Zalando explores digital twins – high-fidelity replicas of real models

Inspiration is shaping how people shop — especially Gen Z, who expect a seamless, personal, and visually rich experience. At Zalando, this shift is central to our strategy: building the leading pan-European fashion and lifestyle destination. High-quality visual content plays a key role — evolving from static product images to richer, visual-first formats and interactive experiences to support inspiration, better discovery, and more confident purchases.

A content built to adapt

Fashion moves fast — and so do customer expectations. Trends can emerge overnight, and the ability to respond with high-quality, relevant content is becoming essential. Traditional production methods often struggle to match that pace, especially for reactive formats like teaser campaigns or onsite banners tied to microtrends.

To meet this need, Zalando has scaled the use of AI-assisted tools across our content workflows. In the past six months, AI-driven content production has scaled, with approximately 70% of editorial campaign assets being AI-generated in Q4 2024.

“AI gives us the ability to move at the pace of culture — from spotting a trend to producing tailored content in under 24 hours. It’s like going from two hands to four. That kind of flexibility means our teams can stay creative, empowered and focused, while scaling content that’s timely, relevant, and high quality.” — Matthias Haase, VP Content Solutions at Zalando

Blending the physical and digital

As part of this evolution, Zalando is piloting the use of digital twins — high-fidelity 3D replicas of real models developed together with our partner ORENDT STUDIOS.

The digital twins are a realistic 3D representation, mirroring the appearance, shape, and movement of the original model, allowing us to create high-quality visuals more efficiently while maintaining our standards for accuracy and authenticity. By pairing digital models with high-quality product photoshoots, we achieve a precise representation of each garment, from silhouette to fabric texture and logo placement.

“In traditional product photography, what you see is a one-to-one representation — including fabric texture and detail. The power of the digital twin lies in delivering the same high-quality content, but at scale, seamlessly and across multiple channels. Together with our longstanding partner Zalando, we’re proud and excited to take the next step towards full AI digitalisation, with a clear focus on legal compliance and ethical responsibility. This is a major opportunity for the industry. Real people. Real tech. Real impact. That’s the future we’re building with digital twins.”  — Torsten Orendt, CEO ORENDT STUDIOS.

Evolving creativity with digital twins

Digital twins are an addition to our content toolkit, giving teams more flexibility while creating a more connected experience for customers. A real model might appear in an inspirational campaign, and the same recognizable presence can continue on detailed product pages — making it easier for customers to move from discovery to decision without losing that sense of connection. Human involvement remains a key part of the process, from model scans to creative direction. All AI-supported content is carefully reviewed to ensure quality and transparency.

“This is a huge opportunity for me. Using cutting-edge technology based on ethical standards, I can expand my scope of work and take part in multiple photo shoots at the same time. I was amazed by the level of quality — it's a true-to-life representation!” — Marylou Moll, Paris-based model.

“Compared to generative AI models, digital twins offer models an excellent opportunity to advance their careers by showcasing their talents globally with fewer geographical and time constraints, while also gaining access to additional and fair income streams.” —Armin Geiger, CEO RAIN MANAGEMENT SL, Model Agency Spain.

Digital twins are still a pilot. But they point to a broader shift — one where technology supports creativity, where content can be both fast and thoughtful, and where real people remain at the core of the experience.

As we move forward, one thing stays the same: our commitment to quality, inspiration, and innovation – no matter the tools or formats we use.