J.Crew’s recent attempt to recreate its ’90s heritage look for a Vans sneaker collab landed less like a nostalgic throwback and more like a Photoshop class gone off the rails. Instead of spotlighting the product, followers on Instagram noticed some suspicious visuals—mismatched sweater stripes, ghost laces, and limbs bent like origami. Turns out, the catalog-style images were AI-generated—something J.Crew forgot to mention at first. That omission sparked online backlash, with users calling out the brand for being less than transparent.
The controversy shines a harsh light on a broader tension: brands are getting cozy with generative AI, but consumers—including Gen Z and millennials—aren’t necessarily swiping right. A recent study from IAB and Sonata Insights found only 38% of those demographics view AI ad content positively, compared to 80% of advertisers. In fashion and beauty in particular, fidelity and trust are deal-breakers. If the audience suspects the model (or worse, the product) isn’t real, credibility takes a hit.
J.Crew eventually added a note to its posts crediting a London-based AI studio, but by that time the damage was already in the comments. As more brands dip into AI-generated visuals, trust and clear labeling look to be the currency of credibility. As Getty’s Rebecca Swift put it, if people talk more about the tech than the product, you’ve lost the thread—and maybe even the sale.
Full story at AdAge.