Genera is one of the emerging players in AI-powered content production for fashion. Built on more than a decade of experience in Hollywood VFX and digital architecture, the company has developed its own ethical infrastructure for replicating clothing and designing fashion models from scratch. In this conversation, Sofia Polyakova explains how the Ground Zero collaboration came together, why the fashion industry needs new standards for AI content, and how creative roles are likely to evolve as the tools go mainstream.
Let’s start with the Scandinavian MIND project. What made this the right story to showcase what Genera’s technology can do?
– While AI production can technically generate any kind of image, the real challenge lies in capturing the stylist’s intent and the creative direction. That’s where the true value and depth of the project emerge. With Scandinavian MIND, it wasn’t just about clothing replication or dressing our AI Fashion Models, it was about translating the philosophy behind the technology into a cohesive visual story.
– What matters most is making it clear that AI enhances creative control rather than removing it. I’d even say it eliminates many of the pain points involved in producing visuals and opens up space to be far bolder, allowing decisions that often aren’t feasible within the constraints of traditional photography. Creating a unified visual narrative was our priority, and this collaboration allowed us to do just that.
What were the main creative and technical steps in producing it?
– The brief is the most essential element for any operator or creative lead working with our technology; it serves as the foundation. It defines the visual references, conceptual direction, and selection of clothing items, which we then use to calibrate the technology and generate results that reflect the original vision. The final outcome results from close collaboration between one’s vision and the technology itself. In this case, our goal was to faithfully translate the creative direction of the Scandinavian MIND team into visuals, entirely online, without relying on any physical elements.
For those unfamiliar, how would you describe what Genera does, and how you differ from other AI image-generation platforms?
– That’s a great question. What sets Genera apart is the precision with which we replicate clothing and apply it to AI Fashion Models. Unlike most image-generation tools, our system is built with the specific demands of fashion in mind, where detail, accuracy, and consistency are essential. Genera is built on over a decade of experience creating hyperreal visual worlds for Hollywood, architecture, and gaming. Our technology, developed by over 200 experts, was refined to meet the uncompromising fashion industry standards, where visual quality, garment fit, and fabric realism are non-negotiable. In traditional shoots, entire teams work to perfect every detail, from how fabric falls to the exact makeup tone. We understand those demands and have engineered our system to reflect that same level of precision and intent.
One key distinction you’ve emphasised is that your fashion models are built from scratch using 3D techniques. Why is that important?
This is a crucial point. Many working with AI in entertainment or fashion don’t realise that when using open-source AI models, the training data is made up of publicly available images. As a result, the AI-generated faces created with these models are essentially composites of real people’s identities, which can lead to serious legal and ethical concerns. For us, that approach was never an option. We knew that for the fashion industry – where image rights, brand integrity, and ethics are paramount – relying on open-source models was simply not possible. Imagine launching a global campaign and someone recognises their own face in an AI model.
– Instead, we borrow methods from our satellite companies that operate in Hollywood and the gaming industry, which are experienced in building hyperreal but entirely fictional characters. Every AI Fashion Model we create is built from scratch using 3D rendering and curated datasets, as if you’re designing a character for a cartoon or a game. This approach is entirely ethical and legitimate — and, in our view, the only way to responsibly operate in the AI space.
– Another aspect of our approach is our vision for the future of modeling. We’re also working with the model agencies to create digital twins for their models so they can license their digital likeness, earn passive income, and maintain control over how and when they appear. It’s about empowerment.
You’re now launching a SaaS platform — what does this shift from service to software mean for the industry?
– The impact is tremendous, creatively, financially, and operationally. Let’s start with cost. Producing a single PDP image traditionally costs between $15 and $100, depending on complexity. With Genera.Space, brands generate production-ready photos for $2–$3, instantly usable for eCommerce with no need for post-production. In terms of time, producing a campaign image can take one to two weeks, involving pre-production, styling, photoshoots, and editing. These images often cost thousands of dollars. With Genera.Space, the same image can be generated in minutes for as little as $10–$15.
“For photographers and stylists, what cannot be replaced is their taste, their instinct, their creative authorship. AI simply offers a new way to materialise that vision”
– Sofia Polyakova, COO, Genera
– Design teams can generate highly accurate samples instantly using fabric specs, Pantone references, and garment details. Realistic folds, textures, and fit — all before a physical sample exists. This gives merchandising and marketing teams access to accurate visuals early in the process, allowing for faster decisions, tighter alignment, and more efficient planning. Genera.Space unifies the entire content pipeline — from design to sale — reducing time, cutting costs, and giving teams full creative control at scale.
But this tech also raises difficult questions. How do you respond to the fear that AI content will replace photographers, stylists, or models?
– This is a very valid concern, and it’s one we take seriously. But it’s important to understand the context, especially when we talk about large enterprise companies, with tens of thousands of employees across multiple departments. Adopting AI doesn’t mean eliminating humans from the process. It means reshaping roles and creating new ones. To successfully integrate AI, companies still need operators, quality controllers, creative leads, and specialists who can guide teams through this transformation. AI requires human direction — people who understand brand identity, who can judge quality, and who can ensure the output reflects the creative vision.
– Yes, certain roles may change or evolve, but at the same time, new roles emerge — from AI production leads to digital asset curators and creative technologists. In fashion especially, one of the fastest-moving industries, this transformation is already underway and irreversible. For photographers and stylists, what cannot be replaced is their taste, their instinct, their creative authorship. AI simply offers a new way to materialise that vision — faster, bolder, and without the physical limitations of traditional production. It becomes a tool for scaling creativity, not silencing it.
– For models, it opens new possibilities. They can license their digital identity, earn passive income, and continue shaping their presence in the industry — on their own terms. It’s not about disappearance, it’s about expansion. I come from a fashion background myself, so I understand the initial fear — the worry that creativity might be replaced or devalued. But working with AI has shown me the opposite. It gives you more space, more speed, more tools to scale creativity, not reduce it. Ultimately, it’s not about AI replacing people, it’s about people evolving with the technology. And I truly hope more creatives will embrace this shift, because the industry is moving forward, with or without us. The opportunity is to lead the change — not resist it-
You’ve said that accuracy and legal responsibility are core to Genera. What do brands need to understand before diving into AI content creation?
– The most important aspect is legitimacy and safety. AI is a powerful but complex and highly sensitive topic, and for brands to succeed with it, every step in the process must be ethical, transparent, and conscious. Many creative teams still treat AI as a “magic tool,” without fully understanding what’s behind it — algorithms, data models, and decisions that carry real legal and reputational weight. That’s why it’s essential not only to follow existing laws and regulations but also to set internal standards that reflect a strong ethical position. We’re not just participating in a transformation — we’re shaping the rules of it. And with that comes the responsibility to ensure those rules are honest, safe, and built for the future, because ultimately, we’ll be the ones using them and living by them.
– Before diving into AI content creation, brands need to raise internal awareness: how AI works, how it should be integrated, and what responsible implementation actually looks like. That’s the real starting point — and the foundation for anything sustainable in this space. How do you see the role of designers and photographers evolving in this new landscape? Will AI be a co-creator or just another tool? It’s entirely up to the creatives — either embrace it or step aside. But those who do embrace it are finding new energy in their work. We’ve seen people sharpen and evolve their creative identity, open up new directions, and take on more projects simply because AI allows them to do so — faster, at scale, without losing intent. It’s a flexible tool. You can use it to refine details, collaborate with it, or let it generate for you. It doesn’t replace your creativity — it expands how far you can take it.
In three to five years, what do you hope becomes standard practice when it comes to producing and publishing fashion imagery?
– First, legitimacy. Right now, AI content still operates in a grey zone with very few regulations. That needs to change. Standards must be set, and the industry has to take responsibility for how this technology is used. We also believe every AI Fashion Model should be someone’s digital twin. That’s the future. It’s not about replacing models — it’s about giving them new ways to work, earn, and evolve with the industry. This is how roles get powered up, not pushed out.
– The level of technology — and how accurately it can replicate a clothing item — depends entirely on how honest the brand is with the buyer. Our system can already analyse fabric density, behaviour, and how it reacts to light and movement to produce highly realistic visuals. But at the end of the day, this content is what the customer will rely on to make a purchase. That’s why there needs to be a clear standard across all AI tools used in fashion: how accurate is the output, and how true is the garment’s fit? This isn’t just a tech question — it’s what defines the level of trust between the brand and the customer.
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