New Look has announced a new partnership with AI visualisation platform Fermat with the aim of making buying and design process faster and more flexible.

It will reportedly use the technology to help its teams create virtual product renders, test design variations and experiment with different prints, colourways and styling options before products are physically sampled.

New Look said the partnership would help its buying and design teams bring ideas to market more quickly, while supporting a more efficient approach to product development.

The new partnership forms part of the retailer’s wider digital transformation strategy, which includes using data, AI and customer insight across its commercial and creative teams.

By using Fermat, New Look designers will be able to explore multiple versions of a product at an earlier stage, reducing the reliance on traditional sampling and giving teams more room to refine ranges before they reach customers.

New Look creative director Anica Wislawski said the platform would help designers “bring ideas to life faster” while allowing the business to spend more time on the parts of the process where human judgement mattered most.

“Creativity has always been at the heart of New Look. It’s what helps us create distinctive products that resonate with our customers and keeps them coming back season after season,” she said.

“Fermat gives our designers the freedom to bring ideas to life faster, explore more creative possibilities and refine products through multiple iterations before they reach the customer.”

She added that the technology would help remove time from parts of the design process and allow teams to focus more heavily on understanding customers, identifying trends and shaping wearable products.

“By combining creative instinct, customer insight and AI-powered tools, we’re able to make more informed decisions and shape trends into wearable ideas that work in everyday life,” Wislawski said.

The announcement was revealed amid major changes for New Look as it increases its use of customer data across the business.

It said insights from Club New Look, its loyalty scheme, are helping shape its broader strategy by giving teams a clearer view of customer preferences and shopping behaviour.

Club New Look has now passed one million members.

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