Groovify: LCI Barcelona develops app that transforms fashion looks into music using AI

Music is a constant companion that helps one express their identity, connect with others and form communities, just like fashion, where fashion shows, advertising campaigns and even shopping experiences wouldn't be the same without their own soundtrack.

This relationship between the two is reflected in how we associate certain styles such as leather jackets with rock fans, or how Taylor Swift fans were inspired by one of the singer's 'eras' when choosing what to wear to the concert.

A research group at LCI Barcelona has explored this connection to develop an artificial intelligence tool capable of generating playlists based on a person's look. This system is called Groovify and was presented at the Sónar+D music and innovation festival in Barcelona last June.

The new AI-powered tool "analyses a simple photograph of a person to extract data such as the clothes they are wearing, their facial expression and their posture. With this information, a playlist is created with personalised songs tailored to that individual", a spokesperson at LCI explained to FashionUnited.

A unique rhythm for every style

The algorithm behind Groovify analyses clothing styles by detecting visual codes, and then correlating this information with a vast music database from the Sonar Festival, spanning three decades.

"A person's look is not only made up of trousers and an upper garment, but also accessories for instance," Alessandro Manetti, head of Europe at LCI Education who was recently appointed vice president of LCI in Europe, told FashionUnited.

"The LCI professor who specialises in artificial intelligence proposed developing an algorithm. From the fashion department we suggested connecting this algorithm to an analysis of different fashion looks. It would detect visual codes to identify different garment styles," Manetti added.

The app then creates up to five different prompts

A prompt is an instruction, question or text used to interact with artificial intelligence systems.

that generate a unique single for each person, generating a rhythm and sounds that represent the look of the photographed user.

"We wanted to go beyond simply generating suggestions based on clothing style, we sought to create an unreleased track generated by artificial intelligence and pay homage to vinyl with an imaginary cover."

The result includes not only the suggestion of playlists based on a person's fashion style, but also the creation of a mobile application that could recommend music tailored to the user's look, as well as the creation of a completely new song, created by artificial intelligence and based on the database of artists associated with the Sónar Festival. This unreleased music would also be accompanied by an imaginary cover designed using image-generating applications.

The process of associating style and music is based on an exhaustive research of existing databases, analysing styles, music, covers and visual codes in discographies and photographs of concerts and audiences.

Manetti explained the process to FashionUnited as follows: "We wanted to go beyond simply generating suggestions based on clothing style, we sought to create an unreleased track generated by artificial intelligence and pay homage to vinyl with an imaginary cover".

The response to the project at the Sónar Festival was very positive, both from the public and interested investors. The technology used is a proprietary algorithm, which has increased interest due to its exclusivity and originality. Looking ahead, the project's developers plan to launch an improved version, 2.0, in October.

Groovify 2.0 will be released in October

This new version will expand the database to include additional sources such as Spotify, YouTube and Beatport, with the aim of making the app more relevant and useful at the market-level. In addition, the team is preparing to participate in the Web Summit in Lisbon in November, where they will present the beta version of the app and look for partnerships and business opportunities.

The project, led by Alessandro Manetti and coordinated by Mariele Violano, is supported by managers Pedro Coelho, Estel Vilaseca, Anna Pallerols, David Carretero and Salvatore Elefante of the LCI Barcelona fashion department. The team is made up of 19 people, including six students working in graphic design, interior design, user service and setup and teardown.

Video source: LCI Barcelona via Youtube, property of LCI Barcelona.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.ES. Translation and edit from Spanish into English by Veerle Versteeg.