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Yoona.ai has recently gained the spotlight as one of Berlin’s fastest-growing AI hubs. The tool takes the creative process of designing garments into the hands of AI, leveraging big data to create personalized pieces and predict “best sellers”.
It uses tools like “text to design” and “sketch to design”, while AI assistants support with pattern blending, silhouette innovation, and color palette extraction. Yoona also offers a virtual showroom app where brands can present their collections digitally.
According to the company, its innovation reduces carbon emissions by up to 93%, as it minimizes sample production and resource use. Yoona collaborates with brands like Marc Cain, Gerry Weber, Apart, and Esther Perbandt.
It has also asserted itself on the stage of Berlin Fashion Week with the "Yoonaverse – The Berlin Metaverse®", where brands presented immersive digital collections. For those looking to deepen their AI expertise, Yoonaversity passes on the company’s technical insights and knowledge.
Berlin-based designer Esther Perbandt is one of Yoona’s early adopters. In 2021, she debuted her first digital fashion show at the Jochen Hempel gallery in Leipzig. Since then, she became amazed by the capabilities of digital fashion, and in 2023, unveiled her "Astro Noir" collection using Yoona’s AI tool, in partnership with the Kunstbibliothek at Berlin Fashion Week.
She created 16 garments embedded with chips that digitally reveal their value chains and origins of the materials, showcasing her commitment to sustainability. Yet, Esther Perbrandt says she will remain true to the craft, while aiming to infuse emotion into the virtual fashion world.
Berlin-based startup Byndlooks is on a mission to “go from e-commerce to AI-commerce”, helping people make better use of what they already own while shopping more mindfully. Byndlooks is turning digital fashion into a sustainable habit through several innovations.
Their Makeup AR Tutorial is the solution for those who struggle long hours with putting their make up on just right. The tool gives users real-time, personalized guidance on how to apply cosmetics using products they already have. And if you want to try something new, the tool recommends items that match your skin tone and preferences. You can also try the products virtually, eliminating store visits.
The Digital Wardrobe tool is perfect for capsule wardrobe lovers. Given that most people only wear 20% of their clothes, the tool curates outfits based on their existing wardrobe while suggesting new additions that truly match their style and fill genuine gaps. This reduces impulse buys and closet clutter.
Byndlooks also offers a Fashion Discovery Engine powered by generative AI. Upload a photo, prompt outfit ideas, and see realistic looks rendered on your own body. If you like it, the platform finds shoppable versions from various retailers, helping you buy only what you love and cut down on returns and waste.
With its playful name, Seamm creates a seamless transition between the metaverse and the real world. Their plug-and-play “phygital” tech creates interactive, gamified shopping journeys.
During Berlin Fashion Week, Seamm collaborated with unisex brand Schepperheyn and knitwear label CCY to showcase Virtual Try-On tech. Attendees scanned a mirror QR code to try on digital twins of items like the "Coat HUGO – Wanderlust" and the "Wavey Split Sweater". This created a lot of hype on social media, increasing try-ons by 3.5x.
Similarly, Berlin-based high-end streetwear brand #DAMUR used Seamm's technology to launch its collection at AW24 Berlin Fashion Week in an interactive way. The event featured immersive digital invitations with AR Try-On lenses and unique QR RSVPs, as well as AR mirrors at the venue.
VORN is a Berlin innovation lab on a mission to completely transform the way we think about clothing in a more sustainable and digital-informed direction. It blends material innovation, education, and micro-manufacturing through nurturing a community, hands-on labs, and collaborative events.
One of VORN’s key moments is the Shift Microfactory, a plug-and-play production space that supports designers and brands in creating small-batch, tech-enabled collections with minimal waste. The focus is on circular production, digital tools, and transparency.
VORN also partners with Zalando for its Design Academy, now in its fourth edition titled NOVA. The program supports emerging designers in experimenting with next-gen materials while combining creativity with sustainability.
Zalando has grown from an online shoe store to one of Europe’s largest fashion platforms, and now, a pioneer in fashion tech.
Its Fashion Assistant uses machine learning to suggest outfits based on past purchases, style preferences, and even the weather. Over time, the tool learns your style and body, offering hyper-personalized recommendations.
Zalando is also among the first retailers to introduce digital twin avatars - virtual models that replicate your exact body shape and measurements. These avatars let you preview how clothes will fit on you and move in real life, without ever entering a fitting room. To power this, Zalando teamed up with Swiss tech company Fision, piloting advanced body scanning and 3D fitting technology - a major step toward more tailored, convenient, and sustainable online shopping.
