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Immersive Experiences:
Fashion week is meant to transport you into the future; it's the first look at next seasons collections - designed by extremely influential brands. This gives viewers access into new fabrics, silhouettes, and styles. Traditionally, presentations have focused heavily on the sense of sight rather than the other four senses, but immersive experiences are beginning to engage multiple senses at once. This year, designers incorporated sounds, smells, and tastes into their show; not only letting us see into the future, but taking us there.
This year, four designers paired their looks with a scent whether that be perfume, incense, or body oil, and two designers incorporated food into their presentations. While music is typically incorporated in shows, this year contained a new tier of live performances; Shayne Oliver wrote a song for each of the outfits he presented and is planning to feature 12 more looks when the album drops. In the physical world, there are natural constraints to immersive experiences. The digital realm, however, is boundless...
Digital Models:
Augmented reality is appealing for many industries and has gained popularity within the fashion space, through digital models and NFT's.
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Tommy Bogo, the mastermind behind the brand TOMBOGO, came to fashion week with a presentation featuring digital models. According to their website, the brand aimed to “create out-of-the-box products with [the] intention to spur dialogue about function, form, and impact in today’s climate of fashion.” While TOMBOGO'S models looked like they were right in front of you, designer Maisie Schloss used holograms to create a fantasy world. In her presentation, the digital models were 7 feet tall and moved robotically; and certain features made them feel mythical. While they did look human enough, this presentation came across as an otherworldly performance with floating bubbles, lights, and eccentricity.
These two distinct approaches created different experiences; one was a hyper real presentation that made it feel like you were sitting at a fashion show 10 years in the future, while the other made it feel like you were transported to another galaxy. In either case, the appeal is the same; digital models gives designers creative freedom. These models, in our opnion, are just the beginning of a more digital fashion era.
The Metaverse:
The appeal of holographic models, at its core, is very similar to the appeal of fashion in the Metaverse. According to The New York Times, the version of you that exists in the Metaverse can be altered exactly to your liking, from your gender to your species. The possibilities for clothing especially; is limitless. There is a growing number of digital-only fashion brands that exist primarily for the Metaverse, while brands such as Gucci and Ralph Lauren have made virtual replications of their physical designs.
The first Metaverse fashion week (MVFW) is happening at the end of March, hosted by Decentraland. There will be a mixture of replica designs made by high-end brands, as well as other designs that can only be created in the Metaverse. MVFW hosted some events this month alongside physical cities around the world, but the full launch can be expected this month.
Technology and the fashion industry is changing. Traditional presentations may continue to evolve, but the goal of fashion remains the same: To innovate, express ourselves, and to understand the world around us.
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