London-based fashion designer Priya Ahluwalia is using her eponymous brand to change attitudes and consumer behavior around sustainable fashion. Priya Ahluwalia sought to bring fashion-conscious UK consumers into her process and disrupt traditional supply chains; and by collaborating with Microsoft and its AI technologies, we were able to bring that vision to life with Circulate — a program and microsite housed within the main Ahluwalia website that empowers UK consumers to get involved in circular fashion.

The Climate Crisis has reached a fever pitch in the past year, and the fashion industry is a big part of the problem: 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions comes from the industry (Source: World Bank), and 3/5 of all clothing produced ends up in landfills within just years of being made (Source: NYTimes). Ahluwalia is determined to make the industry more circular, and sought to involve UK consumers in that process to disrupt traditional supply chains and crowdsource materials. We worked closely with the Ahluwalia team and Microsoft to empower sustainably minded consumers and the Ahluwalia brand. The result is an AI-powered microsite, Circulate, which allows UK consumers to donate their “loved but unwanted” garments to help Ahluwalia build upcoming collections and earn rewards in the process.

Microsoft is dedicated to helping every person and organization achieve more; integrating their AI tools allowed us to streamline the submission process on Circulate, empower a BIPOC woman-owned fashion label, and encourage sustainable fashion at the consumer level. Seeking to disrupt traditional supply chains by crowdsourcing materials, Circulate is a digital platform and program housed on Ahluwalia’s main website that encourages consumers in the UK to donate their “loved but unwanted” garments to help build Ahluwalia’s next collection and power circularity in the industry. Ahluwalia is a luxury brand, and wanted to welcome fashion fans who a) have materials to donate and b) might not be able to afford Ahluwalia garments. Our easy-to-use site powers garment donations at the consumer level and offers discounts for every garment donated, solving two brand concerns simultaneously.

Seeking to disrupt traditional supply chains by crowdsourcing materials, Circulate is a digital platform and program that encourages consumers in the UK to donate their garments to help build Ahluwalia’s next collection and power circularity in the industry. Ahluwalia is a luxury brand that uses upcycled garments, but to unlock these non-traditional supply chains and turbocharge the collection process, they wanted to welcome fashion fans who a) have materials to donate and b) might not be able to otherwise afford Ahluwalia garments. Our easy-to-use site powers garment donations at the consumer level and offers discounts for every garment donated, solving two brand concerns simultaneously. Integrating Microsoft AI tools allowed us to streamline the submission process, empower a BIPOC woman-owned fashion label, and encourage sustainable fashion at the consumer level. Circulate creates a steady stream of materials, enables creative efficiencies, and also unlocks crowdsourced supply chains in ways not previously possible.

On the Circulate microsite, the Ahluwalia team puts out an open call for garments and textiles, engaging their core community and fans. Users can then upload images or video of a garment they’d like to donate. Microsoft’s Computer Vision API analyzes and sorts garments that can be upcycled into a database for Ahluwalia, identifying characteristics like color, material, and label info — allowing the team to quickly approve garments and send users prepaid shipping labels. Users can then ship the garment to Ahluwalia’s studio and redeem points towards future Ahluwalia purchases. Designed to be mobile-first, Circulate takes design cues from social media and Gen Z ecommerce resale platforms to appeal to young audiences and make the submission process as easy and seamless as possible. Development began on March 18, 2021 and Circulate launched in the UK (the only market where it currently operates) on November 2, 2021.

Since launching in the UK, we’ve had over 44,000 users interact with the Circulate platform, and garnered over 362 million earned media impressions — proving that our concept is not only relevant, but useful. We were able to demonstrate real-world use cases for Microsoft AI tools within the fashion industry, create a blueprint for circularity in fashion, and invite consumers into what is usually an opaque sourcing process, all while streamlining production for the small Ahluwalia team. An eminently scalable model, we look forward to expanding Circulate’s reach with Ahluwalia in the future. Circulate points to the possibilities of innovation within global supply chains, and empowers consumers to participate in circularity within fashion. To create real change across the industry, more forward-thinking brands and labels will need to follow Ahluwalia’s lead and look to integrate circularity into their entire design, sourcing, production, and shipping processes.