Stori is an iF Design 2025 Award-winning concept born of curiosity about the challenges Gen Z and Millennials face when aligning their fashion choices with their sustainability values. Stori is an AI-powered sustainable fashion platform that reduces decision fatigue by reconnecting users with their wardrobe before suggesting new purchases.
Problem
The Insight That Changed Everything
People want to shop sustainably. They don't know where to start.
Gen Z and Millennials experience cognitive dissonance: they care deeply about sustainability, but their actual shopping behavior doesn't align with that care. The problem isn't a lack of intent; it's decision fatigue, distrust of greenwashing, and platforms that add cognitive load rather than reducing it.
"How might we create an engaging and immersive sustainable buying experience that motivates, educates, and empowers consumers to make sustainable apparel their lifestyle choice?"
Outcome
Conscious Shopping Without Compromise
Stori reimagines sustainable fashion through AI, by making it personal, accessible, and inspiring. The platform connects users’ current wardrobes with curated ethical brands. Instead of overwhelming users with more options, the platform uses AI to show fewer, but better personalized options.
Three AI-driven systems:
Wardrobe Intelligence
Personalized Brand and Apparel Matching
Context-Aware Recommendations
Traditional platforms treat AI as a search filter. Stori adds another layer, treats AI as a behavioral intervention, by changing when and how information appears, not just what information is available.
Through AI-driven style insights, computer vision–based outfit recognition, and interactive community experiences, Stori bridges the gap between intention and action, transforming sustainability from a moral choice into a joyful lifestyle.
My Role
This self-initiated project began as my SCAD capstone and evolved into Stori, an AI-driven platform reimagining mindful fashion. I approached it as a systems thinker, connecting user behavior, technology, and sustainability to create an experience that makes conscious fashion effortless and rewarding.
My work involved:
Owning the end-to-end design thinking process with insights and frameworks.
Conducting user and brand interviews to uncover behaviors and patterns in sustainable shopping.
Defining product positioning and differentiation through journey mapping and Blue Ocean Strategy.
Exploring AI to enhance decision-making, personalization, and moments of delight.
Designing and prototyping key interactions that promote mindful, long-lasting fashion choices.
Focused on understanding why each element mattered: why users hesitate to choose sustainability, why decisions feel overwhelming, and how design can make ethical choices feel natural and rewarding.
Design and Research Approach
My design approach focused on bridging the gap between users’ sustainability intentions and their actual shopping behavior.
Understanding factors causing cognitive dissonance
I conducted surveys and interviews with consumers and brands to identify motivations, frustrations, and gaps in the sustainable fashion experience. Mapped insights using BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model to identify key triggers, ability factors, and motivations influencing mindful purchasing.
Defining design direction
I created mindset personas focused on values, needs, and behavioral drivers, not demographics, ensuring the platform resonated emotionally and practically. During the ideation phase, I anchored the platform’s core offerings on four pillars: Explore, Educate, Curate, and Connect to create a cohesive, user-centered system.
Designing the Experience
I prioritized personalization, AI-driven recommendations, and wardrobe integration to simplify sustainable shopping and reduce decision fatigue. Wireframes and prototypes were iteratively refined to validate usability, AI engagement, and the platform's effectiveness as a holistic system.
Impact
Stori reimagines how technology can foster conscious consumption without compromise. The project demonstrated how AI and systems thinking can humanize sustainable fashion by connecting personal style, ethical awareness, and digital intelligence.
Though not deployed commercially, Stori provided a framework for responsible retail innovation, illustrating how design can balance commerce, sustainability, and self-expression. Its recognition through a design award affirmed its relevance as a forward-thinking model for how technology can empower mindful living.
Reflection
Strengthened my research rigor by avoiding self-bias and letting insights drive decisions.
Learned to consistently refer back to research and the WHY? when solution challenges arose.
Realized that trusting the design process and applying the right tools at the right time are key to creating desirable, feasible, and viable outcomes.
Gained confidence in owning the full design thinking process, from research to rationale, trusting my analysis to justify every decision.
Recognized the value of structured reflection and process discipline in transforming complex ideas into clear, actionable solutions.