{"id":172008,"date":"2026-10-26T09:14:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T13:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/?p=172008"},"modified":"2026-10-26T09:14:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T13:14:37","slug":"will-the-ai-backlash-bring-more-personality-to-the-runway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/will-the-ai-backlash-bring-more-personality-to-the-runway\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the AI Backlash Bring More Personality to the Runway?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, Rachel Ojuromi<\/a> made her runway debut at Chanel<\/a>. The 22-year-old Nigerian creative had spent the past year posting vivacious fashion videos strutting through streets of Lagos while shopping at the local store, parking her bike or balancing groceries on her head. During a fashion month where robots walked the runway and big tech cozied up to fashion, her story felt profoundly human<\/a>. In the age of AI, fashion is increasingly shifting towards aesthetics that feel unpredictable, charismatic and alive.<\/p>\n

The shift reflected across the season\u2019s castings. Designers and casting directors are looking beyond recognisable faces and expected formats to create memorable, character-driven shows that combine rich backstories, strong personalities, and theatrical performance. This season, August Barron<\/a> sent models out as different Hollywood archetypes<\/a>, winking, smiling, and contorting their bodies as they embodied burgeoning starlets, Playboy bunnies, and a modern-day Marilyn Monroe with her dress billowing up over a windy subway grate. \u201cWe wanted there to be a bit of a melancholy feeling at all times,\u201d said Bror August Vestb\u00f8<\/a> of the emotion-driven casting, \u201ceven if it\u2019s energetic, there\u2019s an underlying sadness to it.\u201d This level of emotional complexity is an inherently human contradiction.<\/p>\n

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August Barron SS27 \/ Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This approach spread out across more established brands too. At Tom Ford<\/a>, models sauntered down the runway, pausing to admire themselves in the mirrors lining the room. Designer Haider Ackermann<\/a> had them walk out in pairs and groups to create \u201cthe feeling that something has happened, or is about to happen.\u201d At Gucci<\/a>, models walked at a deliberate, theatrical pace, with each of them taking on a different persona; louche rockstars with hands shoved in pockets, scowling, shady characters with arms crossed tight over trench coats, party girls with fierce and theatrical struts, ladies who lunch moving at a leisurely, glacial pace. \u201cPersonality and individuality have been emerging as key consumer concerns across the board for a while now,\u201d says Katie Devlin, Trends Editor at Stylus. \u201cAlgorithm-led homogeneity and digital overwhelm have had people crying out for uniqueness and creativity.\u201d These shows didn\u2019t only present the clothes, but hinted at the lives, personalities and desires of those who wear them.<\/p>\n

“Algorithm-led homogeneity and digital overwhelm have had people crying out for uniqueness and creativity.” – Katie Devlin<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, personality wasn\u2019t the only way that runway casting this season diverged from what we have come to expect. Robots on the runway at London, Milan and Shanghai Fashion Weeks prompted cries of, \u2018Who asked for this?\u2019 across social media comments sections. Rage was baited and backlash was swift. Online discourse reflected a wider disdain for fashion\u2019s embrace of AI, from anxieties about job loss to discomfort over tech billionaires\u2019 increasing influence over the fashion industry. When AI models feature in fashion campaigns, the criticism on social media is equally severe, labelling the visuals \u201ccheap\u201d, \u201clazy\u201d and \u201cslop.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAn AI model can look exactly how we want it to look,\u201d says Tanguy Gavignet<\/a> of TG CASTING<\/a>, \u201cbut it lacks genuine authenticity, a personal history and convictions of its own.\u201d Gavignet, along with his partner Tom Goddard<\/a>, was behind the casting for Mati\u00e8res F\u00e9cales\u2019 viral \u201899 per cent\u2019<\/a> show which featured 99 models of color, including feminist and anti-racist activist Rokhaya Diallo and one of Yves Saint Laurent\u2019s first Black muses, pioneering haute couture model, Mounia Orosemane. \u201cWe weren\u2019t simply looking for models who could wear the clothes,\u201d says Goddard. \u201cWe were looking for people who could embody the ideas behind them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mati\u00e8res F\u00e9cales SS27 \/ Photo: LaunchMetrics Spotlight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A homogenous runway model look \u2013 delineated by blank facial expressions, uniform walks and narrow proportions \u2013 emerged over decades to encourage consumers to focus on the cut, texture and movement of the clothes rather than the model themselves. A distant, stoic expression gives the impression of unattainable luxury, but winking or smiling could draw attention away from the clothes. Yet models can never be expected to be blank canvases because humans are not blank canvases. Unlike AI, we bring our own histories and experiences to everything we do. The most successful models are often the ones who have a point of view beyond the runway. This is especially true today when, as Devlin notes, \u201cthe average luxury fashion consumer is engaging with it more as entertainment than as a potential purchase. In this way, a distinct personality is paramount in building brand identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t simply looking for models who could wear the clothes, we were looking for people who could embody the ideas behind them.\u201d – Tom Goddard<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Even pre-social media, some designers were leveraging personality to expand their brand universe. In the supermodel era, runway shows became iconic not just because of the clothes, but because of the personality. When the supers marched down the Versace<\/a> runway in 1991, they didn\u2019t stare blankly forwards, but walked arm-in-arm, smiling and lip-syncing to George Michael\u2019s \u201cFreedom.\u201d Chanel shows in the 90s, models winked, grinned and interacted with the audience. These moments are etched into the collective fashion memory because the models were allowed to express themselves.<\/p>\n

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Robots on the runway at Vogue World: Milano 2026 \/ Photo by Daniele Venturelli \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

London-based designer Ashish Gupta<\/a> has always seen the runway as a playground for self-expression. \u201cFashion shows give you ten minutes or less to sell a dream,\u201d he says. For SS26, he ditched models entirely, instead reviewing applications, casting dancers instead. The final selection turned the runway into a spontaneous dance party. Meanwhile, ASHISH<\/a>\u2019s SS16 show included models skating down the runway on skateboards. Gupta has never worried that these moments would distract from the clothes themselves. \u201cThe clothes and the wearer are always in conversation with each other,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ll often create a little story about where they\u2019re going, how they\u2019re feeling and how the clothes make them feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Gupta notes, personality on the runway can sell a dream. It can also send a message. The casting at Mati\u00e8res F\u00e9cales was so intentional because it had to align with the show\u2019s political message. \u201cEvery person who walked the show was chosen because they were the right representative for the message we wanted to convey,\u201d says Gavignet. \u201cThey brought their own histories, experiences, and convictions to the runway, allowing them to embody the message of the show in a way that a conventional casting could not.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Alexander McQueen SS 1999 \/ Photo by Victor VIRGILE\/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Robots sponsored by tech companies send a different message altogether, but that doesn\u2019t mean that fashion can never collaborate with robotics in ways that feel meaningful. This season was not the first time robots have appeared on the runway. Back in 1998, Shalom Harlow<\/a> stood on a rotating platform as a robotic arm sprayed paint on her strapless white tulle dress, closing Alexander McQueen<\/a>\u2019s now legendary No.13 show. This moment felt full of emotion, exploring the tense relationship between human vulnerability and relentless technological advancement.<\/p>\n

“In the vast majority of AI-generated fashion campaigns, there is no deeper meaning to unpack. There is a coldness to it.” – Ashish Gupta<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Meanwhile, Coperni\u2019s AW23 collection<\/a> featured robot dogs from Boston Dynamics walking alongside human models,carrying their handbags or tugging at their jackets to reveal dresses underneath. Rather than a dystopian warning, they sent the message that humans and machines could coexist. While the response was polarising, it didn\u2019t trigger quite the same vitriol as more recent robot runway appearances, proving just how much AI fatigue has amped up since.<\/p>\n

In the vast majority of AI-generated fashion campaigns, there is no deeper meaning to unpack. \u201cThere is no mystery in perfection,\u201d says Gupta. \u201cThere is a coldness to it.\u201d Robots can\u2019t laugh or smile or cry. They fall over when they try to dance. Emotion and personality are what make fashion human. When humans are the ones buying the clothes, it is surely in brands\u2019 best interests to let humanity shine through. Uniqueness has become a luxury. AI can imitate, but it can never be wholly original. Rachel Ojuromi\u2019s runway debut and August Barron\u2019s character-driven show reveal that brands don\u2019t have to stoop to ragebait tactics to go viral. Sometimes all it takes is a human story, or a well-timed wink and a smile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the age of AI, fashion is increasingly shifting towards aesthetics that feel unpredictable, charismatic and alive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":460,"featured_media":172018,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,15361],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172008"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/460"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172008"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172059,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172008\/revisions\/172059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/oftheminute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}