Norma Kamali Changes Fashion with AI

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Published: April 22, 2025

Norma Kamali works in fashion for more than fifty years. In a field where old ideas meet new ones, she uses AI in her work. Her designs have dressed stars such as Whitney Houston and Jessica Biel. Now she tests a fresh idea by adding AI to her design process to keep what she has built while trying new tech.

Working with AI: A Fresh Creative Step

Norma met experts in Abu Dhabi. They spoke of an AI tool that builds on her Walmart project style. At first, she felt uneasy about sharing her mind with a machine. She soon saw AI as a way to refresh her 57-year archive of designs. "I thought, AI could be my Karl Lagerfeld," she said. Karl used past work to shape new ideas.

Norma then joined MIT Professional Education’s online course, "Applied Generative AI for Digital Transformation." "I doubted how much I could do," she said. But as she learned more, her fear gave way to fun and new ideas. "The more I learned, the more ideas came to me," she said. AI became a partner that worked closely with her design steps.

Team Work with AI

Norma teamed up with Maison Meta. Together, they built a custom AI tool that reads her old styles. She worked with black cloth and silver studs, asking the tool to redraw her well-known shapes. "It felt like magic," she said when the tool showed new versions. Even when the tool made mistakes, these odd outcomes sparked fresh ideas. Norma said that some of the best works can come from strange turns.

Her work now points to a change in many fields. New tech no longer stands apart but works hand in hand with skilled work. Bhaskar Pant from MIT Professional Education sees AI change many areas. He said, "Norma’s work shows that learning lasts a lifetime."

Shifting to Greener Fashion

Norma sees tech as a way to cut waste in fashion. She has long fought to reduce harm to nature in her work. She imagines a plan where one designs a wedding dress online and a machine makes it piece by piece. This idea points to a path where machines help choose fabric and cut waste.

Abel Sanchez from MIT, who led her course, adds that AI shifts how many fields work. He said, "Generative AI opens new routes for work and brings customers closer in new ways." Norma stands at the start of this change. She tests new ways for AI to shape the future of fashion.

Lifelong Learning and New Hopes

Norma’s step into AI has sparked ongoing talks with Abel. His words feed her wish to keep learning. "AI grows fast; I know I will return to learn more," she said, stressing that our work should never stop learning.

For those who fear tech, she gave a clear image. Learning AI is like arriving in a new country with different words and customs. "The train left the station — you now should take a seat," she said. Her words call on many in all fields to work with the new tech.

Now, with AI-made designs standing near her old work, Norma shows a close link between tech and art. She believes that "learning is the long ride of life." Her ideas guide her as she works in a world that changes every day.

Norma Kamali changes her brand and paves the way to a time when tech and art walk side by side and bring fresh work to all.