The Art of Making: Marina Pereira on Fashion, Creativity, Craftsmanship and AI

Brazilian designer defends human imagination as AI reshapes fashion

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, November 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Artificial intelligence is changing how fashion brands work, from product images to customer service. However, Brazilian designer Marina Pereira believes the heart of fashion will remain human. Today, based in New York, Pereira has worked at Marchesa, Altuzarra, Sea New York, and LoveShackFancy. Recently, her designs appeared in the LoveShackFancy Spring 2027 collection at New York Fashion Week. Now, she is speaking out about the role of AI in design, craft, and education.
In short, her message is clear. "AI can produce a picture of a garment in seconds, but it cannot feel, remember, or touch," Pereira says. "After all, fashion begins with a story and ends with a body. Everything in between needs human hands, human eyes, and human judgment. That is why I believe AI will support designers, but it will not replace them in the next ten years."
Pereira's views appear in a new feature article, available in Influencer Magazine. In particular, the article explores how technology is entering the design studio, and why craftsmanship and arts education matter more than ever.
Moreover, her perspective builds on earlier coverage of her work. In fact, New York Art Life profiled her in a feature titled "Marina Pereira: How Embroidery Design and Print Design Make a Fashion Designer." At the time, that piece explored how her expertise in embroidery and print design shaped her career. Today, those same skills inform her view of AI. Together, the two articles offer a full picture of her craft and her vision.
Meanwhile, AI has quickly become part of everyday business in fashion. For example, McKinsey's State of Fashion 2026 report offers a striking figure. More than 35 percent of fashion executives already use generative AI for images, copywriting, and customer service. However, the same report urges companies to protect "the essential creativity that makes fashion tick."
Pereira strongly agrees with that warning. In her view, AI can certainly help with routine work. Specifically, it can sort research images, organize line sheets, or suggest colorways. Still, she draws a firm line between a tool and a designer. "What I will never hand over is the creative decision," she says. "Instead, the idea, the mood, and the final edit must come from people."
Above all, her confidence comes from daily experience in the studio. Every season, Pereira creates tech packs with construction details, specs, and BOMs. She also attends fittings, where she studies proportion, comfort, and finish all at once. Sometimes a sleeve needs one more centimeter. Other times, an embroidery sits too low and flattens the silhouette. "Those decisions depend on touch, eyes, and experience," she explains.
Similarly, embroidery offers an even clearer example. At Marchesa, Pereira developed embroideries and drapes alongside the Head of Embroidery. During that time, she worked on a gown that cofounder Georgina Chapman wore to the 2023 Met Gala. She also worked on a dress that actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph wore at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. For Pereira, every bead in those pieces had a purpose. Indeed, the team tested scale, placement, density, and color many times before a design felt right.
"AI can generate a thousand embroidery motifs in a minute," she says. "Yet choosing the one motif that tells the right story is a human decision. In fact, that choice is the whole job."
Furthermore, Pereira sees a growing risk of sameness. When everyone uses the same tools and the same data, many designs start to look alike. Fashion, however, needs surprise. Typically, those surprises come from personal experience, culture, and even mistakes. As a result, she believes originality will become more valuable as AI images multiply.
Her own story clearly shows why. Pereira grew up in São Paulo, Brazil, where she earned a Sigbol Fashion Certificate for Patternmaking in 2017. Afterward, she worked as an assistant designer at the São Paulo brand Gule. Later, she moved to New York and studied at Parsons School of Design at The New School. There, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design. Soon after, her thesis collection, EVA Autumn/Winter 2022, earned a feature in The Ritz Herald. "Brazil gives me the heart, and New York gives me the structure," she says. "A machine has no childhood, no city, and no memory of a special dress."
Naturally, craftsmanship sits at the center of her argument. Today, many emerging brands build their identity around embroidery, crochet, lace, and prints. Pereira sees this movement as a direct answer to the digital age. "Crochet and lace show the presence of the human hand," she says. "Customers can feel that difference." Moreover, she believes handmade surfaces may become the clearest signature of human creativity. In a world full of AI images, that signature will only grow in value.
Likewise, she believes skilled makers will become more precious, not less. In New York, she works with pattern makers and sample makers who carry decades of knowledge. Often, they can look at a garment and see a problem before anyone else. "That kind of knowledge lives in the hands and the eyes," Pereira says. Therefore, she hopes brands will use technology to save time on routine tasks. Then, they can invest that time in artisans and quality.
Finally, education forms the last part of her message. In an age of AI, Pereira argues, art schools and the humanities matter more than ever. At Parsons, her professors asked her to defend every design decision. Over time, that training taught her to observe, to question, and to build a point of view. Interestingly, the World Economic Forum shares this view. Its Future of Jobs Report 2025 expects creative thinking and curiosity to grow in importance through 2030. "When machines handle more routine work, human understanding becomes the real advantage," she says.
For young designers, Pereira also offers practical advice. First, stay curious instead of fearful, and learn what new tools can and cannot do. Second, master the technical side of fashion, from patternmaking to production. Third, treat every job as a school. Finally, protect a personal point of view. "No machine can live your life for you," she says, "so no machine can design exactly like you."
Looking ahead, Pereira imagines a studio with more tools but the same heart. In that future, designers will likely use AI to organize research and speed up communication with factories. Meanwhile, people will still drape fabric on forms, debate proportions, and celebrate a perfect sample. She also hopes to collaborate more with artisans. In particular, she wants to explore ways to combine traditional handcraft with modern techniques. "Technology can help with that dream, but it cannot dream for us," she says. "In the end, fashion is about people dressing people."
About Marina Pereira
Marina Pereira is a Brazilian fashion designer based in New York. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design at The New School. Her career includes roles at Marchesa, Altuzarra, Sea New York, and LoveShackFancy. Her work focuses on embroidery, textile development, and the intricate details that bring a garment to life. She speaks English and Portuguese fluently.

Max A.Sciarra
New York Art Life Magazine
info@nyartlife.com