By Rohit Talwar, Steve Wells, and Alexandra Whittington

Fast Future’s Life in 2025: “Say Hello Say Goodbye” Scenarios were developed in partnership with Huawei Consumer Business Group. This latest scenario explores how a range of exponentially advancing technologies such as AI and big data could transform fashion and beauty.

The power of AI, AR and VR, enabled on the move by 5G, offers the potential to reinvigorate and reimagine the retail experience. Our smartphones will become the nerve centre of our personal care regimes. We could eliminate the bulk of our wardrobe and opt for the element of surprise, with our smartphone choosing or advising on a daily rented outfit which we confirm and have delivered the night before via drone or street robot.

The desire for new, coupled with a sustainability mindset, could see us join clothing sharing networks, accessed via a smartphone app – where we purchase or rent the items collectively and then have a certain level of usage rights for every item in the shared closet. Pre-determined sustainability and provenance filters might ensure that we never even get to see things that are ecologically unsound or produced unethically. Advanced 3D printing services will enable us to design items and have them custom fabricated while we shop elsewhere or grab a coffee in a mall.

Personalised offers, fitting, and selection will become the norm with bespoke window displays targeted at the individual passer-by. We can envisage a rise of “experience stores” with product interaction through immersive technologies.

Through virtual fittings using AR and VR we will be able to feel the sensation of the clothes against our skin. Point at an outfit – in store, at an event, or on the street – and see how we’d look in it on our phone, on an in-store mirror, or using a 3D hologram. We may just choose to shop in our own closets, using apps that show us how to create new outfit combinations from what we already own. Second-hand or vintage shopping might also be newly invigorated with the assistance of apps or AI services, which locate items in our size and to our liking.

Say goodbye to…

• The imperfect fit and buyer’s remorse – long gone are the days of ill-fitting clothes, with AR and VR set to become staples in our wardrobe to help us try on clothes through virtual fittings.

Larger purchases could be delivered by drones, street robots, and autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vans could also bring the store to you – offering the latest items selected for you to try at home at any time of day or night. To help with item selection, AI technology would share information on our current wardrobe, measurements, interests, accessorising approach, usage patterns, and forthcoming schedule. Friends could then be called in by video to consult on our choices.

Say goodbye to…

• Children in ill-fitting and outdated clothing – parents could save money with AI predicting their children’s clothing and shoe sizes over the coming months and shopping accordingly. Given the short window of usage, parents could reject outright purchases in favour of a subscription service that provides the necessary uniform and choice of casual clothing items for a period of time before the child grows out of them and onto the next size up. A smart speaker or robotic AI assistant may also help with getting the elderly or young children dressed in the morning.

Our clothing itself will undoubtedly become more intelligent using smart adaptive materials, 3D and 4D printed elements, and built in sensors. USB or wireless connectivity and wireless charging will become standard features on many items. Our clothes could also be the source of the power required by our personal devices through energy harvesting techniques such as piezoelectric, the capture and conversion of body heat, and harnessing static electricity.

Say goodbye to…

• Retro fashion – smart clothing, such as garments and shoes will be able to change properties according to lighting and heating conditions, as well as “breathe” to control airflow around the body.

Smart fabrics may increasingly be self-cleaning and require no washing whatsoever. Smart closets might automate our wardrobe selection so that we always look our best. Busy mornings would go smoothly with pre-scheduled clothing choices for the whole family.

Say goodbye to…

• Cosmetic products – such as creams, makeup, lipstick, and other “manual” forms of personal care and beauty, which would seem outdated and only used to create a retro or historical effect.

This same level of personalisation will apply across the beauty and personal care sector. A combination of increasingly “programmable” skin care products and AI could guide our choices using deep physiological knowledge of our bodies and how they react to different chemicals.

The beauty care sector will see a dramatic expansion by 2025, with offerings ranging from dynamic permanent and temporary video tattoos and light adaptive colour changing makeup, through to biological rejuvenation treatments, 3D printed limbs, and life extension therapies.

Say goodbye to…

• Bad lighting – our smartphone AI and connected home devices will work together to offer us a range of lighting options for every possible occasion.

Smart homes may be programmed to enhance our personal beauty through moment by moment lighting and ambience adjustments. We may invite a date for dinner and put on the most flattering lights for the evening or create the right mood to complement style choices when hosting a party.

The authors are futurists with Fast Future – a professional foresight firm specializing in delivering keynote speeches, executive education, research, and consulting for global clients on the emerging future and the impacts of change. To arrange a presentation on the Life in 2025 scenarios please contact

To access more of our articles and learn more about our work please visit www.fastfuture.com

You can find summaries of the ten scenarios here https://consumer.huawei.com/uk/campaign/truestories/tech/

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