Seeing the Future of Fashion
Introduction to AR, VR & AI in retail — and a hands-on playground. This first session is about understanding the basics and playing with the tech yourself — no coding, no jargon overload. We'll cover what AR, VR, MR and AI really are, how they work, and why they matter for fashion retail.
- Understand what AR, VR, MR and spatial computing actually mean
- See how brands like Apple, Nike, Warby Parker & IKEA use AR to sell
- Try 'View in AR' and virtual try-on apps on your own phone
- Build a shared vocabulary for the rest of the course
- 0:00Welcome & what this course is about
- 0:15AR, VR, MR & AI explained (the spectrum)
- 0:40Break — grab a coffee (10 min)
- 0:50Learning from Apple: how ‘View in AR’ works
- 1:10Hands-on lab: try-on apps on your phone
- 1:30Break — stretch & compare notes (10 min)
- 1:40Hands-on lab: scan an object in 3D (photogrammetry)
- 2:00Wrap-up, Q&A & homework
Two short breaks are built in — step away from the screen, hydrate, and come back fresh.
AR, VR, MR & AI — what is what?
These four terms get mixed up constantly. The easiest way to understand AR, VR and MR is as a spectrum — from the fully real world to a fully digital one. AI sits alongside as the “brain” that makes them smart.
Physical Reality
The real world, no digital layer
Augmented Reality (AR)
Digital objects on top of the real world (your phone camera)
Mixed Reality (MR)
Digital & real interact and understand each other
Virtual Reality (VR)
A fully digital world, real world hidden
This range is often called the “virtuality continuum” — most retail experiences today live on the AR / MR side.
A closer look: what each one is, and how it works
For every technology, here's the plain-English meaning, a simple explanation of how it actually works, and where you'll see it in fashion.
AR
Augmented Reality
- What it is
- Adds digital things on top of what you already see. The real room stays visible; a 3D shoe, sofa or pair of glasses is layered on top through your phone or tablet screen.
- How it works
- The camera films the room. Software finds flat surfaces (floor, table) and tracks how the phone moves, so the digital object stays 'stuck' in place at the right size as you walk around.
- In fashion
- 'View in AR' for products, virtual try-on for sneakers, watches, glasses and makeup, and AR mirrors in stores.
VR
Virtual Reality
- What it is
- Replaces the real world completely. You wear a headset and everything you see is digital — you can look around in every direction and feel 'present' in another place.
- How it works
- Two small screens (one per eye) plus motion sensors track your head and hands. As you turn, the scene updates instantly, tricking your brain into feeling you are really there.
- In fashion
- Virtual showrooms and flagship stores, front-row runway shows, and immersive brand experiences you can 'walk' through.
MR
Mixed Reality
- What it is
- The middle ground: digital and real objects share the same space and can react to each other. A virtual garment can rest on a real table or drape over a real mannequin.
- How it works
- The headset (e.g. Apple Vision Pro) constantly scans the real room in 3D, so digital content understands walls, depth and lighting — and you control it with your eyes and hands.
- In fashion
- Design reviews of 3D samples at true scale, co-design sessions, and blended 'phygital' retail displays.
AI
Artificial Intelligence
- What it is
- Software that learns patterns from lots of examples, then makes decisions or creates new things — recognising a face, suggesting a size, or generating a print.
- How it works
- It is trained on huge amounts of data (images, sales, body measurements). From that it learns to predict or generate. It is the 'brain' that makes AR/VR experiences feel smart.
- In fashion
- Generative design, virtual try-on that maps to your face/body, size recommendations, and personalised product suggestions.
How “View in AR” works on apple.com
Apple is one of the clearest real-world examples of AR shopping done simply. On many product pages there is a “View in AR” button that places a true-to-scale 3D product in your own room — straight from the browser, with no app to install. Apple calls this AR Quick Look.
Tap 'View in AR'
On a product page (e.g. apple.com) you tap the AR button.
Camera scans the room
The phone maps floors & surfaces using LiDAR / computer vision.
3D model appears
A true-to-scale 3D product is placed in your real space.
Walk around & decide
You move around it, check size & finish, then buy with confidence.
Why it matters for fashion
The exact same idea powers virtual try-on for sneakers, watches, glasses and bags. When a customer can see a product at real scale in their space, they buy with more confidence and return less — which is a huge cost in fashion retail.
What makes it work
Three ingredients: a good 3D model of the product, accurate real-world scale, and the phone's ability to understand surfaces using the camera and LiDAR depth sensor. Great AR feels effortless.
Tip: open it on an iPhone or iPad, pick a product (e.g. HomePod or Apple Watch) and look for the AR button.
AI shows up at every stage of fashion
It's tempting to think of AI as one thing (like a chatbot). In fashion retail it's more useful to see it as a set of tools that appear across the whole journey — from the first sketch to the final sale.
Design
Generative moodboards, prints & silhouettes
Product
3D samples, digital twins, less waste
Try-on
Virtual fitting rooms & AR mirrors
Retail
Personalised recommendations & sizing
AI is not one tool — it shows up at every stage of the fashion journey.
The four kinds of AI you'll meet in this course
Generative AI
Creates new images, prints, patterns and moodboards from a text prompt. A fast 'idea partner' for designers.
Example: Type 'monsoon-inspired floral for a saree' and get dozens of print directions in seconds.
Computer Vision
Lets a computer 'see' and understand images — faces, body shape, clothing and where things are in a room.
Example: Powers virtual try-on by mapping lipstick onto your lips or glasses onto your face in real time.
Recommendation AI
Learns your taste from what you view and buy, then suggests items you're likely to love.
Example: 'You might also like…' rows and personalised homepages on shopping apps.
Sizing & Fit AI
Predicts the right size from your measurements or a photo, cutting returns and guesswork.
Example: 'Based on your height and fit preference, order size M' before you buy.
Play with it yourself — grab these from the App Store
The best way to understand this tech is to touch it. Download a few of these free apps and spend about 10 minutes each. As you play, keep asking: “What feels like magic? What feels clunky? Would I actually buy from this?”
Apple Store
Apple's own app + apple.com let you place products like iPhone, Mac and accessories in your room at true scale.
Try this
Open a product, tap 'View in AR', and walk around the 3D model in your space.
IKEA Place
The classic AR retail app — place true-to-scale furniture in your room before buying.
Try this
Drop a chair or lamp into your room and see how AR handles size and lighting.
Warby Parker
Try on eyeglasses virtually using the front camera and face tracking.
Try this
Use Virtual Try-On to test frames on your own face — notice how it tracks your features.
Snapchat
Fashion & beauty brands build AR 'lenses' — makeup, sneakers, hats, accessories you can try live.
Try this
Search brand lenses (e.g. makeup or shoe try-on) and see real-time body/face AR.
Sephora Virtual Artist
AI + AR lets you try lipstick and makeup shades live on your face.
Try this
Swap lip and eye shades instantly and notice how AI maps colour onto skin.
Nike
Nike has experimented with AR foot-scanning for fit and AR product reveals.
Try this
Explore product pages and any AR/3D views; note how brands blend AR with storytelling.
Turn a real object into a 3D model — photogrammetry
Photogrammetry is how you go from a real shoe, bag or garment to a digital 3D version you can drop into AR, a website, or a virtual store. You just take lots of photos from every angle and the app stitches them into a 3D model. This is the starting point for digital twins and virtual try-on — so it's worth trying yourself.
1 · Capture
Slowly circle the object, taking overlapping photos from high, eye and low angles. Good, even light helps a lot.
2 · Process
The app finds matching points across your photos and reconstructs the shape and surface texture into a 3D mesh.
3 · Use it
View it in AR, spin it around, or export it for a product page, lookbook or virtual showroom.
Download a 3D scanner and scan something
All of these are free to try on iPhone or Android. Pick one, scan a shoe or accessory, and bring your model to class.
Polycam
iPhone / iPad / AndroidThe most popular 3D scanner. Uses photos (photogrammetry) and LiDAR to build detailed 3D models you can export and view in AR.
Try this
Scan a shoe or bag by walking around it slowly. Watch the flat photos become a 3D object.
KIRI Engine
iPhone / AndroidPhoto-based 3D scanning that works on almost any phone — no LiDAR needed. Good for capturing texture and detail.
Try this
Take 30–50 photos around one object; let it process into a 3D model in the cloud.
Scaniverse
iPhone / AndroidFree, fast 3D scanning (photogrammetry + Gaussian splatting). Great quality results straight on the device.
Try this
Scan a small mannequin or a folded garment and rotate the finished 3D model.
RealityScan
iPhone / AndroidMade by Epic Games (Unreal). Turns phone photos into high-quality 3D models used in games and film.
Try this
Capture a rigid accessory (sunglasses case, sneaker) and see production-grade photogrammetry.
Keep these terms handy
You'll hear these words throughout the course. Skim them now, and come back whenever something is fuzzy.
AR — Augmented Reality
Digital on top of realDigital content (a 3D shoe, makeup, furniture) is layered on top of the real world through your phone camera or glasses. The real world is still visible.
VR — Virtual Reality
Fully digital worldA headset replaces your view of the real world with a completely digital one — used for virtual showrooms and immersive brand experiences.
MR — Mixed Reality
Real & digital interactDigital objects understand and react to the real world (and vice-versa) — e.g. a virtual garment that drapes correctly on a real mannequin.
Spatial Computing
Computing in 3D spaceApple's umbrella term (used for Vision Pro) for tech that blends digital content with physical space, controlled with eyes, hands and voice.
AR Quick Look
'View in AR' on the webApple's technology that lets a website show a 3D product in AR with one tap — no app install needed. This powers the 'View in AR' buttons on apple.com.
Virtual Try-On (VTO)
Try before you buyUsing AR + AI to preview how a product (glasses, makeup, clothing) looks on your body or face in real time.
Generative AI
AI that createsAI that produces new content — images, prints, patterns, moodboards, or text — from a prompt. Increasingly used as a design collaborator.
Digital Twin
A 3D copyA precise 3D digital replica of a physical garment or product, used for design, virtual sampling, and online display.
Photogrammetry
Photos → 3D modelA way to build a 3D model of a real object by taking many photos from different angles. Software finds matching points across the photos to reconstruct shape and texture — how you turn a real shoe into a digital 3D one.
A little homework
- 1Pick ONE try-on app and 'shop' something, OR use a 3D scanner to capture a shoe/accessory. Save a screenshot or your 3D model.
- 2Write 3 sentences: what worked, what didn't, and one idea to make it better for a fashion brand.
- 3Find one fashion brand (Indian or global) already using AR, VR or AI, and bring the example to class.
Next up
Session 2 · Virtual Try-On & the Digital Body