NY Fashion Week 2015 (Photo : Reuters)
Indiana University (IU) scientists have teamed up with Facebook's Instagram to make a complex algorithm for predicting the next top models who walked down runways during New York Fashion Week (NYFW), with 80 percent accuracy. The researchers teamed up with the social network to combine physical and work experience data about fashion models, with Instagram data collected during the fall of 2014.
The team defined a model's popularity in terms of how many runway walks a new model was in. It was during the Fall-Winter 2015 fashion season.
Researchers did the study by collecting statistics of 431 models from a database of pro female models. They tracked the models' eye and hair color; height, waist, and hip measurements, and shoe and dress size.
Researchers also factored in the models' agencies. Models working for top agencies were almost 10 times more likely to walk down the catwalk, according to CBS News. Still, only about one-fourth of the new faces were able to stroll down the runway compared to the well-known models, according to ApexTribune.
The scientists also factored in the models' Instagram accounts. That included the number of posts, Likes, and positive and negative comments.
Emilio Ferrara is a University of Southern California (USC) computer scientist and the study's lead author. He said that the researchers' formula resulted in an 80 percent accuracy rate in predicting if a new model would soon walk down top runways.
The researchers predicted the top eight models of the 15 "New Faces" of the Fall/Winter 2015 season. Six young women made the list.
They also guessed the bottom seven names of the new models list. Six ended up in the bottom half.
Researchers discovered that many posts, Likes, and comments on the Instagram accounts affected the models' success. However, more Likes could surprisingly lower their chance to walk down runways.
The models' Instagram accounts were as precise as predicting a model's popularity as working for a top agency. Being an inch taller than the average model's height also doubled the likelihood of walking down the catwalk.
New York Fashion Week is a semi-annual event that takes place in February and September. It lasts about one week and features international fashion collections.
