We saw them at the latest Vogue World in Milan, but they were naked. In reality, designing clothes for humanoid robots is a fashion design segment that already has its own distinct structure, a clear vision and even specialist brands. It’s time to find how fashion can dress robots.
by Massimiliano Viti
Vogue World brought its Milan edition to a close on 25 September with the event ‘The Age of Intelligence’. The stars of the show were a number of humanoid robots that made their entrance into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, attempting to engage the audience. Among those present, in the front row, were Valentino’s creative director – Alessandro Michele – and Miuccia Prada, whose less-than-enthusiastic expressions, so to speak, immediately went viral on social media.
Wear the future
The robots’ appearance was, in all likelihood, a farewell until the next edition of the initiative, scheduled for next year in San Francisco – a city little known to the fashion world but better known in the tech sector. But the real question is another: why were the robots naked at a fashion event? A legitimate question, especially given that, a few months ago, fashion shows took place during which clothing collections designed specifically to dress humanoid robots were presented.
How fashion can dress robots
“Clothing for humanoids is not an entirely new field. It is a reinterpretation of the experience gained in designing functional garments for humans, adapted to a new context,” says Ji Yeon Shon, director of the Research and Development division at the South Korean company Hansae, which employs around 140 designers and technicians across various global locations within its fashion division. “Don’t think of them as machines, but as creations that share spaces and spend time with humans. This turns our perspective on robots on its head,” observes Shon at the launch of ‘Wear the Future’, a project dedicated to developing clothing for humanoid robots. “Humans derive protection from their clothing. The same applies to robots. Clothes,” Shon continues, “are not merely a covering for the body. Just like teachers, healthcare workers, factory workers or service sector employees, they convey the role of the wearer and the working environment” (source: koreatimes.co.kr).
Fashion robots
As well as Hansae, there are other companies specialising in clothing for humanoid robots. These include the Robo-Uni brand (created by the Japanese firm Rocket Road), Mach33 (a project by Galaxy Corporation), the British firm Stratum Supply, and another Japanese brand, Robo Cover. There is also the haute couture sector, represented by Maison Roboto, a French company founded in 2024 that describes itself as the first fashion house dedicated entirely to tailoring for humanoid robots. It designs bespoke clothing and garments, handcrafted in Paris.
The haute couture segment
According to Maison Roboto, the uptake of humanoid robots is progressing faster than anticipated: 16,000 units were activated in 2025, with a projected 50,000–100,000 units set to enter service as early as 2026 in hotels, corporate offices, shops and private homes. And the robot must be dressed appropriately for the environment it operates in. Not only that, but a humanoid wearing the right outfit is perceived as more reliable, more professional and more approachable than a ‘naked’ machine.
A collaborative body
Maison Robot also describes some of the challenges involved in designing and creating clothing for robots. For example, the shoulders lack the musculature to support a jacket, nor does the robot have hips upon which to drape a dress. And it does not yet have the ability to adjust its own outfit whilst wearing it. According to the fashion house, the history of tailoring has always been based on a collaborative body. “Robotic haute couture presupposes the opposite. Every silhouette must be completely self-supporting. Every internal structure and every fastening must be operable without human intervention.”
The challenge of materials
Then there is the challenge of materials. The garments must withstand constant mechanical stress and the heat generated by batteries, motors and sensors. They must not hinder the robot’s movements, functions or sensors. They must protect it in hazardous environments. “These requirements call for fabrics and construction methods that did not exist before the emergence of this specific sector,” writes the French company on its website (source: maisonroboto.com).
Two areas
In summary, brands specialising in clothing for humanoid robots are focusing on two areas. The first concerns clothing for models designed to live in close contact with people. The second relates to work uniforms to be worn during industrial production cycles. These cycles vary widely: from hazardous operations to smart agriculture, from personal training to car maintenance (source: Sourcing Journal)
The footwear factor
Finally: footwear. A memorandum of understanding signed by Generative Bionics, an Italian deep-tech company specialising in the development of humanoid robots, and ENI aims precisely to identify innovative materials and solutions for components intended for humanoid robots. Through Finproject, a subsidiary of Versalis, research will be carried out into the evolution of the foot/shoe system of GENE.01, the advanced humanoid robot developed by Generative Bionics. The aim of the memorandum is to develop lighter and more durable components, suitable for industrial-scale production, capable of improving a robot’s shock absorption, grip, durability and ease of assembly (source: polimerica.it).
In conclusion
To conclude, we’ll hand over to Choi Yong-ho, CEO of Galaxy. “I believe that one day people will wear robot-inspired clothing and, conversely, robots will wear human-inspired robotic suits,” he said during the Mach33: Physical AI Fashion Show.
Foto by Galaxy Corporation
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