Material Exchange – a key player in the fabric sourcing industry – has just launched the world’s first AI fashion sourcing assistant, a stylish bear named Frank. Frank has taken the industry by storm after debuting at last month’s Kingpins Show in Amsterdam where he wowed denim-loving professionals from across the globe with his in-depth material knowledge and state-of-the-art AI technology.  

Frank’s presence at the Kingpins Show generated lots of buzz as users were drawn to groundbreaking visuals of this life-size bear whose endearing British Cockney accent reached out to them from Material Exchange’s digital kiosk. He may have done a few disco dance moves, too.  

Since the show, Material Exchange has released the Frank Experience, which offers users the opportunity to engage with Frank from anywhere. Within the interface, users can submit one of several question prompts or browse through Material Exchange's Best of Denim showroom. The showroom is made up of eight collections of denim materials, each one full of materials which have been hand-selected by sourcing experts. The collections have their own specific focuses including water-conscious denim, recycled denim, price-sensitive denim and more with materials gathered from some of the world’s top denim suppliers.  

For those who’d like to physically touch a selection of these denim materials for themselves, there’s an option to order a curated box of samples for delivery to their doorstep – completely free of charge.  

As users navigate through the Frank Experience, this dapper bear guides them by using a series of custom-made gestures and phrases. While Frank is currently focused on denim fabrics, he’s currently working on broadening his knowledge to include a wider range of materials. 

As well as helping brands find their perfect materials, Frank is also able to help agents with many of the tasks that fill up much of their time: writing up reports, sending emails, providing pricing and fabric data, sending FDS sheets, and more. 

“Sourcing materials is no easy task for the brands or sales executives that advise them. There are literally thousands of data points for them to sift through to find the perfect match – but not anymore,” says Material Exchange’s Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Ben Felton. “Frank is going to revolutionize sourcing, by enabling brands to find their perfect match in turbo speed and allowing sales executives to focus on advising them on the best materials for their upcoming lines, rather than spending their time on these sifting and other administrative tasks.” 

Time is a valued commodity and with Frank, brands and textile sales agents alike get more of it. Frank and Material Exchange are out to transform the fashion industry – and it’s happening now. As Frank says, “Nice choice, matey.”  

You can come meet Frank and try the Frank experience here.