Must Read: What to Know About AI Fashion Week, The Decline of the Sneaker Trend

Plus, the NAACP expands apprenticeship program for hair and makeup artists.

These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Thursday.

What to know about AI Fashion Week
Coming to New York in a couple of weeks is the first AI Fashion Week, a fashion competition highlighting emerging AI designers. The event will occur online and in person where the public can vote on the collections. The top 10 finalists will then be judged by a jury of notable industry insiders and the three winners will get support from AIFW’s fashion-tech incubator in partnership with Revolve. "It's a new type of designer," Michael Mente, Revolve CEO and co-founder, told Vogue Business. "It's not like the computer is designing and replacing jobs. It's a different type of creator that's using different types of technologies to create different types of outputs that can be produced physically. It's a fresh perspective." {Vogue Business/paywalled}

The decline of the sneaker trend
After nearly two decades of continuous dominance, the luxury sneaker market is forecasted to be on the decline. According to Fashion United, "analyzing new arrivals over a three-month period showed a significant 33 percent decrease in the share of sneakers between 2021 and 2022." This is not be confused with a lack of interest in luxury footwear, as other styles are now in demand. Formal footwear such as loafers and high heels are starting to gain momentum, with sandal heels "assortment share increasing by 25 percent." {Fashion United}

The NAACP expands apprenticeship program for hair and makeup artists
The NAACP has partnered with the Handy Foundation to launch the Glam Squad Training program, an expansion of the NAACP's apprenticeship program that serves as a resource for emerging BIPOC hair and makeup artists aspiring to work in film and TV production. The seven-week program will provide specialized training to the cohort, with opportunities such as meeting Hollywood professionals at industry mixers. The trainees have already been able to show off their talents at the 54^th NAACP Image Awards dinner and after party. At the end of the program, one or more participants may receive the chance to work as a production assistant on set in the hair and makeup department. {Fashionista inbox}

A beauty retailer dedicated to dupes
Dupeshop, the British online beauty dupe destination, is making it easier for beauty shoppers to find less expensive alternatives to prestigious beauty brands. The platform has more than 300 reviews comparing products, helping consumers search for effective items at a more affordable cost. "Products are judged by formula, texture, shade and performance, and each lower-cost dupe is presented as a match for one higher-end product," wrote Erica La Sala. The platform also has makeup artists, skin-care experts and a cosmetic scientist on board to test products before they're listed. In addition to making sales, Dupeshop wants to educate its consumer on what to look for and how to make the best shopping decisions. {Beauty Independent}

ChatGPT introduces a new era of styling
ChatGPT, the AI-powered technology, is now being introduced as a tool for fashion styling. Startups like YesPlz are using ChatGPT to provide outfit suggestions based on user inquiries with pieces pulled from a retailer's catalog. With the technology still in its early stages, there is still a disconnect between providing product recommendations based on patterns versus offering creative and imaginative ideas — a component that is hard to master without a human counterpart. "Beyond just offering clients new ideas, human stylists have skills like identifying what clothes work for a client's body type and staying on top of trends. For that reason, ChatGPT doesn't look ready to replace them just yet," wrote Marc Bain for Business of Fashion. {Business of Fashion/paywalled}

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