How AI Can Reduce Fashion Anxiety

For Sai Kiran Vemuri, style isn’t about trends or rules—it’s about how comfortable and confident you feel in your own skin. As the founder and CEO of Stylz, an AI-plus-human styling platform, his approach to fashion sits firmly at the intersection of technology, behaviour, and everyday wellness.

“Stylz is India’s first AI plus human styling platform,” he explains. “It’s a hybrid system where we are helping people stop overthinking what to wear by understanding who they are and giving them styling that actually makes sense.”

At its core, Stylz was born out of a very personal problem. Despite being a data scientist and machine learning engineer by training, Sai admits he has always had a complicated relationship with shopping. “I am a compulsive shopper. “Whatever I see on Instagram, I just buy it. Later I regret it, asking myself why did I buy this?”

That internal conflict sparked a larger question: What if AI could understand not just what you like, but what actually works for you? “If AI can understand what I need and what is good for me, instead of just overspending or overbuying, that’s when the whole idea came up,” he says.

Rather than positioning Stylz as a fashion-first brand, Sai describes it as an IT-led style platform built on four pillars. “The first part is body shape, then face shape, then skin tone—which leads to your colour palette—and the last one is your personality.”

These four elements form the foundation of Stylz’s algorithms. “Based on these pillars, all our models work. We try to understand what is actually good for different people in different ways.”

But even with data and algorithms, Sai is clear that fashion isn’t about fixed rules. “Fashion is a perspective game. There are no definite rules that say only this shirt should be worn for this body,” he says.

He offers a simple example. “If I wear a shirt and ten people say it looks good, I tend to believe it’s good. That’s how validation works.” Stylz, he says, aims to replace external validation with something more personal. “Our goal is not to make you look good. Our goal is to make you feel good. Looking good is just a side effect.”

What sets Stylz apart, according to Sai, is its focus on behaviour rather than rigid recommendations. “We don’t train our models just on rules,” he explains. “We try to understand user behavior and how comfortable someone is in their own skin.”

He points out how personal preferences often override algorithmic logic. “According to theory, black might suit me. But personally, I don’t wear black. I have my own reasons. These are very user-specific data points.”

Stylz accounts for these nuances. “Our model is not more tech-oriented, it’s human-oriented. It’s all about you,” he says.

When talking about Indian consumers, Sai observes a clear behavioural shift after COVID. “People are more aware of what they are wearing. They are more into sustainability.”

Gen Z, in particular, stands out—but not as a monolith. “Gen Z in Bombay is different from Gen Z in Delhi, which is different from Gen Z in South India,” he notes. “But what’s common is that they don’t want to follow rules. They want to express themselves.”

Stylz deliberately avoids celebrity-led fashion narratives. “We never say a celebrity wore this so you should wear it. We tell users you are your own celebrity.”

For him, authenticity is the real currency. “Style is not about fitting into categories,” he says. “It’s about feeling real.”

Decision fatigue is where Stylz steps in most practically. Sai shares his own daily struggle. “Every morning I spend so much time deciding what to wear. If there’s an event, I try multiple options, send photos to friends, ask for opinions.”

Stylz simplifies this process by first understanding what’s already in your wardrobe. “You just take one video of your wardrobe. We identify and sort items—skirts, lehengas, sarees, everything, especially Indian wear.”

Once the wardrobe is digitised, Stylz’s in-app assistant, Sakhi, takes over. “You tell us you have somewhere to go in the next half hour, and Sakhi picks a full look—clothes, shoes, accessories—everything.”

“All you need to do is open the app. Rest, we take care of everything,” says Sai.

In a culture that has always relied on external approval, Stylz aims to offer reassurance without judgment. “From childhood, we have always asked for validation…from parents, friends, partners. Stylz is here to give that validation in a better way,” he notes.

Stylz recently crossed 40,000 beta users, with a full India launch planned soon. The app follows a freemium model, allowing users to explore features before opting for a subscription.

Looking ahead, Sai is clear that technology will always remain secondary. “Tech is just a tool. It’s not the ultimate goal,” he says.

In the next five years, he believes fashion will shift away from trend-chasing. “People will prioritise their unique identity instead of following others. It will be more about expressing yourself…what is good for you, what feels right for you.”

For Sai Kiran Vemuri, that future is less about dressing to impress and more about dressing to feel at ease.