The Spanish AI startup for fashion has appointed photographer Javier de Bona, who will lead the application of artificial intelligence in preproduction. His first session is already underway with Pedro del Hierro.
The Spanish startup Modelia, specialised in visual artificial intelligence for the fashion sector, has appointed Javier de Bona as its new AI Creative Director, as reported by ecosistemastartup.com. De Bona is a photographer with over two decades of experience and comes from the content studio of Tendam, where he served as AI Lead, applying generative AI to production.
In his new role, De Bona will lead the exploration and application of AI tools in photography and fashion production, focusing on the preproduction phase: prior visualisation of lighting, poses, locations, and styling before stepping onto the set. His first session is already underway with Pedro del Hierro, a Spanish brand from the Tendam group, as a real production line from day one.
"AI does not replace the photographer's eye, but it can greatly expand the tools we have at our disposal. Being able to visualise a particular light, pose, or location before a shoot allows us to arrive on set with many decisions already made and use our time there for what truly requires judgement, direction, and creative sensitivity," De Bona stated.
The appointment comes in a context of effective AI adoption in the sector. According to the Modelia Yearbook, reported by El Español, 80% of companies in the sector in Spain already use AI in some form. Additionally, the IAB Spain Ecommerce Study 2025 with Elogia indicates that 13% of online shoppers in Spain use AI in their product searches, and a report by LLYC and Appinio suggests that 90% of young Spaniards claim this technology has completely changed their shopping habits, with fashion among the most affected categories (80%).
The CEO of Modelia, Iván Rodríguez, explained the company's thesis: "Creating a new set, training and paying a team that has to travel to take the photos... If you can afford the best photographer, the best model, and do it in the Maldives, you have a competitive advantage. But what if you are a small to medium-sized company and do not have that budget? AI removes that barrier."
The global generative AI market in fashion grew from 0.18 billion dollars in 2025 and is projected to reach 0.74 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 31.8%, according to the report "Generative AI in Fashion Market Report 2026" by ResearchAndMarkets published in July 2026. The document links this growth to the advancement of e-commerce: online sales in the United States reached 1.11 trillion dollars in 2023, a 7.6% year-on-year increase according to the U.S. Census Bureau cited in the report.
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