Norma Kamali Transforms Fashion with AI

April 22, 2025 – Cambridge, MA – Norma Kamali, a famed fashion designer and business owner, guides fashion with a new tool: artificial intelligence. Her designs have graced icons like Whitney Houston and Jessica Biel. She now works directly with AI. Her goal is to keep her long work alive and to build on it in a digital world.

AI at MIT

Norma started her AI work in Abu Dhabi. Experts there proposed an AI tool built on her work for Walmart. Though she was curious, she was slow to agree. She wished to create a special AI, made only from her 57 years of work. “I thought, AI could be my Karl Lagerfeld,” she said. Her words touched on the lively mix of art and tech in fashion.

She joined MIT Professional Education’s online course, “Applied Generative AI for Digital Transformation.” In 2023, she finished the course to learn how AI might work as a creative friend. “I was unsure what I could do,” she said. “But the more I learned, the more ideas came.” Her work with AI soon grew into many new art projects.

A New Creative Path

Norma tested a custom AI model from Maison Meta using one of her known black garments with silver studs. By changing parts of her old designs, she found many new looks that AI could create. “It was magic,” she said. Even the unexpected output from AI inspired her. “Some great fashion is simply odd,” she remarked, hinting that surprises can spark art.

Her steps with AI show that tech can fuel art, not just serve as a tool. Bhaskar Pant of MIT Professional Education said, “Everyone talks of AI’s impact. We see how AI can help all who create and lead.” His words join Norma’s in favor of learning all along life.

AI and Green Fashion

Norma sees AI as a strong tool to push green practices in fashion. Many years, she has urged fewer uses of cleaning methods that use harmful chemicals. With AI, she sees a way to pick fabrics and make clothes only when they are needed. “Think of designing your wedding dress online and having a robot build it piece by piece,” she said. Her words point to a future that blends smart work and care for the world.

Abel Sanchez, a scientist at MIT, said, “Generative AI opens doors to new digital work in many fields.” His praise shows how AI can shift the roles between design and tech.

The Road Ahead

Norma keeps learning; the fast change of AI plays a big part in her future plans. “AI grows in new ways. I know I must keep learning,” she said. She compared the idea of ignoring AI to arriving in a small town where no one speaks your language. “The train has left; it is time to join,” she said.

Her website now shows both AI-made and classic pieces. Norma tells us that art and tech can work side by side. “Learning is life’s own adventure. Why stop now?” she said.

Norma Kamali keeps shaping fashion with her mix of art and tech. Her work shows that close ties in every pair of words can create clear, smart ideas in a world that grows ever more digital.