Meta Tests AI Shopping Assistant, adidas Scales 3D-Printed CLIMACOOL, VC Backs AI Fashion Startups
Meta trials conversational product discovery inside its AI chatbot; adidas rolls out its 3D-printed CLIMACOOL LACED globally using Digital Light Synthesis; venture capital firms increasingly funding AI startups.
Meta Tests AI Fashion Search Inside Its Chatbot
Meta is testing a new shopping capability inside its Meta AI browser experience, allowing users to ask the chatbot for product recommendations and receive a carousel of items with images, prices, brands, and links to buy. The feature, currently available to a small group of users in the U.S., generates recommendations conversationally and can tailor results using signals Meta already has about users, such as location or inferred demographics. For now, purchases still happen on retailers’ websites rather than within Meta itself.
Why it matters: Meta’s move shows just how quickly conversational interfaces are becoming a new battleground for commerce. If shopping begins inside AI assistants rather than search engines or marketplaces, fashion brands will need product data, feeds and catalog structures designed for AI discovery, not just SEO. With rivals like OpenAI and Google pushing similar tools, the race to control the “front door” of online shopping is accelerating.
adidas Scales 3D-Printed CLIMACOOL LACED Globally
Two years after its limited debut, adidas is rolling out the 3D-printed CLIMACOOL LACED worldwide. Produced using Digital Light Synthesis (DLS), the shoe prints as a seamless lattice structure in roughly 24 hours, eliminating traditional seams, glue, and layered components. The design integrates cushioning, airflow, and structure into a single printed form, while a redesigned outsole and lacing system broaden fit compatibility. The launch campaign features NBA player Jalen Williams and WNBA star Kahleah Copper, positioning the shoe as breathable post-game footwear built for recovery and everyday wear.
Why it matters: While most 3D-printed footwear experiments have stayed niche, adidas is pushing additive manufacturing closer to true scale. By engineering ventilation, cushioning, and structure in one printed system, brands can rethink how shoes are designed and produced - less assembly, fewer materials, and potentially more adaptable fits. With competitors like ASICS also exploring 3D-printed recovery footwear, the category is quietly emerging as a proving ground for whether additive manufacturing can move beyond hype into viable mass-market products.
Paloma Duran
Don't miss Detlef Mueller, Director - Advanced 3D at adidas, speak about tackling digital scepticism at Stride Europe in Venice this April!
Venture Capital Bets Big on AI-Powered Fashion Startups
Venture capital is increasingly flowing into fashion technology, particularly startups applying AI to design, trend forecasting, shopping, and supply chains. Funding for AI-apparel startups has held steady at roughly $100 million annually since 2022 despite a broader VC slowdown, with investors such as Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, and Andreessen Horowitz backing companies like Daydream (AI shopping discovery) and Raspberry AI (generative design). Rather than funding new clothing brands, investors are treating fashion startups as software businesses tackling inefficiencies in a $1.8 trillion industry, from overproduction and poor demand forecasting to slow design cycles.
Why it matters: Venture capital’s shift away from consumer brands toward AI infrastructure illustrates growing excitement about modernizing an industry that has historically been slow to change. Fashion still runs on long development cycles, fragmented supply chains and, too often, educated guesses about actual demand. Investors are betting that AI can turn those inefficiencies into software opportunities, making fashion tech a serious enterprise category. Whether historically cautious fashion brands will move fast enough to support venture-scale returns remains unclear!