My Digital Twin, My Proxy — Are Avatars The New Reality on The Runway?

Is AI The New Runway Reality?

When Ope sent me this AI-fan art rendering—me, striding a runway, pixel and light instead of flesh and fatigue—I paused. It felt like a dream and a warning both. Because what if this isn’t just fan art, but a forecast?

Over the last few months, the modeling world has begun to reckon with avatars, clones, digital twins. H&M, for example, has launched campaigns using “AI‐twins” of real models in marketing (Cornell ILR report). And a Data & Society study warns that AI’s impact on models reaches beyond losing gigs—it’s about shifting power, image control, representation, and compensation.

There are two sides here pulling me in…

On one hand: AI twins might let a model be in two places at once without suffering jetlag. They can help with diversity—brands like Lalaland.ai argue that virtual models can show more varied body types, skin tones, styles, even identities. And for some models, digital copies could open revenue streams that run around the logistical constraints of physical shoots.

On the other hand: the ethics get murky. As the Teen Vogue report puts it, the concerns include “power dynamics” shifting away from individual models toward the creators of the algorithms or the brands. Models worry about whether their digital likenesses will be used without full consent; whether avatar work will undercut rates; whether what we lose in physical presence—sweat, personality, human nuance—can ever be replicated. And whether what looks like diversity is actually meaningful representation, or just another synthetic gloss.

Things to Think About…

“AI will not replace humans, but those who use AI will replace those who don’t.” — Ginni Rometty

“We must address, individually and collectively, moral and ethical issues raised by cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence…” — Klaus Schwab

From The Guardian: “Even if models are compensated for the use of their image, it is hard to see how using technology will not have a significant detriment to other fashion creatives … from make-up and hair, to rigging and lights.” (Guardian article)

For me, as someone who’s walked hundreds of shows, felt the weight of costume, heard the fabric rustle, the runway lights sting—this isn’t just about change. It’s about what we value in modeling: presence, embodiment, risk, stories told by bodies, skin, muscle, breath. Can avatars carry all of that, or will they be a projection, not a replacement?

I don’t have all the answers (none of us do yet). But I believe there’s a way forward where avatar models and real models coexist — where digital doubles are used ethically, transparently, fairly. Where compensation isn’t undercut, where consent is real, where the artist’s vision still includes the weathered shoes, backstage chaos, the human moment.

If you’re curious about what this future might look like, and how we might shape it together, join me at Haute Mess. I’ll be unpacking more voices, more research, more realities — and I’d love to hear your take.

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