The Future of Modest Fashion: How AI and Tech are Reshaping Style
Written by Alison Tolongui
Image from Pexels
From AI-driven personalization to virtual try-ons, technology is becoming the new fabric of the fashion industry. Experts suggest that these innovations can enhance sustainability and strengthen cultural identity, provided brands adopt them with intention rather than chasing a trend.
Tech on the runway
As the Autumn/Winter 2026/27 fashion weeks conclude, it’s clear that designers are embedding artificial intelligence into their creative processes.
During London Fashion Week, Claudia Wang presented her “Digital Fairytale” concept, incorporating AI-generated bows, lace and botanical prints alongside hand-drawn elements. In Paris, Alexis Mabille unveiled an entirely AI-generated Spring/Summer 2026 collection using virtual models and digital runways. Gucci replaced traditional campaign photography with AI-generated imagery in Milan.
Major brands like Nike are using 3D foot modeling to improve sizing, while Zara & H&M employ AI-driven analytics to forecast trends. The goal is to reduce overproduction, a systemic issue these brands have long perpetuated.
AI is no longer a gimmick; for better or worse, it is becoming embedded across the fashion system.
An environmental paradox?
A digital wardrobe isn’t necessarily a green one. Technology brings its own environmental costs. The massive data centers required to run AI consume vast amounts of water for cooling. Dr. Hanna Lee, Assistant Professor in Textile Technology & Management at North Carolina State University, argues that the focus should be on life cycle assessments.
“The question is not whether AI uses water, but whether that use is responsibly managed,” Lee explains. When used correctly, technology like digital prototyping allows designers to test concepts virtually, cutting down on fabric waste and costs, a vital tool for brands looking to scale mindfully.
Beyond the design process, technology is being used to enhance supply chain transparency. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags—small electronic sensors—allow brands to track a garment’s journey in real-time. This pairs with digital product passports that give consumers access to a garment’s entire history, from the origin of the fiber to the factory where it was sewn. This all depends on the data that is available and is an improving area of work.
Where does modesty fit in?
For the modest fashion community, the personalization AI promises is complicated. Suad Mooge, a Dublin-based fashion advocate and fundraiser, notes that while tech has given the modest movement a bigger platform, it often feels like an “add-on” to mainstream fashion rather than its own distinct category.
The modest fashion market isn’t niche. According to the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2024/25, consumer spending on modest apparel and footwear reached approximately US $327 billion in 2023 and is projected to rise to around US $433 billion by 2028.
“Technology should support modest fashion by preserving cultural context, not replacing it,” Mooge says. She argues that brands must engage directly with communities rather than treating modesty as a mere “scene” to be analyzed by an algorithm.
Lee echoes this concern, noting that AI is only as good as the data it’s fed. “If modest consumers are underrepresented in datasets, AI recommendations may be inaccurate or culturally misaligned.”
Technology as a bridge
Looking ahead, the greatest impact of technology may come from linking consumer insight directly with responsible production. “When personalization and sustainability work together, technology becomes a bridge rather than a compromise,” Lee says.
For Mooge, the determining factor is intent: “Technology should amplify authentic voices and cultural knowledge, not overwrite them. That is how modest fashion can evolve while remaining rooted in identity.”
As technology becomes increasingly embedded within fashion, modest consumers are likely to prioritize transparency and trust over novelty.
Maha Rajput, a modest headwear designer and stylist, reminds us that fashion is inherently political and brands should be held accountable regardless of what new technology is being used. “Fashion brands have a responsibility to be conscious of the items they choose to produce,” she says.
The future of modest fashion may depend less on algorithms and smart fabrics, and more on whose values and perspectives shape the systems influencing how we dress.
Alison Tolongui is a journalist from Ireland. Sustainability sits at the center of her work and she explores it beyond traditional environmental thinking, through changing mindsets, cultural frameworks, and the ways society engages with ethics and responsibility.