Joshua Vides: AI Changed Fashion Faster Than Anyone Expected | DSH #1709

Summary

Digital Social Hour: “Joshua Vides: AI Changed Fashion Faster Than Anyone Expected” (DSH #1709)

Podcast: Digital Social Hour
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Joshua Vides
Date: December 26, 2025
Location: Complex Con, Las Vegas

---

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, artist and designer Joshua Vides sits down with Sean Kelly to discuss how artificial intelligence is changing the fashion industry at an unprecedented pace. From AI-assisted design tools and the shifting sneaker market to the boom-bust cycles of collector culture and the survival strategies of streetwear brands, Joshua shares candid insights drawn from two decades in the business. The conversation captures the raw realities of today’s creative landscape and Joshua's practical adaptation to seismic technological shifts.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Impact of AI on Fashion Design

• Rapid Acceleration: Joshua expresses amazement at how quickly new brands achieve high-level production, crediting accessible information and AI as game-changers.
  • Quote: “It took me a year when I was 19 years old to figure out how to print a T shirt… this dude’s making cut and sew shorts... It’s really cool to see, but also it’s like, shocking.” (11:06)
• AI as a Leveler: AI dramatically narrows the experience gap, allowing inexperienced designers to produce pro-level work with minimal time investment.
  • Quote: “AI’s leveled the playing field... People with 3% talent will now get bumped to 70, 80% because of AI.” (13:42)
• Creative Prompting: Joshua uses AI to iterate ideas and mockups instantly, even in his signature style.
  • Quote: “I literally will go like, can you show me a Joshua Vides chair?... took me three seconds to... figure out.” (12:23)

Changing Markets: Complex Con & Retail Trends

• Con Shows as Community: Joshua views events like Complex Con more as networking and exposure opportunities than pure sales venues.
  • Quote: “Honestly, like, for me, it’s just kind of like, coming and showing up... sparking a conversation.” (00:40)
• Face-to-Face Value: Serendipitous conversations can outweigh direct sales. Joshua relays how a single discussion at Complex Con led to a lucrative collaboration.
  • Quote: “Honestly, I had a conversation yesterday that pays for, like, five of these booths.” (01:12)
• Retail Woes: Retail closures and lagging payments are hammering streetwear brands. Joshua notes a major downturn but views these cycles as necessary market corrections.
  • Quote: “Retail is taking a huge shit right now... Stores are closing left and right.” (07:07)
  • Quote: “You have to rinse the market every few years… only the strong survive, really.” (08:33)

Sneaker & Collectibles Bubble

• Post-COVID Reality Check: The market’s oversaturation and post-pandemic correction have crashed values and brought tough lessons.
  • Quote: “The one shoe that was 20 grand… now it’s like 200 bucks. And people are like, what the is going on?” (04:36)
• NFT Lessons: Joshua passed on many NFT offers at the hype peak, seeing it as confusing and potentially reputation-damaging—regrets the lost income but avoids the fallout.
  • Quote: “I look back, I wish I would have done it—but at the time… I didn’t understand it.” (05:53)
  • Quote: “There’s some people who like, just didn’t do it right, you know, or overpromised something and now… it kind of seemed really scammy.” (06:24)

Survival, Brand Longevity & Personal Evolution

• Brand for the Right Reasons: Joshua contrasts those passion-driven with those chasing trends for fast money, observing how intention shapes longevity.
  • Quote: “You can kind of tell who’s got it and who’s here because they want to be here… You’re making bedazzled vintage T shirts right now just because you think you could sell some.” (09:11, 09:26)
• Adapting, Not Resisting: He encourages embracing new tools (like AI and social media platforms), rather than clinging to old ways.
  • Quote: “I don’t want to be the old guy that’s like, I’m not gonna try it. No, it’s happening. It’s here. I’m already late to it.” (13:50)
• Family & Mentorship: Joshua brings his kids to events, exposing them to the business and community side of the industry. He’s keen on passing on his learning.
  • Quote: “I brought my kids right now. So like, he wants to have a booth at Complex Con next year. So I’m like, this is how people do this.” (08:03)
• Facing Uncertainty, Accepting Ups & Downs: Even with a strong track record, Joshua shares that the business is never certain, and staying nimble is key.
  • Quote: “I’ve had years where I’m like, like, what am I doing?... we got a 10,000 square foot warehouse. We got expenses.” (15:29, 15:40)

Looking Forward: 2026 & Ongoing Projects

• Booked & Grateful: Joshua outlines a jam-packed calendar with creative projects, collaborations, and event roles, expressing gratitude for his stability and success.
  • Quote: “I got a really cool like baseball kind of project happening in December. January comes, I go to Tokyo for something cool. February, I’m the creative director of a really cool event chase... it’s like that until August.” (15:11)
  • Quote: “I’m 36 years old, man. I’ve been doing this since I was 19... I could support my family, my kids here, you know. Very thankful to be here.” (15:41, 15:47)

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• AI’s design revolution:
  • “I mean, dude, I could type in, like, make me a shirt design that looks like Hellstar, but I could produce for $10... now I have this, you know.” — Joshua (11:30)
  • “Show me a Joshua Vides chair... Oh, wow, that actually might be something I would maybe do.” — Joshua (12:23)
  • “People with 3% talent will now get bumped to 70, 80% because of AI.” — Joshua (13:42)
• On retail challenges:
  • “Retail is taking a huge shit right now... That affects every streetwear brand tremendously.” — Joshua (07:07)
• On the speculative bubble:
  • “NFTs, right? They came, they went. If you were in early, you came up, you know, and now it’s like, what’s an nft?” — Joshua (05:39)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• AI and Fashion Democratization – [00:00] to [00:23], [11:06] to [13:37]
• Complex Con Experience & Networking Value – [00:30] to [01:46], [08:03]
• Sneaker & Collector Market Downturns – [03:15] to [05:19]
• NFT Discussion – [05:35] to [06:32]
• State of Retail & Market Cycles – [06:40] to [08:33]
• Brand Authenticity & Survival – [09:00] to [09:39]
• Embracing AI & Future-Proofing Skills – [13:06] to [14:20]
• Upcoming Projects & Joshua’s Outlook – [14:24] to [15:53]

---

Joshua’s Socials & Closing

• Primary Platform: Instagram (@joshuavides)
• Experimenting With: TikTok, seeing mixed results but enjoying the process.
• Upcoming Appearances: LA Auto Show, a baseball project, trip to Tokyo, event creative directing (Feb–Aug 2026)

---

Tone and Takeaways

The discussion balances unfiltered honesty with pragmatic optimism, as Joshua shares both the exhilarating and sobering sides of being a creative entrepreneur in a rapidly changing world. Expect both real talk and inspiration—Joshua’s candidness about AI, market booms and busts, and the need to evolve offers a snapshot of current challenges and emerging possibilities.

---

“Only the strong survive, really... Fortunately, I’m here 15 years later, doing the same shit.” (08:33)

“It’s happening. It’s here. I’m already late to it.” (13:50)

---

For more information on Joshua’s work and upcoming projects, check out his Instagram or catch him at major industry events next year.

Transcript

[Joshua]

I'm shocked. There's brands I'm walking past, and I'm like, damn, this product looks pretty solid. I'll be like, yo, how long you been doing the brand?

[Interviewer]

Oh, a year.

[Joshua]

And I'm like, you're making cut and sew shorts with flames and, like, leather. How did you end it? Like, oh, it's just. There's so much access now, like, information, and even with AI right? Like, assisting designers, I'm like, it took me a year when I was 19 years old to figure out how to.

[Interviewer]

Print a T shirt.

[Host]

All right, guys, day two at Complex Con. We got Joshua here.

[Interviewer]

It's been quite an event, man. Good to see you. I saw your booth on the way here. What was the. Any special release for you at this event?

[Joshua]

No, I mean, honestly, like. Like, I was just saying, like, for. For me, it's just kind of like, coming and showing up and, like, shaking hands and, like, being homies and obviously, for people that haven't seen my work to get familiar with and go, oh, what's this? Right, right. It's really just like, sports sparking a conversation, you know? And, yes, we've obviously brought some product to sell, but it's like, you know, I got pins at my booth that are, like, 10 bucks, you know, so people were coming by me, and, like, I don't think anything else at this entire show is $10. I'm like, cool.

[Interviewer]

I did notice that when I walked by, it didn't seem like you were displaying merch or trying to sell everything.

[Joshua]

No, I mean, it's again, like, fortunately, I'm in a position where it's like, I can put up my own money to kind of do this and, like, not really think about a return, you know, it's like, more so allowing people to see the work, get familiar with it, and obviously, like, have larger conversations. Like, honestly, I had a conversation yesterday that pays for, like, five of these booths.

[Interviewer]

Wow.

[Joshua]

So I'm like, cool, let's keep talking. You know, we'll meet in a week or whatever. And it has to do with, like, a brand or a collaboration or whatever. You know, it's like, cool. It was worth coming to Complex Con if. Yeah, makes sense.

[Interviewer]

No, that's why I show face at all sorts of events because. Because you never know what conversation is going to lead to what, you know, And I. I film at as many events as I can because you never know who you'll meet exactly. Any major collabs this year that you.

[Joshua]

Did this year in summer, we teamed up with fanatics and did a Yankees and Mets, New York specific collection with them. And then honestly, just ramping up for the end of the year. We got some, some big hitters coming and then even following into next year.

[Interviewer]

So were you at Fanatics Festival?

[Joshua]

I. I did get to go, which was crazy. And like they didn't even tell me that I was gonna have like a build out there.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

And like I show up and I had like a. This like massive build out with my name on it. I was like, oh, this is cool.

[Interviewer]

So I rarely get fomo. Like usually what? I don't go somewhere, I'm chill with it. But seeing all the photos and videos from that event, yeah, I was like, wow, I'm going next.

[Joshua]

That was great. It was great.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Shout out to Ruben and Fanatics. I mean they're, they're kind of changing the sports entertainment industry. Right. I love what he's doing with the trading cards. I don't know if you collect cards.

[Joshua]

But a little bit. But I just think the energy behind Fanatics is, is crazy. And it's like, it's just they, they're in touch with culture outside of sports and they're able to like mix it together. And so now people who like maybe not know who Ohtani is or his batting average are now like, oh, well, they worked with this really cool artist to make this Dodger hat. I know the artist. Now I'm going to go support. And so now they're kind of just like mixing everything together, which is really fun. Yeah, for sure.

[Interviewer]

How do you feel about the sneaker industry right now? I know there's a lot of interesting headlines to say the least about it.

[Joshua]

I mean, I think everybody is in a very unique moment right now. It's just like everyone's hanging on to their money tighter and so, you know, you're seeing crazy headline news like Nike's down 40 or whatever. They just fired 3,000. You know, it's happening across the board to every brand. And so I think right now is a really, a really good moment for up and comers. You know, even like my buddy Saleh's launching his own footwear company. Like right now is a great time because like, yeah, people have enough Jordans, they have enough Sheltos, you know, that else is there. And so, you know, even like J Tips and Sakony. Sakony wasn't cool 10 years ago, but it's like they're selling out Sakonis because they're working with J Tips, you know. So I think it's a really good moment right now for like, you know, the lesser known brands to kind of like mix of movement and try to catch up to the big dogs.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. A few big sneaker stores in Vegas closed recently. It seems like the reseller market's really hurting right now, too.

[Joshua]

That too. It's just like, you know, I think Covid was a really crazy moment just for commerce and markets. Everybody was making way too much money.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

Everybody was spending way too much money, and everybody got a little hungry. And now it's like we're seeing the downside of it where it's like, oh, wait, why did I buy 20 pairs of shoes during COVID Maybe I can try to sell them now. And if you multiply that by millions and millions of people, every market is just overly saturated. Right. So now it's like, oh, the one shoe that was 20 grand. Well, now there's 5, 000 other guys who got the same pair that are also trying to sell that shoe. It's not 20, 000 anymore. Now it's like 200 bucks. And people are like, what the is going on? Right.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

So, yeah, it's. It's. It's just crazy, you know, for me, fortunately, I don't buy a lot of clothes or like, I don't really care.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, you're not a big collector or anything.

[Joshua]

Not in sneakers, you know. And honestly, fortunately, I get gifted a lot of stuff, so it's like I don't really ever have to go get something. Yeah. You know, it's a baseball card. Seeing baseball cards go down that I invested in a couple years ago, and.

[Interviewer]

I got wrecked on cards, you know, wrecked, like down 80, 90%.

[Joshua]

Yeah. But it's like NFTs, right? They came, they went. If you were in early, you came up, you know, and now it's like, what's an nft?

[Interviewer]

You know, I bet you got hit with so many NFT offers during the peak days.

[Joshua]

Yeah. And what's funny is, like, I look back, I wish I would have done it, but at the time, I would just. I didn't understand it.

[Interviewer]

You would have made aliens.

[Joshua]

It was. It was happening so fast, and people were coming to me like, let's do nft. And I was just like, I don't even know what this is. Yeah. Is it damaging the earth? Like, what's happening? And by the time I was like, finally, like, all right, maybe I can do. I have an idea. It was like, yeah. I was like, oh, well, there goes that.

[Interviewer]

You know, So I will say some artists also Effed up their reputation launching NFTs. So that was good that you didn't.

[Joshua]

Definitely. There's some people who like, just didn't do it right, you know, or over promised something and now it's like, you know, it kind of seemed really scammy.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

So fortunately, yeah, I didn't get thrown into that mix.

[Interviewer]

Is there a specific lane you're aiming for in 26? Any specific product or ideas you got?

[Joshua]

No, I mean, I'm in a really good spot right now where, again, just being aware of like, the world, man, and like, I'm talking to so many people even here.

[Interviewer]

So many people.

[Joshua]

And they're like, dude, this year sucks.

[Interviewer]

Really?

[Joshua]

Oh, my God.

[Interviewer]

This is my second one, so I don't know what to compare it to.

[Joshua]

No, no, not the show. I'm just saying, like, business.

[Interviewer]

Oh, okay.

[Joshua]

You know, like a lot of. A lot of streetwear is housed on the backs of retail. Right. And retail is taking a huge shit right now.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

Stores are closing left and right. People don't want to pay their bills. And that affects every streetwear brand tremendously because they were selling to that store, they were hoping to get this much to be able to invest into the other things, whatever, you know, And I'm very fortunate to be able to walk around and be like, fortunately, I'm kind of good for, you know, now. Like, you know, obviously I don't think I'm ever going to see the kind of money that I made during COVID Yeah. Which is fine. But fortunately, I've kind of prepared and like, was looking forward and like, put some anchors down for next year, you know. So now I'm like, I'm kind of chilling right now, you know, it's like, I don't really. I'm not really dependent on what this show will do. I haven't even looked at my Shopify, you know, and I went to the. I went to my team at the end of yesterday. I was like, how do we do? They're like, we did good. I'm like, cool. That's all I need to know.

[Interviewer]

Nice.

[Joshua]

We didn't come here for that. You know, I'm here just like meeting people. I brought my kids right now. So, like, he wants to have a booth at Complex Con next year. So I'm like, this is how people do this. And look, you got to pay for the rug.

[Interviewer]

And we got this, man, inflatable 5 to 50k. Yeah.

[Joshua]

You know, and so it's like, again, how can you come here and make noise without being dependent on making money.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

You know, that's the goal. I believe so.

[Interviewer]

You know, have you ever seen a dip this big in the fashion space in terms of, like, sales? Like a recession?

[Joshua]

Yeah. It's continuous. You know, like, I've. I've been in the game for almost, like, 15 years now. Outside of just being an artist, I had a brand before this, and, you know, we had a big dip like this in 2016. But it's necessary because it just, like, washes and rinses, you know, the market and. And the space and whoever doesn't stay afloat kind of goes away, and then they go get jobs or they go, I don't know, do whatever else is next, you know, only the strong survive, really.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

You know, fortunately, I'm here 15 years later doing the same shit.

[Interviewer]

I'm sure you've seen a lot of people come and go in this space. Yeah.

[Joshua]

I mean.

[Interviewer]

You.

[Joshua]

You could kind of tell who's got it and who's here because they want to be here. Right. And then there's a lot of guys who, like, just pop in, and you can kind of. You can kind of sense it. It's like, you're not here because they want to be here. You're here for money, and you're here for money.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

You know, you're making bedazzled vintage T shirts right now just because you think you could sell some instead of, like, really caring about it.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

There's so many trends, I guess it's easy to get lost in what's hot right now. I bet.

[Joshua]

Yeah. I mean, dude, there's. I'm shocked. There's brands I'm walking past, and I'm like, damn, this product looks pretty solid. I'll be like, yo, how long you been doing the brand?

[Interviewer]

Oh, a year.

[Joshua]

And I'm like, you're making cut and sew shorts with flames and, like, leather. How did you. And then they're like, oh, it's just. There's so much access.

[Host]

Shout out to today's sponsor, Quince. As the weather cools, I'm swapping in the pieces that actually gets the job done that are warm, durable, and built.

[Interviewer]

Built to last.

[Host]

Quince delivers every time with wardrobe staples that'll carry you through the season. They have fall staples that you'll actually want to wear, like the 100 Mongolian cashmere for just $60. They also got classic fit denim, and real leather and wool outerwear that looks sharp and holds up. By partnering directly with ethical factories and top artisans, Quince cuts out the Middleman to deliver premium quality at half the.

[Interviewer]

Cost of similar brands.

[Host]

They've really become a go to across the board. You guys know how I love linen and how I've talked about it on previous episodes. I picked up some linen pants and they feel incredible. The qual quality is definitely noticeable compared to other brands. Layer up this fall with pieces that feel as good as they look. Go to quince.comdsh for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. They're also available in Canada too.

[Joshua]

Now. Yeah, you know, like information. And even with AI, right, like assisting designers, I'm like, it took me a year when I was 19 years old to figure out how to print a T shirt.

[Interviewer]

Wow.

[Joshua]

This dude's making cut and sew shorts. Like, it's, it's, it's really cool to see, but also it's like, shocking. Yeah, I'm like, you look like you've been a brand for 10 years.

[Interviewer]

And he's like, nah, man, AIs level the playing field, right?

[Joshua]

I mean, dude, I could type in, like, make me a shirt design that looks like Hellstar, but I could produce for $10. Wow, you're like, cool. Well, now I have this, you know.

[Interviewer]

That's nuts. That's nuts.

[Joshua]

Yeah. Put an airplane on it. Put, you know, put, put it in the sky. And also, like, can you make the content for me now? So it's like I could go build a brand in like a week now with AI, Yeah, I can make all.

[Interviewer]

Your content for your website.

[Joshua]

It'll look so legit where, like, you know, when I started my first brand in 2010, it was like, oh, I have to steam this T shirt to make it not look wrinkled. And then I like, put it on the floor and like, took a photo of it. And that needed to go into Photoshop. I need to fix that. I need to cut that out, like days.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, it saves you a lot of.

[Joshua]

Time to get a product shot.

[Interviewer]

You know, you're using it for your companies now, AI to an extent.

[Joshua]

You know, it's like, fortunately, like, I kind of have my work, like, down for, for the most part, and I got a great team where there's not a lot of lift on our end anymore, but it's more so like I just like seeing fresh ideas. And so sometimes I, I literally will go like, can you show me a Joshua Vita's chair? And then I'll be like, oh, wow, that actually might be something I would maybe do, but I would tweak this and do that and make the legs a little bigger. And then I'll, like, show my guys, be like, can we make this? And they're like, yeah. And it's like, it took me three seconds to kind of figure out, you know, nuts. And so I like having fun with that. Show me a Joshua Vita's car, you know, and then it'll be like. And then sometimes it, like, does it better.

[Interviewer]

I'm like, oh, that's so crazy that it's so good where it could recognize your style and just mimic it in seconds.

[Joshua]

Nuts.

[Interviewer]

Because you've devoted your whole life to perfecting your art.

[Joshua]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

And it could do it in seconds.

[Joshua]

Seconds. I mean, obviously it's, like, weird and, like, kind of. It's not always perfect, but for now, though, it's a really good reference point. Right. For. If I would. If I were to, I don't know, make an inflatable plane, I could ask AI to do that right now, and I'd see him be like, okay, cool. And then I could literally screenshot that and find a factory somewhere. And it's like, can you make me this? I'm like, oh, yeah, we know exactly what we're looking at.

[Interviewer]

That's so crazy. So I don't know if talent's going to be good enough in the future, then you got to really have a personal brand.

[Joshua]

I think there's just going to be too much. Right. People with 3% talent will now get bumped to 70, 80% because of AI.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

You know, but it is what it is. It's necessary, you know, it's where the future's going. It's like, I don't want to be the old guy that's like, I'm not gonna try it. No, it's like, it. It's happening. It's here. I'm already late to it. Yeah. You know, like, there's people making millions and millions a day because they figured out how to utilize AI correctly, you know? And then there's a bunch of, like, old dudes walking around here like, nah, dude, I don't have chat gbt. Like, I still use ill. And it's like, cool. You could be that guy if you want to.

[Interviewer]

You know, what are the next events? Where can people keep up with you?

[Joshua]

I mean, I'm. I'm mainly avid on Instagram. I try to be a little. You know, I try to move around a little bit more on the other platforms, but it's just. I don't know.

[Interviewer]

IG is my main one, too, and.

[Joshua]

Maybe I'm just like, whatever. I don't even know what millennium I am. Gen Z or something. But maybe it's just a part of me that's like, I don't want to fudgeing. I don't want to upload a YouTube yet. You know, I'm probably going to have to start at some point. You know, I just started doing TikTok the other day and it's like that's been crazy because it's like I'll post a TikTok and sometimes it's like one like or like, sometimes it's like a million views. Yeah. There's no in between on TikTok, so that's been fun.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

And kind of like switching my content like output for that. But no. Yeah. Again, you know, we're wrapping up here in Vegas. The next thing I got to do, or I get to do is LA Auto Show. There'll be another car there.

[Interviewer]

Nice.

[Joshua]

I got a really cool like baseball kind of project happening in December. January comes, I go to Tokyo for something cool. February, I'm the creative director of a really cool event chase. And then it's like that until like August.

[Interviewer]

It's easy, man. Fortunately, you're booked out a year. That's crazy. Fortunately, yeah, it's a good problem, you.

[Joshua]

Know, it's not always like that. I've had years where I'm like, like, what am I doing? You know, Like, I got a. I got a pretty decent sized team, you know, we got a 10, 000 square foot warehouse. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

We got expenses.

[Joshua]

Yeah. So very fortunate to be. I mean, I'm 36 years old, man. I've been doing this since I was 19.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Joshua]

You know, I could support my family, my kids here, you know. Very thankful to be here.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Thanks for your time, man. That was awesome. Yeah. Check them out, guys.

[Host]

Peace. I hope you guys are enjoying the show. Please don't forget to like and subscribe.

[Interviewer]

It helps the show a lot with the algorithm. Thank you.