The Retailer That’s Obsessed With AI
The Business of Fashion Podcast
The Business of Fashion
4.5 • 813 Ratings
🗓️ 1 April 2026
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For years, Revolve was fashion retail’s byword for influencer marketing, particularly around its over-the-top Coachella event. But as the Instagram aesthetic matures and the cost of human-led marketing rises, the company is pivoting. The new mandate? To become as much an AI powerhouse as it is a party-hosting fashion giant.
In a recent conversation with Retail Editor Cathaleen Chen, Revolve founders Michael Mente and Mike Karanikolas argued that AI isn't just a buzzword for the board; it’s the engine that will sustain their multi-billion dollar dominance.
Chen joined The Debrief to talk about how Revolve is pushing the limits of how AI can be used in retail, and whether its strategy is working.
Key Insights:
- Revolve was founded by software engineers who viewed fashion as an e-commerce "white space,” setting it apart from rivals that invested in new technologies only after establishing themselves in the marketplace. "While Revolve looks like a Shopbop or a Net-a-Porter... Revolve is actually built like a data science company." said retail editor Cathaleen Chen.
- Revolve differentiates itself by building its own tools where possible, rather than buying off-the-shelf software, including the product search on its website. Using AI, Revolve has moved beyond literal keyword matching to a system that understands the vibe or occasion a customer is shopping for. By analyzing image attributes, the site can surface the perfect "party dress" even if that specific tag doesn't exist, explains Chen. "What their AI tool is able to do is pull up anything that is sequined... or textured... it is anticipating the desire."
- Revolve fosters a "bottom-up" environment where every employee is encouraged to experiment with AI. They aren't just looking for "moonshots"; they value any application that moves the needle even slightly. "Eeven if something improves efficiency or output by just 1%, that's considered a success,” said Chen.
Additional Resources:
Why Revolve Can’t Stop Talking About AI | BoF
Why Fashion Doesn’t Talk About How It Uses AI | BoF
Why Revolve Is Embracing Brick-and-Mortar | BoF
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the debrief from the Business of Fashion, where each week we delve into our most popular B.OF professional stories with the correspondents who created them. |
| 0:16.9 | I'm executive editor Brian Baskin. |
| 0:19.1 | And I'm senior correspondent, Sheena Butler Young. |
| 0:21.5 | We talk a lot on the debrief about AI. |
| 0:24.1 | But for much of fashion, artificial intelligence has been approached with cautious expiration, excitement but with a healthy dose of skepticism. |
| 0:31.6 | Then there's Revolve. |
| 0:32.9 | Yeah, I used to think we talked a lot about AI. |
| 0:35.5 | And then I listened to Revolve's last earnings call, |
| 0:38.4 | where AI was mentioned 29 times. And just to put that in perspective on Apple's last call, |
| 0:46.2 | and just remind you, Apple is a tech company. Revolve is a fashion retailer, for those who don't know, |
| 0:51.8 | Apple cited AI, I think, 14 times. So Revolve was double Apple on this. |
| 0:58.1 | They are obsessed with AI. And that's not new news for Revolve. Just months after ChatGPT launched |
| 1:04.1 | in November 2022, Revolve released what it said was the first AI generated billboard at Coachella. |
| 1:10.5 | It has since gone on to build its own |
| 1:12.3 | in-house search tools that are actually moving the needle on conversion. But the real test is coming now. |
| 1:18.0 | Revolve has started to open its first physical stores, and it's a real question whether they can |
| 1:22.6 | take this data-first, AI-centric approach and inject that into the world of brick-and-mortar retail. |
| 1:28.8 | But can an algorithm actually tell you where to move a mannequin to sell more clothes? |
| 1:33.3 | Can it turn a physical boutique into a living, breathing, A-B test? |
| 1:37.2 | Today, we're joined by retail editor Kat Chen to help us understand why Revolve can't stop talking about AI |
| 1:42.8 | and whether the tech can truly power its next |
| 1:45.6 | era of growth. Kat, welcome to the debrief. Thanks, guys. Happy to be back. Yeah, welcome back. So, Kat, |
... |
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