Clara Bergmann
Writes about the systems behind fashion: ERP, PLM, PIM, integrations and commerce platforms.
Articles by Clara Bergmann
Gap Inc. and Google Cloud: what a retailer-wide AI partnership covers
In October 2025 Gap Inc. signed a multi-year AI partnership with Google Cloud spanning design, pricing, marketing and employee workflows. Here is what was announced, what was not, and how it fits Gap's earlier AI work.
How Next plc turned its data and Total Platform into a growth engine
Next runs warehousing, websites and customer service for other brands through Total Platform, built on systems it develops in-house. Here is how the model works, what the numbers show and where AI now fits.
Agent payments and checkout protocols: what fashion retailers need to know in 2026
ACP, UCP, AP2, Visa's Trusted Agent Protocol and Mastercard Agent Pay all aim to let AI agents pay safely. What each does, how they fit together and what fashion retailers should decide now.
Who owns the customer when an AI agent shops? Brand control in agentic commerce
When assistants search, compare and buy for shoppers, fashion brands risk losing the relationship, the data and the presentation. Where control is shifting, and which levers brands still hold.
EU AI Act after August 2026: what fashion companies must comply with now
Most of the AI Act has applied since 2 August 2026, but the AI Omnibus pushed high-risk rules to December 2027. A dated checklist for fashion brands and retailers.
AI literacy under the AI Act: how to train fashion teams and document it
Article 4 has applied since February 2025 and was softened by the AI Omnibus. What fashion companies must now do, who needs training and how to keep a defensible record.
How to build an AI inventory and risk register for a fashion company
An AI inventory is the first document regulators, auditors and boards will ask for. A step-by-step method for fashion brands and retailers, with the fields that matter.
Does the EU AI Act apply to Swiss and UK fashion brands? AI rules outside the EU
Switzerland and the UK have no AI Act of their own, but EU rules reach brands selling into the EU. What applies at home, what applies via the EU and what is coming.
What new AI roles do fashion companies need, and what do they actually do?
Chief AI officers, AI product owners, prompt and conversation designers, data stewards: a sober guide to the AI roles appearing in fashion businesses and what each one is accountable for.
How do you get employees to actually use AI? An adoption plan for fashion teams
Licences alone do not change how people work. A practical adoption plan for fashion companies: use cases by team, training, guardrails, champions and measurement.
What does generative AI really cost? Licences, tokens and hidden costs explained
Per-seat licences are only the visible part of generative AI spending. How licence, token, integration, data and governance costs add up for a fashion company, with published price points.
Platform or point solutions? How to structure the AI vendor landscape in fashion
Should a fashion company buy one AI platform or many specialised tools? A structured look at the layers of the AI stack, the trade-offs, and how to decide use case by use case.
How to start with AI in a fashion company: a 90-day plan
A practical three-month plan for fashion companies: choosing the first use cases, checking the data, running a pilot that proves something and deciding what to scale.
How to build an AI strategy for a fashion brand
An AI strategy is a set of choices about where AI should change how the business works, what data and skills that requires and how risk is governed. Here is how fashion brands can make those choices.
Data strategy for AI in fashion: what to fix first
Most fashion AI projects stall on data, not algorithms. Here is which data matters most, what to fix first and how to make product, inventory and sales data ready for AI.
Build, buy or partner? How fashion companies should source AI capabilities
Fashion companies can buy AI as software, build it on their own data or develop it with technology partners. When each option makes sense, what the evidence says and how to avoid lock-in.
What skills and team structures do fashion companies need for AI?
AI changes work in design, merchandising, sales and service. Which skills fashion companies need, how to organise AI teams and how to build AI literacy that sticks.
Fashion technology trends 2026: what is real and what is hype
AI shopping assistants, agentic checkout, virtual try-on and enterprise agents: a sober look at which fashion technology trends are delivering in 2026 and which are still mostly promise.
EU AI Act: what do fashion companies need to know in 2026?
The EU AI Act is in force, and the Digital Omnibus has moved the high-risk deadlines. What already applies to fashion brands and retailers, what comes next and where the real exposure lies.
Is fashion AI biased? Sizes, skin tones and fairness explained
From virtual models to size recommendations, fashion AI can reproduce narrow beauty norms. Where bias comes from, what research shows and how brands can test their systems.
AI in luxury fashion: how clienteling, craft and brand control are changing
Luxury houses sell scarcity, service and story. AI can strengthen all three, but only if brands keep control of voice, data and the human relationship at the moments that matter.
How to measure sales app and digital showroom adoption: the metrics that matter
Logins and licence counts do not show whether sales teams really switched. The metrics that reveal true adoption of sales apps and digital showrooms, and how to act on them.
EDI onboarding with a new retail partner: the brand-side checklist
Before the first electronic purchase order arrives, a brand has to agree documents, identifiers, transport and tests with the retailer. This checklist covers each step and the usual failure points.
What ERPs now ship as AI features for fashion, and what is still marketing
ERP vendors now announce AI agents in every release. A sober look at which features are generally available, what they do in order management and how fashion companies should test the claims.
ERP in fashion: the system of record behind every order
Every wholesale order, invoice and delivery ends up in the ERP. Here is what it does in a fashion business, where it struggles, and how to keep it healthy.
PLM, PIM and ERP: who owns what in a fashion tech stack
Three acronyms, three different jobs. A clear split of data ownership between PLM, PIM and ERP prevents duplicate work, conflicting records and late collections.
Headless commerce for fashion brands, in plain language
Headless commerce separates what shoppers and buyers see from the engine that runs prices, carts and orders. Here is what that means, when it helps and what it costs.
How integrations connect brands and retailers: EDI, APIs and files
Orders, product data, stock and invoices flow between brands and retailers through three main routes. A practical guide to choosing and running each one.
EDI in fashion: the old standard that still moves orders
Electronic data interchange has connected brands and retailers for decades. Here is how EDI works in fashion wholesale, which messages matter and how to get onboarded smoothly.
Build or buy? Choosing software for a fashion business
Custom software promises a perfect fit, standard software promises speed and lower risk. A practical framework for deciding which path suits each part of a fashion business.
What a modern tech stack looks like for a mid-sized fashion brand
From product development to wholesale ordering and finance, a mid-sized fashion brand needs a connected set of systems. A layer-by-layer guide to what belongs where.
Marketplaces for fashion brands: models, trade-offs and control
Online marketplaces offer reach, but each model changes who controls price, stock and brand presentation. Here is how the main models work and what brands should weigh.
How to run a software selection (RFP) without losing a season
A structured selection process finds the right system and protects the selling calendar. A step-by-step guide for fashion businesses running a request for proposal.
AI agents explained for fashion executives
AI agents can plan steps and use tools rather than just answer questions. What that means in practice for fashion companies, which tasks suit them and which controls must come first.
Is your data ready for AI? A readiness check for fashion brands
Most AI projects in fashion stall on data, not algorithms. A practical readiness check across product, customer, order and stock data, with the fixes that matter most.
AI governance for fashion companies: a pragmatic starting point
Staff are already using AI tools, with or without a policy. A lean governance framework for fashion companies: what to allow, what to control, and who decides.
The main business models in fashion, explained
Wholesale, direct-to-consumer, licensing, private label and more: how each fashion business model makes money, where the risk sits and why most brands run several at once.
Direct-to-consumer vs wholesale: rethinking the channel mix
The promise of DTC was higher margin and direct customer data. The reality includes acquisition costs, inventory risk and returns. Why the smart answer is usually a deliberate balance.
Seasonality and cash flow in fashion businesses
Fashion brands pay for fabric months before they are paid for garments. How the seasonal cash cycle works, where the pressure points are and how finance teams manage them.
Expanding a fashion brand internationally through wholesale
Wholesale is often the lowest-risk route into new markets. A practical guide to choosing markets, structuring sales, pricing across currencies and supporting retailers abroad.
Agents, distributors and showrooms: who sells a brand abroad
Commission agents, distributors and multi-brand showrooms all open doors for fashion brands in foreign markets. How each model works, what it costs and what to put in the contract.
What investors look at in a fashion brand
Brand heat is not enough. Investors and acquirers examine margin quality, channel mix, customer data, inventory discipline and scalability. A clear guide to how fashion businesses are assessed.
A realistic digital roadmap for a traditional fashion brand
Digital transformation fails when it starts with tools. A phased, practical roadmap for established fashion brands, starting with data and processes and sequenced around the season.
Bringing sales teams along on digital change
Sales teams can make or break a new digital process. How to involve them early, show what is in it for them, protect selling time and turn sceptics into advocates.