The Rise of Fashion Tech: How Phia Is Redefining the Digital Wardrobe
The fashion industry appears to be embracing our technology-driven world, propelled by the rise of Artificial Intelligence and continuous advancements in technology. In recent years, brands like Coperni have showcased this trend, like when Bella Hadid was dressed on the runway using a sprayed liquid fiber during their Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023 show. This liquid fiber is bound by polymers, biopolymers and greener solvents that evaporate upon contact with a surface that later transforms into a suede-like fabric. They also featured robot dogs in their Fall/Winter 2023 show, where they were used to hold bags and undress the models.
Photo/Pinterest
Photo/Pinterest
However, we all know that trends trickle down from high fashion brands to mass-market retailers. The intertwining of fashion and technology on an everyday consumer level is seen through the use of AI-powered apps, AR (artificial reality) websites for trying on accessories and other digital apps that are changing how we shop. One up-and-coming app is Phia.
What is Phia?
As secondhand shopping has become more common in the digital world, more and more advanced apps and websites like ThredUp, Rebag and The RealReal have been popping up and gaining popularity. These websites are what inspired Phia’s creation. Phia is an app and browser extension founded by Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates, two Stanford graduates. Kianni and Gates both struggled with the problem of finding the best price for an item when their different listings were scattered across different websites. Phia fixes this problem with the use of AI. When you search for an item on Phia, it displays a graph of the average prices for buying the item new and buying it secondhand. It shows a list of all the different websites you can buy it from, the cost, and even lower-cost alternatives that are as similar as possible to the original item. When using it as a browser extension, you can tap a button that says “Should I Buy This?” to get an instant price check based on Phia’s database of over 250 million secondhand items.
Photo/Pinterest
More Than Just a Link
As if the Phia app couldn’t get any cooler, it has more features that enhance the user experience. Upon downloading and creating an account, you can also take a style quiz that asks what types of items you are looking for, if you want anything gender-specific and asks what your favorite brands are. You can also input your apparel and shoe sizes to only see items that fit you. Phia recommends new brands, curates fashion collections and showcases trending styles based on your interests while also advising where to buy them. The app also has a trending section where it showcases multiple items that are trendy, and of course, when you click on it, it helps you find the best price.
Growing Popularity
The fashion tech industry is growing, and its popularity is seemingly exponential. Kianni and Gates founded their company in 2023. Kianni was already listed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 that same year. The official Phia app and extension launched in April of 2025. Five months into its launch, Phia had already gained half a million users. By September, it had gained $8 million in the seed funding round for the company led by venture firm Kleiner Perkins. Phia also gained other high-profile investors like Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sheryl Sandberg and Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. These two women were not originally in the tech or fashion industry, going to school for medicine and law. Their ability to not only think of a solution but also to create a successful business in such a short amount of time is an inspiration to all women. It is never too late to do what you love and what you are passionate about.
Photo/Pinterest/Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates
Tech Is Not Fashion’s Enemy
The rise of AI and its misuse has sparked widespread apprehension and dismay about the use of AI and technology in the fashion world. But, some unfortunate news is that it is not going away. AI has proven to be extremely effective in areas beyond just assisting lazy students who don’t want to do their work. Under the current administration, the lack of regulation means it will continue to be freely used in all industries. This lack of oversight makes it increasingly difficult to scale back or eliminate its influence, meaning the fashion industry must learn to adapt rather than resist. This is not necessarily a bad thing. So far, AI has been used as a tool for driving new innovations. It can help streamline the design process, predict trends with more accuracy and help make fashion more sustainable and inclusive. We see this with Phia. Its use of AI did not get rid of any creativity; it just complemented it in a new way. The use of tech is not here to replace what the fashion industry is— it is here to expand it. The fashion world is notorious for its slow evolution, particularly when it comes to standards and inclusivity. This new sector of fashion is beneficial. Change is scary, but staying the same is worse.
Editor: Sydney Annis
Graphic: Delaney Chernault