The fashion industry is increasingly incorporating digital models into marketing campaigns:
Gucci (2026): In the Primavera campaign, Demna Gvasalia used fully AI-generated images, effectively blurring the line between reality and code.
Guess (2025): In the US edition of Vogue, the brand ran a disclaimer: "Seraphinne Vallora on AI" – marking the first time an AI model appeared in the magazine's print edition.
Balmain (2024): The brand promoted its summer collection using Shudu – one of the digital models in the "Balmain Army", which also includes Margot and Zhi.
What if an AI generates a "Lookalike" model?
If an algorithm creates a face that resembles a real person, even without direct copying, the brand still enters a zone of legal risk.
In the absence of specific regulation in Russia, general legal provisions apply:
Protection of a citizen's image (Article 152.1 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation): "consent is required if the sole purpose of disclosing and using a person's image is ... to generate profit" (position of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation).
Misleading advertising (paragraph 10, part 3, Article 5 of Federal Law No. 38-FZ): if the use of a "lookalike" creates the impression that a real person endorses the product, when in fact they do not, this constitutes a violation.
Personal data (Article 9 of Federal Law No. 152-FZ): if an AI generates an image associated with a specific individual, this may be considered processing of personal data without the individual's consent.
Recommendations for brands
When creating new visual materials using images of a model from previous shoots, it is important to:
(a) label AI-generated content (as Guess did in Vogue);
(b) include in the Model Release the right to AI use, including the generation of new images;
(c) provide for additional remuneration (AI constitutes a separate means of commercial use of a person's image).
Originality matters, but legal clarity is critical.
(Image: Balmain / Balmain Army (Margot, Shudu and Zhi). All rights belong to the rights holder).