to celebrate its new fashion app, featuring virtual try-ons and a shopping experience curated to your taste. While mass-market companies like Walmart and H&M already embraced AI for everything from advertising to "trend-sensing design tools" that accelerate clothing production, many high-end designers have resisted. Earlier this year, Brandon Maxwell told Fashionista, "I don't know enough about AI, to be honest with you, but I believe in the craft of making by hand and the artisans in New York" -- while Trish Wescoat Pound said, "Technology? I have no idea." When Vogue ran a Guess ad with an AI-generated model in its August issue, the magazine was criticized. Likewise, J.Crew got slammed as embracing "AI slop" by The Cut when it used AI models in a campaign last month. The fashion week shift may be because integrating AI is inevitable -- and lucrative. Fashion AI is already a $3 billion industry and, according to Precedence Research, projected to reach $60 billion by 2034.