Visionary fashion move or a death knell for real models?

Al IN VOGUE SHAKES INDUSTRY

- VUYILE MADWANTSI

IT USED to be that flipping through Vogue or seeing a new Guess campaign meant spotting the next big supermodel, a living, breathing person with a story behind their eyes.

But flip through the August edition of Vogue this year and you'll find something unsettling: that sun-kissed blonde in the floral playsuit. She doesn't exist. She's not a woman with hopes, struggles or cellulite.

She's an Al-generated image, flawless, compliant and cheap to “hire”.

At first glance, AI models might sound harmless, even innovative. But for many in fashion, mental health and body positivity circles, this trend feels like a dangerous rewind button.

After decades of fighting for diversity on runways for trans models, hijab-wearing models, or the groundbreaking plus-size representation at Savage X Fenty, we're watching “perfect” robots replace humans.

What's the real issue?

The August issue is causing quite a stir online and not just because Anne Hathaway is on the cover. In its famed pages was an ad featuring a model who looked like she had just come out of a fashion fever dream, and when something looks too good to be true, it most likely is.

An advertisement in the magazine by Guess featured a model generated by Seraphinne Vallora using AI, and netizen users are up in arms over what they see as an infringement on fashion’s creativity and spaces for real models.

Who is Seraphinne Vallora? The Al model stirring controversy in Vogue and beyond