An urgency for change awakens the Fashion Industry to Virtual Events. The epidemic of COVID-19 has forced several Fashion Week Events to halt across the globe. Regardless, as they say, the show must go on, and with the sudden onset of the pandemic, the industry had no choice but to leverage the power of digital media.

FASHION IN THE DIGITAL AGE

The paradigm shift to the virtual world might seem dramatic in its suddenness; in hindsight, the transition process was evident as the dominoes began to fall one after another. During Milan Fashion Week 2020, the number of attendees dropped, and gradually there was no audience in a closed-door environment. And a preventative lockdown forced events to make the transition to the Digital Age.

The digital medium was always supposed to serve as the future of the Fashion Industry, but it is undeniable that the unprecedented outbreak has accelerated the timeframe of Fashion Events. While some brands pulled back from the seasonal calendar, others created a virtual experience for their homebound audience with some spectacular innovations to launch their collections. For instance, the advergaming digital launch of Moschino’s Spring/Summer 2021. Jeremy Scott, the designer of Moschino who recently collaborated with Hudson’s Bay on a collection featuring the brand’s iconic stripes, created a collection of doll-sized garments modeled by marionette dolls. In addition, he made dolls of his regular front-row attendees, including Anna Wintour and Hamish Bowles, alongside himself. In Scott’s words, the concept is “a Moschino wink-and-nod to the fact that to begin anew; you have to start small.”

Furthermore, Valentino provided a gravity-defying acrobatic presentation for Fall/Winter 2021, while Dior offered a mythical spectacle of miniature couture for woodland nymphs. Closer home, Gaurav Gupta and Manish Malhotra have jointly produced fashion films, including an underwater film by Amit Agarwal for Indian Couture Week 2020.

However, the question is, will technological advances take over and change the way people consume Fashion? As the Digital Industry continues to revolutionize, can the crisis eventually lead to a new movement of Virtual Fashion Weeks?

While this is not the first time Fashion events have taken place online, now that the global pandemic is a year old, everyone is more open to digital solutions and far more comfortable using them. As a result, clothing and digital innovations used by organizers and brands now display the highest level of creativity. And Fashion and Events have both learned valuable lessons since the Covid era.

Fashion Week generally caters to a highly specialized audience, so most people cannot afford to attend expensive runway events or request invitations to exclusive parties. However, virtual platforms create a more welcoming environment. Fashion Week becomes more inclusive and down-to-earth when fashion events are available online. And the participants of Virtual Fashion Week can visit London, New York, Paris, Milan, or Tokyo one after another rather than experiencing the rush of in-person presentations.

While many Fashion brands might find the prospect of a more digital version of Fashion Week intimidating, others welcome this change and see it as a chance to be creative and innovative. The evolution of elite fashion houses from relying on traditional methods to using the most advanced technologies is fascinating. For example, Chanel contacted film directors to create unique creative assets for their virtual shows this year. It proves that top brands will always find a way to speak to their target audience, regardless of the platform. Another great example stems from the sustainability-focused Helsinki Fashion Week. Evelyn Mora, who created the Digital Village for these events in the past couple of years, expanded the idea to form a fashion metaverse where 3D models present items, and audiences can attend as avatars. You can try their clothes using a virtual tool, and then buy them with cryptocurrency.

Will the hype around “look-but-don’t-touch” virtual events survive the transition back to normalcy? Can anything truly replace the adrenaline rush of in-person presentations or runways?

Fashion Week organizers worldwide collaborated with brands known for their digital skills in 2021. London Fashion Week, for instance, partnered with the digital platform Joor to offer virtual showrooms. Indeed, fashion technology is no longer just a sidekick but has its rightful place in the retail and fashion worlds.

The situation presents an excellent opportunity for some fashion brands that are more outlandish and less traditional. Likewise, retailers suffering from severe financial losses will also benefit from digital fashion week platforms, lowering production and travel costs.

Therefore, many ask, what is the need for on-site events anymore? Traditional Fashion Weeks are expensive in the context of production, travel, and marketing. Nevertheless, there is every chance that classic large-scale Fashion Weeks will return as part of their legacy and guiding values.
But will all brands participate? Several designers have taken their shows and digital experiences into their own hands and made statements for themselves this last season. Those brands already utilizing digital advancements as part of their portfolio may opt to remain digital and move with the post-Covid era. Burberry is a perfect example of a brand that may or may not exhibit at Fashion Week. Before the pandemic, Burberry moved with the digital acceleration and innovated its brand as other luxury outlets gasped in horror. Meanwhile, other traditional luxury brands may wish to return to the norm.

What about Hybrid Fashion Weeks?

As for hybrid events, there are signs that they are also here to stay. Once the lockdown and restrictions end, there will be a massive surge in in-person events. However, due to changes and adaptations in lifestyle, in-person events will never be the same once people have adapted to socially distancing body language. Hybrid events are likely to be a massive trend in the coming months, as brands can discuss a mix of digital and physical offerings.

It also begs the question, is the set fashion calendar still functional? Has the fashion calendar moved away from a highly traditional one, dominated by fashion weeks, where mass-market brands take influence from luxury brands? Traditionally, this concept has evolved through the idea of trickle-down theory. Perhaps COVID-19 allowed Fashion Weeks worldwide to become more flexible.

Fashion and Technology will collide in the future, creating a new design of Fashion Interfaces that goes beyond Fashion shows and events. Today, diverse Fashion Businesses can harness the power of digital platforms and tools. The runways at Fashion Week provide a fantastic opportunity for designers to display the most innovative clothing with stunning designs.

Fashion has undoubtedly undergone a revolution during the 2020 Pandemic. The urgency for change awakened the Fashion Industry to something that was always supposed to happen.