Invisible Collection continues its longstanding collaboration with the Business of Fashion. In addition to partnering for the BoF Voices events – including the memorable edition during lockdown, when everything happened in a closed TV studio – we also partner for the tech summits held in New York at the Times Center. But first, let’s talk about location: The Times Center, in the heart of midtown Manhattan, is an event venue inside the visually stunning New York Times Building designed by acclaimed architect Renzo Piano. Design aficionados cannot but admire the sleek, environmentally conscious high-rise structure featuring a distinctive glass and steel façade, characterized by its clear glass skin and ceramic rod screen. The stage features an incredible backdrop of trees and plants from the surrounding garden, a fitting mix of innovative architecture and landscape.
This edition of the BoF Professional Summit will delve into the challenges and opportunities of AI and technology, bringing together the movers and shakers of the luxury industry. “New Frontiers: AI, Digital Culture and Virtual Worlds” is the title that sets the tone of the half-day programme of provocative talks and in-depth conversations taking place in front of a live audience. Topics will range from the transformative power of generative AI to other disruptive technologies set to impact the fashion and beauty industries.
The stage from which Imran Amed will discuss these engaging topics is appointed with a curated selection of furniture pieces, including the Mousse Sofa and Armchair by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, the Barth Stools by Le Berre Vévaud, and the Zoe Side Table by Garcé & Dimofski. The thought-provoking topics addressed during the event range from how the rapid advance of artificial intelligence is reshaping fashion – enabling traceability in the supply chain or transforming how shoppers find and buy clothes – to understanding how online culture is evolving and influencing the ways brands reach their audiences, craft their identities and create deep, meaningful relationships with their fandoms. One topic ignited our curiosity: “Can AI Carry on a Designer’s Legacy?” Underlying the question is the fact that generative AI is giving designers a way to use their archives to produce new designs with their DNA, even after they’ve left the company. Norma Kamali and Cyril Foiret are invited to discuss this and lift the lid on the AI tool primed to continue Kamali’s legacy. It goes without saying that this specific case relates to fashion. However, can the same apply to furniture design? Would it be fair to have an AI tool that deep dives into some past master’s DNA and creates new designs? We don’t yet have an answer to such an existential question. In the meantime, we are content with the fantastic reissues from our favorite masters, including Oscar Niemeyer, Pierre Chareau, Lina Bo Bardi, Jean-Michel Frank, Jorge Zalszupin, to name but a few.
