PlatformE acquires AI company to improve sustainable on-demand fashion

Fashion technology company PlatformE had announced the acquisition of Cambridge-based Catalyst AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) company complete with machine learning tools to optimise fashion supply chains.

The acquisition will see PlatformE strengthen its AI capabilities and bolster its own services for on-demand and made-to-order fashion. Since its launch in 2015, the firm is already working with leading brands on solutions for digital fashion production, including the likes of Dior, Gucci, Puma, Farfetch and The North Face.

Ultimately, the company looks to dismantle overproduction in fashion, through the production of products according to demand, with shorter supply chain times from manufacturing to delivery. It targets three main categories across its offerings, including 3D digital product creation and a streamlined software platform, enabling brands to shift to a new production model.

The integration of Catalyst AI will see the company’s founders continue to support the growth of PlatformE’s data science capabilities as advisors on AI.

“Machine learning and predictive technologies have a vital role to play in improving the efficiency of supply chains and moving to less wasteful models of production,” said Catalyst AI’s co-founder, Ahmed Zaidi, in a release.

He continued: “The digitalisation of supply chain processes is leveraging data that allows us to reduce uncertainty and improve decision making through every step of the supply chain, from procurement of raw materials to purchase by customers. Platform E is on the front of this wave, so it is the perfect place for our technology to be applied.”