How AIGC empowers the development of fashion industry: a systematic literature review and future research directions

Abstract

With the rapid diffusion of AIGC technologies, the fashion industry has entered a new phase of technology-enabled transformation across multiple application scenarios. Using a Systematic Literature Review approach, this study analyzes 163 publications retrieved from Web of Science, EBSCO, IEEE Xplore, and Scopus to examine the research landscape, technological pathways, thematic focuses, and future directions of AIGC in fashion. The results indicate that related research has grown rapidly since 2022, forming an overall international trend of multi-center distribution and broad participation; relevant studies are widely distributed in interdisciplinary journals, and empirical case studies and quantitative research are currently the dominant paradigms. The technological evolution reveals a gradual paradigm shift from GAN-based approaches toward Diffusion Models and Large Language Models (LLMs). Research themes primarily focus on Intelligent Design & Customization, Trend Forecasting & Consumer Behavior, AI & Fashion Education, Law & Ethics, and Sustainable Fashion Design; furthermore, based on qualitative analysis, a three-layer framework of "Application–Design–Attribute" is constructed to elucidate the advantages and risks of AIGC in the fashion industry. Finally, this study proposes future research agendas such as advancing the three-layer architecture and building multi-agent collaborative systems. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how AIGC empowers the fashion industry and provides a reference for related research.