As the fashion world convenes for London shows, the brilliance of New York’s latest fashion week shines as experts continue to dissect the runways and the Met Gala of both familiar and new talent.
To the show was added the technology that was observed in and around the shows in order to tackle their own technical things. The projects, some of which will run throughout the month of September, brought augmented reality, backstage reporting, live shopping and even holograms, among other initiatives, to attendees and online viewers around the world.
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Today’s advanced innovation, flexed by giants through media, social media, and e-commerce, offered new ways to experience action.
Snapchat’s fashion-oriented augmented reality lens launch is based on projected style trends linked to each of the four major cities that will be hosting fashion weeks this month. Launched at New York Fashion Week, the lenses, a product of the company’s work with digital fabric and body mesh technology, will be launched each week to allow users to traverse their own personal runway testing virtually up to nine looks. different.
Yahoo, a Verizon Media company, has had its own AR project since its last collaboration with Rebecca Minkoff, this time to present digitized images from its latest collection. The immersive experience offered online visitors a virtual version of New York to browse and model photos with Minkoff styles via NFT. In addition, 3D versions of its products will be available for sale through the digital fashion market The Dematerialized.
Yahoo, IMG’s official New York Fashion Week innovation partner, was pretty busy this season. The technology and media company also worked with Christian Cowan on a new project linked to his event, with the designer appearing as a photorealistic hologram, triggered by QR codes.
“The ability to incorporate all of our fans at home into the collection and on the catwalk in such an intimate way is really special,” Cowan said in a statement. “And allowing our customers a deeper description of the pieces they receive only adds a lot to the retail experience.”
As a metaversal show, this show shows what technology can do, showing the glamor of technical magic. It is not necessarily a new phenomenon. The interaction between technology and fashion dates back years: a peak in 2012 saw Google Glass land on the runway of Diane Von Furstenberg and 3D printing company MakerBot partnered with Asher Levine to offer sunglasses at the letter.
But there is something different in the spirit of today’s efforts. Behind them, there is the deepest feeling that the velvet ropes that string fashion events – and high fashion – are being let go.
In this way, the latest wave of technological initiatives may finally be the catalyst offered by the much-discussed democratization of fashion. But it’s also one more thing: Silicon Valley’s growing fascination with fashion week has shifted from attention-seeking experiments to a deeper understanding of how digital innovation and fashion can evolve together.
This is true, at least when it comes to buying. IMG, for example, tried to generate on-demand sales directly from the runways this month.
Fans may be encouraged, but from a business standpoint, the movement has received mixed reactions. “I’m not as convinced as others that the‘ now buy now ’model will really connect with luxury fashion consumers,” said Dave Bruno, director of retail market information at retail technology company Aptos. “However, I believe that luxury fashion brands need to adapt their supply chains and merchandising practices in ways that support the model. Because the changes they have to make to support see-now-buy-now programs are the same changes needed to compete more effectively every day. “
From their perspective, these forces play directly into issues such as collaborative design, reduced consumer feedback circuits, production, and product and merchandise planning.
These pressures, which are very real, can be inevitable growth pains. Because the rush to bring fashion content, creators and products to the masses does not stop, in any case. This emerged from the activity that revolves around the shows.
For example: Pinterest, a first-time NYFW sponsor for IMG, marked the occasion both online and in the real world. A partnership with designer Sergio Hudson offered a 360-degree tour behind the realization of his show, as well as a shopping opportunity to pick up his latest looks on the platform, just off the track. “PinCodes” left in every seat of his show guided people to Hudson’s Pinterest board, where he shared the inspiration behind his collection.
The company also promoted influencers who were on the ground to cover the events, including Tenicka Boyd, Nicolette Mason, Caroline Vazzana, Justine Marjan, Kristina Rodulfo and Erin Parsons, and hosted a physical lounge and studio space, so creators could reload and eject. fashion content, which was highlighted in the Today tab of the app.
According to a Pinterest spokeswoman, an agreement this season with social and online intelligence firm Launchmetrics, which offered new and exclusive ideas during the week-long event, will be extended to Milan, Paris, Madrid and Mexico City.
Facebook also made its presence known via Instagram, which partnered with The Met and Vogue to launch a series of exclusive releases from American designers, including Bode, Brother Vellies, Christopher John Rogers, Hill Strada, Gypsy Sport, Prabal Gurung and Pyer Moss. The initiative was linked to the Costume Institute’s latest exhibition, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” Each month, @themetstore will offer these special collections to buy directly inside the app.
“We look forward to provoking global conversations about what fashion means in the United States today and tomorrow,” said Eva Chen, vice president of fashion and Instagram shopping, “and we’re proud to support these designers who drive culture and shape in the industry “. ”
Specifically for The Met Gala, Insta also worked with Charlotte Tilbury and other red carpet makeup artists to make beauty look affordable. Tilbury organized Live Shopping events to demonstrate how the images seen in stars like Mindy Kaling and Carey Mulligan were recreated and to buy used items, with the remaining videos on IGTV.
For Tilbury, the project – an acquisition of @ctilburymakeup “with instant access to the magic of red carpet makeup” – was “first on Instagram.”
TikTok, which has become one of the leading online forces during fashion week, this month unveiled a new #TikTokFashionMonth campaign, with tips, trend reports and demonstrations, as well as new creative effects and virtual events.
Notably, the platform promoted its first “Fashion & Beauty Frontrunners List,” an honor roll that includes “fashion favorites for beauty gurus who change the glam game,” according to TikTok. In particular, the honors recognize the influencers of fashion and beauty who use their platform to promote representation, accessibility, and inclusion.
“The highlight of this year’s fashion month is that we put our designers at the forefront with the list of Fashion & Beauty Frontrunners,” said CeCe Vu, leader of fashion content collaborations at TikTok. “Our community has known and loved how we offer them the backstage moments of the best fashion shows while helping them get to know the designers up close. And now, we are also highlighting a diverse and talented group of creators that we can all look forward to and aspire to be. ”
It’s not that the coverage of the fashion industry is lagging behind. Content collaborations with Tatcha, Glow Recipe, Tower 28, Hourglass, Balmain, Carolina Herrera, Tory Burch and Staud, among others, act as a showcase for new products, up to the 29th Balmain Live Runway event. September online.
Meanwhile, in the app, the new creative effects aim to offer users even more fashion experiences. Rate My Outfit scoring dresses ranging from “fashion week icon” to “faux-pas fashion,” while a new aesthetic challenge instructs designers to dress in a random style, from cottagecore up to emo, preppy and Y2K.
It is now clear that Big Tech came out to make a big impression on NYFW. This is not entirely new. But it’s increasingly doing so in ways that feel more personal and intimate, though it offers a surprising factor, a dynamic that tends to be a hallmark of creative geniuses in the world of design. This suggests that the tech sector is, perhaps, finally starting to “get” into fashion.
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