Alibaba designers used AI to shape New York Fashion Week looks

New York Fashion Week, now underway, is a celebration of creativity, crafts, imagination, and human ingenuity. But of course in the year 2019 one aspect of creation is integrating technology, so perhaps it's little wonder that some designers are relying on data collected by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to inform their looks. "We used big data to help these designers hone in on a few trends and have their collections built around these trends," James Lin, head of fashion at Alibaba North America, told the Nikkei Asian Review. "Based on what our consumers are wanting to buy, are looking for, are searching, we can help these designers create collections that appeal to a very big group." The company is investing a lot of resources and effort in lifestyle products--beauty and fashion items--which appear to maintain steady popularity and are exceptionally able to withstand the pressures of the US-China trade war. The global management consultancy McKinsey predicts that in 2019 China will overtake the US as the world's largest fashion market.