Urbancoolab and its resident robo-designer STiCH are accepting applications to become the very next Virgil Abloh.

As a Brand, Urbancoolab put effort into building the type of cultural clout that many of its collaborators enjoy by forming style partnerships with them. Now, they are gearing up to enter Phase 2 of its plan, which is to open up the platform for the public to use.

Being that artificial intelligence (AI) had not been used in a commercialized style setting before, Phase 1 and influencer partnerships were necessary to give the step towards Phase 2; a public platform open for all to play

Urbancoolab is staying true to its philosophy of democratizing fashion by allowing artists a chance to create clothing in a manner that is deeply personal to them, regardless of background and experience.

Urbancoolab’s AI platform was created to address these familiar pain points while helping to push the confines of design beyond what anyone has seen before.

Once the design process has commenced and the capsules have been formed, the company’s marketing and PR teams are then activated to carry out the current go-to-market strategy. Urbancoolab’s full-stop agency approach ensures each project receives the effort needed to stand on its own.

The design process is one that involves open interaction with the organization’s machine learning algorithm. Under the creative guidance of each artist, visual inspirations are fed into the AI platform and are processed against the conceptual themes it is directed towards.

In just a mere matter of days, STiCH initiates hundreds of thousands of design iterations until it reaches a sample set it feels hits the intended mark. Once the assets pass through the artist’s approval process, the AI imagery then makes its way onto one of the company’s proprietary silhouettes prior to being put up for sale via urbancoolx—the group’s commercial marketplace.

According to Idris Moote, Urbancoolab’s CEO, the use of artificial intelligence in fashion has become a necessity in the industry and it is the future for the creative process. He agrees that “as AI machines begin to take over logical decisions in the workplace, creativity is what remains for humans”.

Fashion keeps being revolutionized and there is always a need to come up with something bigger and better than before. There are plenty of ideas and talents out there that are waiting to be discovered and given a chance to show their light to the world.

“Today, while not much has changed in terms of power in the streetwear and fashion industry — the industries are still colossal and prescribe to a top-down approach in order to hit mass-culture production. Culture is washed away by the standardization processes of industrialized ‘mass culture’ in fashion and entertainment. Today, the battle is not between mass culture and high culture. It is between mass culture and unpopular culture. We see ourselves as a game-changer and believe we can bring authenticity back into consumerism. The world needs another 500 Virgil Abloh’s. And we will find them”, said Moote.

Platforms like Urbancoolab provide a space for design to evolve organically. Hip-hop heavyweights like Slick Rick, Kardinal Offishall and Sean Price have each co-created with STiCH, and in doing so, have done their part to elevate streetwear beyond what is recognizable.

Are you the next Virgil Abloh?

Published by HOLR Magazine