Vogue Portugal: John Imah on SPREEAI, Fashion, AI and Personal Style

What connects building artificial intelligence with understanding how a garment is made? For John Imah, Co-Founder and CEO of SPREEAI, both begin with curiosity about how things work—and how they shape someone’s experience. In his interview with Vogue Portugal, Imah discusses the relationship between technology, fashion and identity, tracing the experiences that inform his approach to building products and developing his own sense of style.

Where fashion and technology meet

The conversation begins with two interests that developed differently. Technology offered an early opportunity to explore systems, from taking apart a computer as a child to teaching himself to code. Fashion brought a more personal understanding of expression. Growing up Nigerian-American, Imah saw how clothing could carry cultural meaning and communicate a connection to family, community and occasion. SPREEAI emerged from recognizing that these interests could inform the same work: helping people explore how they want to present themselves.

His interest in clothing extends to its construction. Learning to make garments gave Imah a closer understanding of the decisions behind a finished piece, including how fabric, seams and proportions affect its appearance. In the interview, he connects that practical knowledge to developing AI for fashion. Representing clothing convincingly requires attention to the physical qualities that make it distinctive. The technology must account for the garment while preserving the individuality of the person wearing it.

That attention to detail also shapes his thinking about trust. Small differences in fit, texture or scale can change whether a digital experience feels believable. Imah describes garment-making as an education in noticing those differences—a discipline that carries into his work at SPREEAI. The interview offers a personal explanation for his emphasis on precision: people recognize when something about their appearance feels wrong, even when the cause is difficult to describe.

Heritage, craftsmanship and personal style

Nigerian heritage is another thread running through the feature. Imah discusses its influence on his understanding of proportion, color and dressing for an occasion. His Met Gala collaborations provide concrete examples. For his 2025 appearance, he worked with Sergio Hudson on a look that brought together technological references and traditional Edo beadwork. His 2026 collaboration with Charles Harbison explored Nigerian identity through a golden, sculptural and futuristic direction. He describes both experiences as opportunities to tell a personal story through design.

Beyond those occasions, Imah’s style moves between tailoring, streetwear and experimental fashion. The interview presents that range as an expression of the different worlds he inhabits. A carefully structured suit and an unconventional silhouette can each reflect something authentic. His musical background adds another perspective: playing instruments taught him to appreciate timing, balance and the value of leaving space, ideas he also applies to leadership and product design.

AI that leaves room for individuality

The conversation closes with a question central to fashion’s relationship with AI: how can technology offer useful guidance while leaving people free to define themselves? Imah’s answer emphasizes individual choice. Personalization should make discovery easier and open up possibilities, including choices that someone’s past preferences might never predict. Fashion depends partly on that freedom to change.

Taken together, the Vogue Portugal interview offers a portrait of the founder behind SPREEAI and the experiences shaping his work. It connects technical curiosity with craftsmanship, cultural identity and creative judgment, while making room for the emotional qualities of fashion that resist measurement. For Imah, progress in fashion technology depends on understanding the people and garments at the center of the experience.