Brunello Cucinelli bets big on AI, Balenciaga on Apple Vision Pro

A household name among the Silicon Valley tech titans and celebrity high-flyers, Brunello Cucinelli is ready to place its bets on artificial intelligence. Last Tuesday, the quiet luxury poster child unveiled its new website powered by generative AI, a project that has been in development since 2021. Unlike other luxury labels, which have harnessed the tech to help streamline their e-commerce model, Cucinelli’s is an extension of the designer’s real-world philosophy. As consumers scroll through the new site, they’re immersed in the rich universe of the brand via interactive sketches and chatbots. Can the human element boost sales conversion? In other news this week, the sneaker-tech race is gaining pace. On, the functional footwear label turned cool kid, recently teased its spray-on shoe created using the brand’s proprietary LightSpray technology. Hot on the heels of Nike’s AI-infused A.I.R. prototype debut, who’s taking the lead? Brunello Cucinelli launches AI-driven website What happened: Ultra-lux label Brunello Cucinelli has released a new website, separate from its e-commerce site, powered by generative AI. The platform invites consumers to scroll their way through a series of different backdrops to discover immersive drawings, vignettes on Cucinelli’s life, and more. Visitors can also interact with Solomei AI, a bespoke machine-learning service which can answer questions related to the brand and designer. The tech was unveiled at Milan’s Piccolo Teatro on Tuesday after the brand teased its investment in AI in May during a three-day conference. The verdict: Consumer expectations are sky-high for this latest development. A brand venerated for its uber-premium products IRL (and price tags), all eyes are on whether Brunello Cucinelli can successfully replicate its luxury standard in the digital world. The label joins a growing roster of high-end labels tapping AI to win over luxury’s 1%. Zegna rolled out its in-store personal assistant service, powered by machine-learning, in April. Available on an appointment-only basis, the 3D configurator tool can draw up 49 billion potential outfit combinations for customers. Loro Piana, another favorite among the tech set, is also using AI to enable consumers to design their own digital doppelgängers, before styling them in virtual Loro Piana garments. On launches spray-on shoe ahead of the Olympics What happened: On is gearing up to unveil its latest sneaker model, coined the Cloudboom Strike LS, created using the brand’s new Lightspray technology. The shoe, which will be revealed on the eve of the Paris Olympics (July 25), is crafted via a robotic arm, which sprays recyclable thermoplastic to create an ultralight one-piece shoe upper. The upper is affixed to a sole using thermal-fusing technology; a process that takes three minutes from start to end. The shoe also marks On’s lightest ever design, weighing in at 170g for the men’s version, and 158g for the women’s. The verdict: On has established itself as something of a disruptor in the sneaker landscape. While this latest development doesn’t directly relate to Web3 – compared to Nike, which deployed generative AI to help design its A.I.R. prototype – it demonstrates the rise in mainstream labels embracing emerging technologies to boost their competitive edge. But while innovations like On’s signal a promising future for footwear, novelty can’t take pride of place over function. On may have found its point of differentiation with Lightspray, but will it live up to the brand’s performance credentials? Balenciaga launches Apple Vision Pro app What happened: Balenciaga is the latest luxury brand to join the Apple Vision Pro hype. On Tuesday, the maison unveiled its new app exclusively for the headset, which allows wearers to watch the brand’s previous runway shows, including its Spring 2025 Shanghai collection, in a mixed-reality setting using augmented reality. Audiences can also flick through different lookbooks to explore individual looks. The verdict: The activation marks the first Vision Pro application from a luxury brand that features runway shows. Kering competitor Gucci, for instance, tapped the headset in March to immerse audiences in its interactive documentary on creative director Sabato De Sarno, over showcasing its garments. While Balenciaga’s new app allows users to explore the brand’s collections in detail, its use case still feels pretty limited. That said, onboarding onto the headset is the first step for many brands. Once their presence is established within the Vision Pro ecosystem, they have the platform to expand on their creative concepts – Balenciaga has already announced its plan to increase its offerings via the gadget, which will include allowing customers to shop ready-to-wear products directly from the experience. Meta Bites Coach has announced its entry into the world of gaming alongside Roblox and South Korean title Zepeto. The latest luxury brand to join the metaverse hype, Coach’s new endeavor will see the label collaborate with popular gaming influencers, alongside launching month-long integrations into Gen Alpha hotspot Roblox under the Fashion Klossette (created by model Karlie Kloss) experience. German luxury label MCM has joined the Aura Blockchain Consortium to bring its new collection, designed in collaboration with Harper Collective, onto the blockchain. Each piece from the drop will be equipped with a Digital Product Passport (DPP), marking MCM’s first DPP initiative.

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Brunello Cucinelli bets big on AI, Balenciaga on Apple Vision Pro