Dissecting Digital Fashion Week
Image: Chanel
For those living in Asia, the concept of a digital fashion week is nothing new. Since 2012 Digital Fashion Week has been held annually and shared between South East Asia’s three major fashion cities of Jakarta, Singapore and Bangkok.
Utilizing tech such as LIVE streaming, multi cam feed, 360° virtual reality, LIVE Interaction and shoppable runway the event aims to provide an all access immersive experience for fashion lovers to Fashion Weeks and their various activities globally. Since its inception Digital Fashion Week has been regarded as Asia’s only 360 offline and online marketing platform focusing on digital strategies to globalize Independent and emerging designers from across the Asian region.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic Shanghai Fashion Week (held in March) was quick enough to shift its gears and announce that they would be partnering with Alibaba’s T-mall to go completely digital. Over the course of the five-day event more than 150 designers and brands livestreamed their latest collections to buyers, media and fashion fans. The designers and brands were able to interact with their viewers in real time as well as create a “see now buy now” format for their pieces to be purchased throughout their live-streaming events.
Although this was the first time Shanghai Fashion Week went completely digital, China’s huge online fashion streaming culture prepared local designers for the challenges they may have faced during the event. According to Alibaba’s news website ALIZILA “ By the end of the fashion week, the event’s streams had totaled over 11 million views and helped generate more than RMB20 million ($2.82 million) in gross merchandise volume.”
Despite having almost three months to create COVID-19 contingencies, a majority of the Western world’s fashion weeks and their participating brands seemed to be in a scramble. As soon as brands realized that they would be forced to show digitally they still had to find ways to differentiate their online shows from each other. France’s Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) announced that they would hold their first digital couture week from six — eight July. In an attempt to keep the event to true couture fashion week form, Paris Digital Couture Fashion Week was held on a dedicated platform that streamed videos created by their accredited couture maisons including the always anticipated Chanel.
Similar to Couture Fashion Week, Paris’s Mens Fashion Week also took place on a streaming platform with video only content. The event was structured like previous seasons where designers were given time slots to show their collections. Brands such as South Korea’s Wooyoungmi, China’s Sean Suen and Japan’s Yohji Yamamoto all participated in the mens only event with their own unique video concepts.
Unlike Paris Fashion Week, Milan opted for less structured co-ed Fashion Week allowing both menswear and womenswear designers to participate. Titled “Milano Fashion Week Digital” the three day event gave brands / designers the freedom to go beyond the limitations of a regular fashion week.
While three brands including Etro decided to showcase their collections physically (while adhering with public safety guidelines) Ermenegildo Zegna went all out by holding a phygital fashion show that blended cinematography, technology and digital techniques with real life models who were filmed and photographed.
This month marked the beginning of the Scandinavian fashion calendar. Copenhagen’s Fashion Week organizers announced that they would launch a new digital universe on their official website titled CHFW72. CHFW72 celebrates 72 hours of shows, events and talks and will feature 32 shows and presentations from designers such as Ganni, Stine Goya and Holzweiler.
According to the event’s official press release, although Copenhagen Fashion Week is able to host physical events, this edition of fashion week will naturally be adapted in compliance with the Covid-19 health and safety measures.
In order to make it possible for all brands to still partake in Copenhagen Fashion Week, this season there have been no rules dictating show format. The result is a range of installments pre-produced and live, this includes adapted runway shows, presentations, films, exhibitions, and installations.
In the press release, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, Cecilie Thorsmark said "We are very excited to fulfill the vision of a hybrid version of Copenhagen Fashion Week, meaning that anyone - whether in person or digitally - is able to access this season's 32 shows and presentations,”
After looking at the official schedule it was nice to see that CHFW72 lead a diverse range of talks and discussions including "Anti-racist practices in the Scandinavian fashion industry" and "Working conditions for emerging designers," hosted by speakers such as Fanny Moizant, co-founder of Vestiaire Collective; Sara Maino, head of Vogue Talents; and fashion activist and professor Kate Fletcher.
With the future of in person fashion weeks being so uncertain, it will be interesting to see if fashion week has changed forever or if things will ever go back to the way they once were.
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WRITTEN BY: Jourdie