What it had to solve
Put Skechers in front of Vogue readers in a December issue curated by a guest editor, Marc Jacobs.
The idea
Run an illustrated street scene of two women with shopping bags, with a photo of the sneaker added in a corner, as a prestige print ad.
How it works
The full-page ad showed an illustration of two women walking down a city street carrying shopping bags in high heels, with a photo of the Skechers sneaker placed in a corner. Viewers said figures in the background were faceless or indiscernible, text on a store awning was garbled and a chunk of one dress was missing.
What it did
Creator @polishlaurapalmer's TikTok alleging AI use went viral, and Ashwinn Krishnaswamy, a partner at design agency Forge Design, called the result 'AI slop'. Commenters were shocked it ran in Vogue. Skechers did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment, and the AI use was an allegation, not a confirmed fact.
Background
In December 2024 Skechers bought a full-page ad in Vogue's December issue, guest-edited for the first time by Marc Jacobs. The ad was an illustration of two women walking down a city street with shopping bags, wearing heels, with a photo of the sneaker being advertised in a corner rather than integrated into the scene.
TikTok creator @polishlaurapalmer first thought the ad was 'kind of cool', then pointed to faceless background figures, garbled awning text and a missing chunk of a dress as signs of AI, and said she now disliked the brand. Others agreed, and Fortune placed it alongside the backlash to Coca-Cola's AI-assisted films, where Coca-Cola said it crafted films with human storytellers and generative AI. Skechers did not immediately respond to Fortune.
Why it lands
The sneaker photo sat apart from the illustration, so the ad read as assembled rather than designed.
Prestige print invites close inspection, and background details fell apart under it.
Viewers tied AI imagery to cost-cutting and to lost work for illustrators.
What you can take
In a prestige print slot, small visible flaws are enough to make an audience assume the brand cut corners.
Since then
Fortune reports no response from Skechers and no change to the ad. The coverage records only the online backlash.
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