# Project Description

Kareem

Abdul Kareem Shaaban

Summary

Final work

MA Global Fashion Retailing student at University of the Arts London. Experienced entry-level buyer with exposure to procurement, quality management, manufacturing and distribution. Passionate about global fashion operations with a particular focus on the future of fashion, sustainability and emerging technology. Eager to join a leading fashion brand to apply and develop technical skills and make a meaningful impact.

MA Global Fashion Retailing student at University of the Arts London. Experienced entry-lev...

College London College of Fashion

Course MA Global Fashion Retailing

Graduation year 2025

My project, “The Role of AI-Generated Fashion Influencers in Shaping Gen Z Luxury Fashion Brand Perceptions and Purchase Intentions in the UAE” , explores how synthetic digital influencers are reshaping the luxury fashion industry in non-Western contexts. While AI-generated influencers (AGIs) are increasingly used by global brands, most existing research has focused on Western, mass-market settings. This study fills that gap by investigating how Gen Z consumers in the UAE perceive AGIs in terms of credibility, authenticity, and cultural fit, and whether these perceptions influence their purchase intentions.

Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach, I conducted semi-structured interviews with UAE Gen Z participants. Visual stimuli of AI influencers were used to spark discussion, and data was analysed thematically through three theoretical frameworks: the Source Credibility Model, Perceived Authenticity Theory, and Consumer Culture Theory.

The findings show that Gen Z evaluates AGIs based on styling, coherence, and “authentic imperfection.” While these virtual influencers enhance perceptions of brand modernity, they lack lived human experience, making cultural sensitivity, modesty cues, and transparency essential for credibility. Ultimately, AGIs were seen as more effective for inspiration and storytelling than for driving direct purchases. Ethical concerns around disclosure and recognition of human labour also shaped acceptance.

This research contributes to theory by extending models of credibility and authenticity into non-human contexts, and to practice by offering guidance to luxury fashion brands. In culturally complex markets like the UAE, AGIs should be positioned as complements to human influencers, prioritising transparency, collaboration, and cultural nuance to resonate with Gen Z audiences.

Final work

The Role of AI-Generated Fashion Influencers in Shaping Gen Z Luxury Fashion Brand Perceptions and Purchase Intentions in the UAE

This project explores how AI-generated fashion influencers (AGIs) affect Gen Z perceptions of luxury fashion brands in the UAE. Through interviews and thematic analysis, it highlights that AGIs enhance brand modernity and inspiration but face challenges around authenticity, cultural sensitivity, and ethics.

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My project, “The Role of AI-Generated Fashion Influencers in Shaping Gen Z Luxury Fashion Brand Perceptions and Purchase Intentions in the UAE”, explores how synthetic digital influencers are reshaping the luxury fashion industry in non-Western contexts. While AI-gene...

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