![\"Jessica](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1d6419be13aa9280d0a4132d991ec3d3adfaaaf85e9396b2f7a52ebb2dd15b00.png\")
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January 16, 2026 \u2014 4:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Troubled denim retailer Jeanswest has been mocked by social media users for posting content on its website and social media that has been created using generative artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n In an Instagram post from January 6, two blonde women in the same outfit appear to be enjoying takeaway coffee together at a cafe on a sunny day.<\/p>\n However, the two figures lack definition, and some of their movements have a blurry, dreamlike quality.<\/p>\n The audio on the Instagram post, which features lyrics of \u201ca warm, cosy Australian cafe atmosphere with relaxed indie folk vibes\u201d, also appears to be the AI prompt for the video itself.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy on earth are you using AI! This is so disappointing to see,\u201d one user commented. \u201cThis is insane!!?? Who approved this!?\u201d said another.<\/p>\n Jeanswest\u2019s website appears plain and poorly maintained, with stock images and generic statements like \u201cEscape the Everyday\u201d and \u201cJeans time is here!\u201d<\/p>\n Content from the \u2018About Us\u2019 page has been removed and states: \u201cStore message; Add important information here\u201d.<\/p>\n Users on a Reddit thread mocked the AI-generated models (\u201cwhy are they both pointing in the same direction?\u201d) and scrutinised photos on the Jeanswest website (\u201cweird arm, exaggerated drunk lean, it\u2019s a mess\u201d).<\/p>\n When contacted by this masthead, a customer support representative confirmed its content was AI-generated.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile AI is one of many tools we may use in our creative workflow, we remain dedicated to maintaining the authenticity and relatability that our customers expect from us,\u201d the representative said in an email.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cWe want to assure everyone that listening to our community is at the heart of what we do. We take this feedback seriously and are committed to learning from it as we refine our approach.\u201d<\/p>\n Retail consultant and RCA Advisory director Trent Rigby said Jeanswest was a case study for retailers in how not to deploy AI-generated content and described 2026 as the \u201cyear of AI slop backlash\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first saw their current content, I honestly thought it was a satirical campaign or a joke,\u201d Rigby said.<\/p>\n \u201cSome brands are using it to cut corners on the cheap and we\u2019re seeing a total abandonment of quality control. The danger is when brands use AI to replace the creative process entirely rather than using it to support it.\u201d<\/p>\n Customers were becoming much sharper at spotting fake content, and retailers who did so risked eroding trust and loyalty, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s sterile. Inauthentic. It alienates the very people they are trying to sell to. If Jeanswest has this little regard to how they \u2018show up\u2019 to a customer, why would a customer trust the quality of the actual clothes they\u2019re selling?\u201d<\/p>\n In another Instagram post from a week ago, a model appears to model khaki capri pants in front of a Jeanswest store. However, the store beside it also appears to bear the name Jeanswest.<\/p>\n All 90 Jeanswest stores were shut down<\/a> by June 2025 when administrators Pitcher Partners took control of the business.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s misleading, unethical and borderline illegal,\u201d said Rigby. \u201cUsing AI to fake a physical retail presence is flat-out lying to the consumer.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re going to reach a point very soon where \u2018produced by humans\u2019 or \u2018not AI generated\u2019 becomes a premium marketing label.\u201d<\/p>\n The rise and fall of Jeanswest<\/p>\n The first Jeanswest store opened in Perth in 1972 and grew to a network of nearly 150 stores across the country after acquiring the now-defunct Eagle Jeans chain. Jeanswest, which was a fast-growing retailer in the \u201980s and \u201990s, was sold to Hong Kong clothing retailer and wholesaler Glorius Sun in 1990.<\/p>\n However, Jeanswest\u2019s relevance and popularity declined in subsequent decades amid competition from rival jean retailers. It slid into voluntary administration in 2020, shutting 37 stores and making 263 staff redundant. It was rescued by Harbour Guidance, the local subsidiary of Hong Kong company Harbour Guide, which is owned by clothing mogul Chun Fan Yeung.<\/p>\n When Jeanswest fell into administration again in May 2025, it owed $48 million to creditors. The company returned to its previous owners, Harbour Guide, but axed all stores to operate an online-only model, letting go of 220 full-time, 155 part-time and more than 300 casual employees in the process.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for administrators Pitcher Partners said they were no longer involved in the business, which returned to the ownership of Harbour Guidance managing director and Jeanswest director George Yeung in late August.<\/p>\n \u201cThe brand has been completely hollowed out,\u201d said Rigby. \u201cIt\u2019s clear this isn\u2019t just one bad post. The entire Jeanswest business has been built around AI generation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s honestly sad to see a 50-plus-year-old Australian legacy brand go this way.\u201d<\/p>\n The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.<\/a><\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/9d10890f1608a760e35aec661824665976f46382db645f96b7e4a492dbc447d7.png\")
A still from the video posted by Jeanswest, which has attracted criticism online over its use of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768514770_511_a9aa6541e5a78bc080839832be6ff5d940f5789090110d05f02e9b2ae94bb9e0.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/debc10a46bdac9c48181f05448162896d0caff17d8f189620acfa021e1ea2c71.jpeg\")
A model appears to model khaki capri pants in front of a Jeanswest store in an AI-altered image posted to Instagram. All Jeanswest stores were shut down by June 2025.Instagram<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/df028d551f263b17febb116fd81b00f80ee2a96c.jpeg\")
A Jeanswest store in Garden City in Brisbane in March 2025.AAP<\/p>\n![\"Jessica](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767770052_926_1d6419be13aa9280d0a4132d991ec3d3adfaaaf85e9396b2f7a52ebb2dd15b00.png\")
Jessica Yun<\/a> is a business reporter covering retail and food for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via Twitter<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners