Karlie Kloss: ‘Future fashion designers will not only sew, but also code’

Growing up in the Midwest, my father, an ER physician, instilled in my sisters and me a love of science, technology and math — but more than that, he taught me to always be curious.

My modeling career started at the age of 15, but I strived to be a student of the world even though my path was unconventional.

Almost seven years into my career, I decided to take a coding class – learning Ruby, HTML and CSS. I was fascinated by language, which dominates our daily lives, is ubiquitous and yet unknown.

That coding class changed the direction of my career and sparked a curiosity about how technology can be used creatively to solve real problems, change lives, and tackle our world’s greatest challenges. But I noticed one thing: the people who created this technology are overwhelmingly men. I know it’s incredibly important to have diversity at the table of those who build the technology that supports our daily lives. What life-changing apps or global solutions would be at our fingertips if more underrepresented groups were encouraged to pursue their STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] Interest and support in those endeavors since childhood?

The following spring, I offered to send a few girls to the same class through a post on my YouTube channel and Instagram. The response was overwhelming, and I received thousands of applications. This led me to found Kode With Klossy in 2015, which teaches young women and non-binary youth the basics of coding.

The scholars who have participated over the years have amazed me with their ingenuity in developing impactful projects. One group developed an app that uses machine learning technology to teach people how to properly recycle everyday items, while another created a social network that connects women and other gender minorities who want to pursue careers in technology. To date, Code Wise Klossy has taught more than 12,000 scholars, year after year.If the right tools are available, young people can build the world they want to see.

While modeling is still my “day job,” spending the last decade working in fashion and technology has helped me understand how digital technology can solve some of the biggest issues in fashion. For example, technology is opening up many opportunities to expand creative expression and design. It will help address some of the industry’s challenges, from its role in the climate crisis to its lack of scale.

I believe that future designers will not only sew, but also code.

Community innovation

In the past few years, fashion has been growing with technological innovations. Digital designers, for example, are using 3D modeling and AR to dress up avatars and people.

The potential to change how fashion is made, sustained and accessed is limitless. And it’s been amazing to collaborate with the creators who are building on this innovation front.

A few years ago I launched a new line with Adidas and we teamed up with digital fashion house The Fabricant to design a virtual version of a jacket from the collection. We then gave that digital garment to artists to create their own interpretations. So many people put their unique spin on the clothes, and the top 20 entries were auctioned off as NFTs. The proceeds are divided equally between the creators and Kode Klossy.

This summer, I worked with the immersive gaming platform Roblox and its talented creative community to host a digital pop-up shop called Fashion Closet Designer Showcase. Digital fashion designers in the community were invited to create and display avatar outfits, which attracted two million unique players in two weeks. The sale of virtual clothes from the store went directly to the creators, which confirmed the value of their creations.

These young designers are revolutionizing how people portray themselves online by dressing the millions of Roblox community members who update their avatars daily.

The creatives I worked with for the Fashion Closet Designer Showcase come from diverse backgrounds and are building their personal brands, collections and careers. Some of the collaborations have already been presented by top fashion brands. Their creativity is enabled by new digital spaces, technology and tools that allow easy access from anywhere, unfettered by the financial and other physical limitations of the world.

My goal is to help further bridge the gap between them and the established fashion industry. This first experience was just the beginning of what we’re building at Roblox, and I’m excited for what lies ahead.

The need for sustainable solutions

Boundary-pushing talent and innovative ideas will always be some of my favorite things about the fashion industry. But there is much to be desired in terms of sustainability and inclusion.

Physical fashion generates a lot of waste and is one of the world’s biggest polluters. Digital technology will be the best tool to combat this and make the fashion industry more sustainable. Advanced technology — such as AI, AR, 3D modeling and RFID tagging — are already creating efficient tools that reduce industry’s carbon footprint and environmental pollution.

Take bods for example. It’s a virtual fitting tool that uses a digital replica of the buyer’s body to help them find the right size before ordering clothes online. I decided to invest in the company because these types of innovations address the industry’s rapidly growing problem with recycled goods that, even if they are still wearable, often end up in landfills. The inherent uncertainty in online marketing can result in outrageous profits that never reach the people who want or need them.

In the year Cher Horowitz’s virtual closet in the 1995 film “Keyless” may be one of the best designs for digitized fashion. It was a source of inspiration for my own closet and much of my code with Klossy Scholars, whether they were creating apps to showcase fashion looks and trends in particular, or interpreting the layout to present information in a fun and simple way.

Today, innovations such as digitally tracking physical clothes after they leave the store have even greater implications. Using embedded RFID tags will help move fashion towards a circular design model.

Eon, which I also invest in, uses this technology to provide real-time environmental impact reports. As garments move through their life cycle, Aeon Brands provides accurate data on their impact and gives consumers transparency about each item in their wardrobe. Information that is often hard to find and identify, such as how clothes are made and how they can be recycled, is now at everyone’s fingertips with this technology. Resellers are able to identify counterfeit clothing and determine better prices for authentic used items, creating a more sound and credible secondary market.

But fashion needs more people with the skills to make these lofty goals a regular practice.

The way forward

Young women and gender non-conforming people have historically faced significant barriers to becoming software programmers or engineers. STEM fields are rarely presented as a real path for young girls. I had the confidence and curiosity to enter this industry, but only as an adult with a successful career was I safe. Many marginalized groups don’t have that opportunity, which is why I’m so passionate about equipping these skills and providing access to opportunities.

This year we wrapped up our 7th Summer of Code at Klossy Camps, attended by 4,000 young female and gender non-conforming coders from 99 different countries. I see our intellectuals realizing their own power and potential. Such self-empowerment pays dividends even beyond the career path. The diversity some of them bring to the workforce can change fashion and the world.

As Jacqui Palumbo told CNN