Luxury's AI Wake-Up Call: What the Valentino Backlash Means for Your 2026 Playbook
Luxury spent much of 2025 testing generative AI in public. The limits showed up on December 2, when Valentino posted a clearly labeled AI video for its Valentino Garavani DeVain handbag - and got hammered in the comments.
Users called the imagery cheap, lazy, and disturbing. The message from customers was simple: efficiency isn't a substitute for taste.
Why the pushback matters
Luxury is built on craft, scarcity, and human authorship. When the front-facing creative looks synthetic, people question the value of the product.
"Consumers predominantly view AI-created works as less valuable than human-made images," said Dr. Rebecca Swift, svp of creative at Getty Images. "Even full transparency about AI use wasn't enough to win them over." For context on industry standards, see Getty's guidance on AI use here.
How brands actually used AI in 2025
Behind the scenes, AI is everywhere. Public-facing, it's being used with guardrails - mostly to extend shoots, not replace them.
Berlin-based studio Parallel Pictures, founded in 2021 by Jill Assemota, reports that most luxury clients ask for AI to create extra assets that match the main campaign. "For campaigns, it's almost always an add-on," she said. That's a response to volume pressure across social, e-commerce, lookbooks, and distribution, with tighter budgets and timelines.
What worked (and what didn't)
- Valentino Garavani (December 2025): AI-native video drew widespread criticism despite clear labeling.
- Jil Sander (February 2025): AI-assisted visuals embedded in a broader conceptual campaign.
- MCM Worldwide (Spring 2025): AI-generated extensions created stylized environments to support traditional shoots.
- Burberry (2025): Used AI for digital storytelling tied to archival imagery, while keeping product shots in conventional photography.
- Luxury e-commerce (ongoing): AI used at scale, rarely disclosed. Hugo Boss has used AI imagery since 2023; Peek & Cloppenburg have tested it.
Where AI earns its keep
Volume and speed. In e-commerce, Assemota says AI imagery can cut production costs by up to 70% versus traditional studio shoots. For campaign-related work, savings land closer to 50%.
The common pattern: human-led hero assets, AI for scale. Customers accept efficient production; they reject AI as the star of the show.
Video: still a weak link
AI video struggles with product accuracy when motion enters the frame. "When models start moving, the product can change or warp," Assemota said. For luxury, any distortion is a deal-breaker.
Your 2026 AI Playbook
Expect more experimentation - with clearer boundaries. The goal isn't to replace traditional production. It's to support, extend, and scale without turning AI into the headline.
Practical guardrails for marketing teams
- Lead with human-made hero assets. Use AI to multiply formats, crops, and backgrounds that match the shoot. Keep the core product shot human.
- Protect product integrity. Build a QA checklist for shape, texture, stitching, logos, reflections, and color. No warping, no hallucinated details.
- Use AI where volume matters. E-commerce, PDP alternates, social cutdowns, seasonal refreshes. Keep flagship campaign imagery traditional.
- Be selective with disclosure. Transparency is good, but it won't rescue weak creative. Don't rely on labels to offset poor taste.
- Match the brand's aesthetic system. Train or prompt against your style codes. Consistency beats novelty.
- Pretest high-visibility assets. Run quick sentiment checks on paid and organic audiences before you scale.
- Measure like a CFO. Track cost per asset, time-to-publish, error rate, and uplift in conversion or engagement. Compare AI-extended sets to control shoots.
- Keep legal and rights clean. Lock down model, location, and artwork permissions; maintain a clear chain of provenance for AI assets.
- Limit AI-native video. Use only for short ambient loops or abstract transitions where the product isn't moving.
- Document the workflow. Prompts, seeds, models, and post steps. Reproducibility prevents brand drift.
What to expect next
More brands will test AI because of peer pressure and efficiency gains. Expect cautious use in campaigns and aggressive use in e-commerce.
The benchmark is shifting from "Can we do this with AI?" to "Does this still feel like us?" The brands that win will scale output without sacrificing taste.
Upskill your team
If you're formalizing processes for AI-assisted production and campaign extensions, explore marketing-focused training and certifications: AI Certification for Marketing Specialists and Courses by Job.
Keep the craft. Use AI for scale. Let the product and the story stay human.
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