JTAER, Vol. 19, Pages 654-670: Unlocking the Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Fashion Design and E-Commerce Applications: The Case of Midjourney

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research doi: 10.3390/jtaer19010035

Authors: Yanbo Zhang Chuanlan Liu

The fashion industry has shown increasing interest in applying artificial intelligence (AI), yet there is a significant gap in exploring the potential of emerging diffusion-modeling-based AI image-generation systems for fashion design and commerce. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of Midjourney, one such AI system, in both fashion design and related commerce applications. We employed the action research approach with the Functional, Expressive, and Aesthetic (FEA) Consumer Needs Model as the theoretical framework. Our research comprised three stages: refining an initial idea into well-defined textual design concepts, facilitating concept development, and validating the preceding observations and reflections by creating a new line of hemp-based products that were evaluated by targeted consumers through an online survey. Findings reveal that this AI tool can assist fashion designers in creating both visually expressive attire and ready-to-wear products, meeting defined design criteria and consumer needs. Midjourney shows promise in streamlining the fashion design process by enhancing ideation and optimizing design details. Potential e-commercial applications of such AI systems were proposed, benefiting physical and digital fashion businesses. It is noted that, to date, the major limitations of using Midjourney encompass its restriction to only facilitating early fashion design stages and necessitating substantial involvement from designers.

JTAER, Vol. 18, Pages 1971-1989: Examining Consumers’ Perceptions of and Attitudes toward Digital Fashion in General and Purchase Intention of Luxury Brands’ Digital Fashion Specifically

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research doi: 10.3390/jtaer18040099

Authors: Yanbo Zhang Chuanlan Liu Yanru Lyu

Digital fashion may instill transformative power into the fashion industry as it can simultaneously deliver fashionability and sustainability. Renowned for their innovativeness and creativity, luxury brands embrace digital fashion and achieve market success, indicating the future of digital fashion. This research aims to empirically investigate consumers’ general perceptions and evaluations of digital fashion and to specifically examine consumers’ purchase intention of luxury brands’ digital fashion. A total of 214 responses were collected from a U.S.-based research company’s consumer panel. Data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed that the general attitude toward digital fashion is influenced by four factors: the two specific attitudes toward outfitting avatars and dressing real people’s on-screen bodies in virtual spaces, the perceived social value of digital fashion, and consumer environmental involvement. Furthermore, the general attitude and perceived social value of digital fashion directly affect the purchase intention. This study attempts to extend established theories into the emerging digital fashion context and provides insights and suggestions for digital fashion marketers, particularly for luxury fashion brands.