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Fashion portfolio advice: should you use AI?

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Everything is AI now, so let's talk about it.

I started by using it to tackle some petty issues on this blog - fixing broken links, tweaking tone on a few posts. Then one thing led to another, as it tends to on an AI chat, and suddenly I had the skeleton of a video script to build on.

I won't get into whether AI is the best thing ever or the end of the planet's resources and half our jobs — that's a much bigger conversation, and honestly, out of my depth. What I do want to cover is the traps prospective students can walk into, and how to use AI as something more useful than a crutch for an overedited portfolio.

My suggested AI research prompts at the end of the video:

Here's the full list so you can come back to it without rewatching.

Applications & school research

  • Research and compile application dates for several schools at once
  • Review schools and see which ones would suit your profile, needs, and goals
  • Come up with a realistic application timeline. If you're reaching out to me in November with no work yet, hoping to apply by end of January... that's just not realistic. Work with AI to build a proper game plan instead
  • Important: Applications, plural! Never apply to only one school - what happens if you get a rejection?

Reference tools

  • Ask it to create a fashion model template for you to draw over.

Pressure-testing assumptions

  • Ask AI to pressure-test the assumption that a CSM degree automatically grants you a job anywhere you want. Honestly, this is one of my favourite uses of AI: always ask it to pressure-test: its own reply, another tool's reply, your own assumptions, someone else's surefire advice
  • It'd be great if AI could search LinkedIn for interns and junior designers at brands you like, then check which schools they came from... but LinkedIn blocks automated access to profiles, so that part's still all your own legwork
  • Looking for internships? Ask AI to research which brands or designers are allegedly infamous for exploiting their interns
  • I'm also not a fan of brands asking for an original mini project as part of their hiring process - it's free work they can use without ever hiring you or crediting you. If you don't have anyone around you to help spot and push back on exploitative hiring practices, AI can help you make an informed call on whether it's worth going ahead, and how much time to actually put into it

Hope this was helpful, and leave me a comment on YouTube if you have any questions, AI horror stories etc.

AI use disclosure

As mentioned on the intro, I used an AI tool (Claude) to give me a draft to work from. This draft was based on my own body of work from this blog, and it accounted for max. 20% of the total work put into this.

Claude's output for reference here.