Levi Strauss is to use AI-generated images from Dutch company Lalaland.ai to supplement humans for modelling its jeans. The aim is to increase the number and diversity of its models in a sustainable way.

Lalaland.ai is a digital fashion studio that builds customised AI-generated models. Later this year, Levi will start testing the technology for modelling its clothes.

Founded in Amsterdam in 2019, Lalaland.ai uses artificial intelligence so fashion brands and retailers can create hyper-realistic models of every body type, age, size and skin tone. With these body-inclusive avatars, the company aims to create a more inclusive, personal and sustainable shopping experience for fashion brands, retailers and customers.

“While AI will likely never fully replace human models for us, we are excited for the potential capabilities this may afford us for the consumer experience,” said Amy Gershkoff Bolles, global head of digital and emerging technology strategy at Levi Strauss. “We see fashion and technology as both an art and a science, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Lalaland.ai, a company with such high-quality technology that can help us continue on our journey for a more diverse and inclusive customer experience.”

Today, generally Levi has one model for each product. However, customers want to shop with models who look like them.

“We believe our models should reflect our consumers, which is why we’re continuing to diversify our human models in terms of size and body type, age and skin colour,” said a Levi statement. “This AI technology can potentially assist us by supplementing models and unlocking a future where we can enable customers to see our products on more models that look like themselves, creating a more personal and inclusive shopping experience.”

The company said diversity, equity and inclusion were top priorities but that it did not see AI-generated models as a sole option. In fact, over the past year, it said it had been focused on ensuring that not only was its work diverse, but those working on the content both in front of and behind the camera were reflective of its broad consumer base.

It said it was balancing digital fundamentals with investing in emerging technology to keep at the forefront of innovation.

“Using our innovation framework for evaluating emerging technologies, we’re continuing to particularly explore technologies that improve the customer experience, whether in-store or online,” it said. “We are excited to continue creating innovative customer experiences that are more personal, relevant and engaging, adding value for both our customers and our business.”

In response to some negative reactions to this announcement, Levi issued a further statement that said: “We are not scaling back our plans for live photo shoots, the use of live models, or our commitment to working with diverse models.”