s.Oliver Uses AI to Make Heidi Klum Meet Her '90s Self — 'Casual Since Forever'
s.Oliver has launched 'Casual since Forever', an AI-driven campaign that pairs Heidi Klum with a digitally cloned version of her 1990s self — using a time-travel gimmick to stake the brand's long-standing claim to effortless, casual style.
The Idea
s.Oliver's campaign, unveiled 10 September 2026, uses AI to create a digital clone of ambassador Heidi Klum, letting today's Klum share the screen with her 90s self.
The line 'Casual since Forever' does the strategic work: it frames the brand as having always stood for a certain effortless casualness.
The temporal contrast is the whole trick — past and present Klum, one brand thread running between them.
AI as a Heritage Device
Most AI-in-advertising debate is about cost or replacement. Here AI does something only AI can: visualise a heritage claim by literally showing the brand's continuity across decades.
It's a smart, on-brand use — the technology serves the message rather than showing off.
Marketing Minute's read: the best celebrity-AI work isn't de-ageing for spectacle; it's using the clone to make an abstract idea — longevity, consistency — tangible.
The Risk Line s.Oliver Has to Walk
AI-cloned celebrities raise trust and consent questions; audiences increasingly clock, and judge, synthetic imagery.
Because Klum is a willing, credited partner and the AI is the point rather than a hidden shortcut, the campaign sidesteps the biggest backlash traps.
Expect more brands to license a star's likeness across eras — the ones that disclose and involve the talent will keep the trust.
What Businesses Should Take Away
Use AI where it does a job nothing else can — here, making a heritage claim visible — not just to cut a shoot.
If you clone a person, keep them a credited, consenting partner; the transparency is what protects the brand.
Anchor gimmicks to strategy: 'Casual since Forever' would be hollow without the time-travel device, and the device would be empty without the line.
Quick FAQ
What is s.Oliver's 'Casual since Forever' campaign?
An AI-driven campaign launched 10 September 2026 in which Heidi Klum meets an AI-generated clone of her 1990s self, underlining the brand's long-standing casual identity.
How is AI used?
To create a digital clone of Klum from the 90s so the present-day star can appear alongside her younger self.
Why does it matter?
It shows AI used as a heritage device — making the brand's decades-long consistency visible — rather than merely as a cost-cutting tool.
The interesting thing here isn't the AI clone — it's what the clone is for. s.Oliver uses it to make an abstract claim, 'we've always been casual', something you can actually see. That's the difference between AI as a gimmick and AI as a storytelling tool. And crucially, Klum is in on it, which is what keeps the trust intact. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The best celebrity-AI work uses the clone to make an idea visible — and keeps the star a credited, consenting partner, because disclosure is what protects the brand.
Does an AI clone of a celebrity build a brand or unsettle you? Tell us where the line is.
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Horizont, Textilwirtschaft, Fashiontoday.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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