Ask an independent fashion designer how they actually spend their time, and "designing clothes" is rarely the answer. Administrative tasks, factory logistics, and vendor coordination take up the bulk of their days, leaving very little time for design.

Ahead of New York Fashion Week, Google’s Envisioning Studio, with support from Google Labs, set out to streamline the creative workflow process—helping designers bring ambitious runway visions to life with less friction.

Google engineers worked side by side with designers Jane Wade and Sergio Hudson, using Google Flow, our AI creative studio, to build two specialized tools to address their specific challenges. Jane’s Google Flow tool helped her create balanced head-to-toe looks before producing physical samples. Sergio used his tool to stage his runway on a tight studio budget.

The Google Flow tool we co-created with Jane, Styling Suite, mapped every facet of her runway model looks. In-person casting and fittings typically consume up to three full days for a design team. The tool allowed her to curate hair, makeup, accessories, shoes, and garments on digital models, then play with the styling virtually. She was able to balance each look and identify missing elements before cutting and sewing additional pieces.