When the lights on a runway blaze, designers, buyers and strategists have traditionally leaned on gut feeling to spot the next big thing. On Wednesday, WGSN shifted that instinct into data, unveiling its WGSN Catwalks AI Dashboard—a real‑time analytics platform that turns live show footage into actionable insights.

The dashboard lets users sift through runway information up to 24 hours after a show, filtering by market, season, brand and city. It also lets analysts compare a range of attributes—product, colour, material, print, fit, detail, and more—so that a single look can be dissected across multiple dimensions. According to WGSN, the tool moves the industry from visual observation to evidence‑backed decision making.

"The initiative was born from requests by our biggest clients," said Carla Buzasi, WGSN Group chief executive officer. "We pair our teams of dedicated analysts, data scientists and fashion experts with the very best in AI technology to give designers and buyers a measurable view of what’s rising, cooling or holding steady on the runway.” Buzasi added that the new dashboard complements WGSN’s existing Catwalks service, which blends live show coverage with expert commentary and seasonal wrap‑ups.

One of fashion’s long‑standing headaches has been separating runway moments that truly signal a trend from those that simply stand out visually. The AI dashboard addresses that by offering a broad, data‑driven lens across the entire catwalk landscape. Users can drill down into individual products to see how specific design elements perform in different markets.

Coverage is global: the platform tracks the four fashion capitals—New York, London, Paris and Milan—alongside additional weeks in Shanghai, Madrid, Copenhagen, Rio and other cities. It is designed to support every stage of the fashion decision‑making process, from setting creative and colour direction to validating new trends and assessing competitive positioning.

"The dashboard speaks a language designers and buyers inherently understand, seamlessly bridging the gap between rich visual inspiration and precise data analytics," said Kim Cupido, WGSN’s senior strategist for Catwalks. "When combined with WGSN’s expert post‑season analysis, the platform delivers a complete, actionable view of the evolving runway landscape.

The launch is part of WGSN’s broader strategy to embed artificial intelligence and data into trend forecasting. The firm’s Catwalks service already offers live coverage, image‑processing tools and a searchable database of looks. The new dashboard extends these capabilities by providing interactive, self‑serve analysis that empowers users to uncover insights on their own.

Industry analysts note that real‑time runway analytics can help brands respond more quickly to emerging trends, potentially shrinking the time between runway debut and retail launch. The dashboard’s granular attribute filtering also allows brands to gauge how particular design elements perform across distinct markets.

WGSN’s CEO emphasized that the dashboard is "the most accurate read of the world’s runways" and that it will help users "identify the signals most relevant to their business." The tool is currently available to WGSN’s existing client base; the company has not announced a public pricing or rollout schedule.

In short, WGSN’s Catwalks AI Dashboard offers fashion professionals a new way to combine live runway data with AI‑driven analysis. By delivering granular, real‑time insights across multiple cities and seasons, the platform aims to help brands cut through visual noise, differentiate meaningful trend signals and integrate data‑backed runway views earlier in the design and assortment process.