Fashion label Ahluwaliawith partners with Microsoft to launch upcycling app

British fashion label, Ahluwalia, has teamed up with Microsoft on a new online app called Circulate, which encourages users to help upcycle garments.

The Circulate app, which is still in beta, gives users points for giving gently used items for upcycling rather than throwing them away in landfills.

Priya Ahluwalia has turned her attention to a relatively unexplored path in terms of sustainability, by understanding the power of technology to harness a more sustainable fashion industry; one that requires the help of AI (artificial intelligence) to improve the designer’s upcycling production methods.

Ahluwalia’s new platform, Circulate, is a collaboration with Microsoft to develop a unique digital experience that pushes the boundaries of sustainability in fashion utilizing AI-based technology. It invites anybody to be a part of the designer’s upcoming collection.

The procedure is straightforward: users donate a used piece of clothing to the app; Microsoft analyses and sorts the garment into its database using Computer Vision API; and the Ahluwalia team then sends the user a shipping label so that the garment can be mailed to their warehouse in exchange for points that can be redeemed on the site.

While the platform improves the environment, it also benefits the fashion business by bringing the Ahluwalia brand to a wider audience and promoting accessibility from all sides.