AI Fashion Exhibition in Frankfurt Explores Limits and Biases; Resale Market Booms, Challenging Traditional Retail

The "New Realities" exhibition at Frankfurt's Museum für Kommunikation explores the potential and limitations of AI in fashion. The exhibition features AI-generated designs, including an imagined Karl Lagerfeld tracksuit, alongside discussions of AI's struggles with diversity and realistic representation. Curators highlight the necessity of human collaboration to overcome AI's inherent biases and lack of sensory understanding. The exhibition runs until January 11, 2026. Concurrently, the resale market is experiencing rapid growth. The ThredUp 2025 Resale Report indicates that the U.S. secondhand apparel market grew five times faster than the broader retail clothing market in 2024. It is projected to reach $74 billion by 2029. A record 58% of U.S. consumers shopped secondhand in 2024. The report also suggests that resale could act as a buffer against tariff-related price increases, while also noting the paradox of fast fashion and resale growing simultaneously. Challenges remain in enhancing personalization and discovery within the resale market.