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What if your brand can’t keep up with how fast machines are learning human tone? At Fashion Decoded, we explored what it really takes to stay curious and ahead in fashion retail.
“This summer, something remarkable will happen – machines will start to speak in natural language.” Azeem Azhar spoke strong words at the start of Fashion Decoded, our inaugural Mapp Fashion summit. It makes you think: What happens if your brand doesn’t know how to speak back? What happens if your tech isn’t fluent in the language of fashion?
That challenge defined Fashion Decoded. The event was intended to create new ways of thinking about the technology behind Fashion Retail. In a market that’s often reactive, we challenged our audience to be proactive – to lead, not follow.
Fashion Decoded wasn’t about showcasing products. It was about delivering impulses, sparking dialogue, and asking better questions. The room was filled with some of the most iconic names in retail: Valentino, Harrods, Jigsaw, Peacocks, Primark, John Lewis, Ann Taylor, and Turnbull & Asser. The speaker line-up that brought fresh, unfiltered insight into what it will take to thrive in this new era.
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Mapp Fashion was first introduced at Fashion Decoded, and it stands for something very specific. It combines human stylist intelligence with fashion-specific data science. Our mission? To make sure your product speaks to humans, not machines, and to help retailers turn that shits into a real revenue uplift.
Across keynote talks, panels, and a fully immersive experience zone into the language of Fashion, Fashion Decoded showcased a pivotal shift. We are about to rewrite the fashion retail playbook – from inventory decisions to customer experience.
Azeem Azhar set the tone with his trademark clarity: the shift from search to conversation, from Google to ChatGPT, is already reshaping retail. Vanessa Kingori, OBE, reminded us that the focus on real interactions with real people is still the key to success – but machines are here to take over complex tasks for you in the background. In a conversation with Sarah McVittie, VP Marketing at Mapp, Orian English of OpenAI echoed a powerful truth: you’re never too early – only too late. And that means it’s time to challenge old habits and reimagine how we operate. Mairi Fairley reminded us that stores are resurging. Omnichannel is here to stay.
The feedback we received echoed the energy we felt in the room at 180 Studios:
“Super smart, intelligent content.”
“Unlike any fashion event I’ve been to.”
“You’ve just reset the bar for what an AI event should look like.”
Fashion is re-entering a human phase. The data supports it: 25% of all UK fashion purchases are now second-hand. And AI? It’s no longer a curiosity. It’s a necessity, for all levels of expertise.
The experience zone, AKA Mapp Fashion Studio, brought that message home with visceral clarity. Through interactive scenes – from guessing attributes to occasion matching and a fashion quiz – attendees saw first-hand how poor, technology-first product data compromises search results. Customer experience failures cost real revenue and loyalty and lead to overflowing warehouses.
Perhaps what stood out most was the quality of curiosity that filled the room. Many arrived expecting another sales-driven event, heavy on pitches and product talk. Instead, they left with something far more valuable: perspective. The discussions weren’t about tech specs, but about mindset shifts. Not “how do we buy this tool?” but “how do we adapt to create meaningful conversations again?”
From demand forecasting to how teams collaborate across silos, Fashion Decoded revealed how important it is to keep questioning what we do and why. The best responses didn’t come from the stage – they came from the conversations it sparked.
If one message resonated across every session, it was this: staying curious isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. As Azeem reminded us, “Change must happen from the top and the bottom. CEOs need to be curious themselves.” AI isn’t here to replace humans – it’s here to free them. To shift time from admin to creativity.
We saw that beautifully in our own session featuring Natalie Theo (Style Director @Mapp) and Rachael McAlister (Senior Data Scientist @Mapp) and Ricardas Montvila (SVP CX & Solutions @Mapp). Their conversation, part data, part instinct, captured what fashion fluency really means: combining human and machine strengths to unlock better outcomes.
If you missed a talk, don’t worry – the insights are coming your way. Video content from the event will be available shortly.
But if there’s one thing we hope you take away, it’s this: now is the time to act. Be curious. Test boldly. Don’t wait for perfect. Fashion is messy, but with the right tools and mindset, it can be profoundly rewarding.
Machines are learning to speak like us. Let’s make sure we don’t forget how to speak as humans. Let’s reclaim the creative space that AI enables.
Want to dig deeper? Sign up to receive our full State of Fashion report in September and explore how curiosity, creativity, and capability can reshape your retail future.
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