Valentino’s AI campaign breaks the internet. But not in a good way
Valentino's AI-generated campaign for the DeVain handbag received criticism for being eerie and lacking human creativity.
Valentino’s new handbag campaign was meant to turn heads. Instead, it shocked its own fans. Well, the Italian luxury house is facing heavy backlash after unveiling a series of AI-generated visuals for its DeVain handbag. Shared on Instagram as part of what the brand called a digital creative project, the videos were quickly met with confusion and criticism from followers who found the imagery strange, eerie and far from the world of high fashion.
The clip shows models and shapes blending into each other while the DeVain bag floats in the centre of the frame. Arms stretch into curved forms, faces blur together, and bodies melt into patterns inspired by the Valentino logo.
Within hours, the comment section filled with words like cheap, lazy and embarrassing. Several users wrote that a couture house should highlight human creativity, not replace it. Others accused the brand of ignoring the mood around AI by pushing out content that felt more like a cost-cutting shortcut than a luxury statement.
However, this is not the first case. Fashion labels across the world have been experimenting with generative AI to speed up shoots, create digital models or cut production costs. For instance, H&M’s use of digital twins sparked debates about the future of real models and the many workers involved in photo shoots. Later, the brand shared, “We’re exploring emerging technologies like generative AI to amplify creativity and reimagine how we showcase fashion.”
An AI-generated Guess advert in Vogue also raised questions about unrealistic beauty standards and the erasure of human touch.
