Virtual Runway

Moments in fashion come and go. That is the reason that fleeting trends and styles come and
go: they are moments for a reason. It is evident, though, that virtual reality is having a moment
in the world of fashion and runway right now. However, virtual reality does not seem like
something to disappear from the world of fashion anytime soon. In fact, rather than having a
moment, virtual reality will be a permanent staple in fashion and runway; in part due to the
current world state, but also in larger part due to how explorative and immersive the experience
is for buyers, models, and most importantly, designers. With its most recent Instagram Live
fashion show, Hanifa is proving that a designer’s perspective and goals of texture, movement,
and silhouette can be beautifully translated into a virtual setting, as well as solidifying the fact
that virtual settings for fashion will continue to become much more of the norm.
Anifa Mvuemba, the creator of Hanifa, opened the live stream; vivaciously and passionately
discussing her Congolese heritage and how it provided inspiration for the textures, colors, and
lines in her collection. The live stream served as a bit of an exciting mystery; the viewers knew
that they were about to embark on a road to seeing Hanifa’s new capsule collection, however,
as a consumer, it is almost hard to imagine what a virtual runway show would look like.

Enter: #PinkLabelCongo Encore Show.

The live opens with Mvuemba herself describing not only the colors and patterns and textures of
the collection but also how the difficulties and the triumphs of Congo serve as inspiration and
education in the collection as well. Then, as if out of nowhere, an almost-too lifelike fashion
show begins. However, this show does not contain models and is not filmed or videoed in
person. To traditional music in relation to the line, pieces, and not models, begin to walk the
invisible runway. The show opens with a red, blue, and yellow crepe top. A series of
impeccably-designed pieces continue down the runway. Arguably more jaw-dropping than the
exquisitely-made and tailored pieces are the way the pieces move down the “runway” (your
screen, in this scenario). Many times, as seen on Instagram posts and stories, lost is the
exquisite texture and styling of a piece or a collection; making it challenging to really know what
you are looking at or looking into buying. Not here.

These pieces saunter across your screen with the same movement, shape, and cadence they
would as if a model was wearing them, however, there is no model. In this new-wave virtual
fashion show, consumers get an idea of what pieces look like and how they feel and hang. Even
the silhouette of an individual walking in the clothing serves as the ideal manner to view the
piece in full and see how it moves but does well not to distract from the piece. Using this virtual
technique, Hanifa created an atmosphere that has not often been considered or used on the
runway.

However, the goal to create and execute the virtual fashion experience is not exactly new, and more so, technology in fashion has been a notable aspiration for designers to showcase their latest runway presentation for longer than many may consider or remember.

In 2010, almost a decade ago,

Alexander Wang held the goal of having the first-ever fashion show live-streamed from Paris,
but the link was visited so many times that it shut down. There have been remarkable and
astounding improvements since then, including a virtual reality e-commerce experience, coming
from Tommy Hilfiger and Zendaya’s collaboration, TommyNow, at New York Fashion Week,
Rihanna’s SavageXFenty show streaming on Amazon Prime, both in 2019, and Telfar
presenting his S/S20 collection via a “non-linear film,” which also collaborated with other
designers, musicians, and industry experts, to name a few. Rag and Bone seemed to take the
next step into full virtual runway shows with their presentation, “contrasts and perspectives,” which
featured robots, rather than real, live models. New York Fashion Week
is ready and excited to play along with and market the growing digitality of fashion and runway;
we have seen these trends continue to grow over the last decade.

Taking it one step further, “digital supermodels,” such as Lil Miquela and Shudu break the
stereotype of fashion needing to be portrayed in real life, and convey that style and beauty do
not necessarily need to be physical to be real. The takeaway here, again, is that technology and
virtual reality in fashion is not a fleeting moment, but rather, an established need and want from
the industry to change is up the game. Technology almost gives a better insight, as seen above
with Hanifa’s show, of how clothes move, feel, breathe, lay. They portray the ideal manner and
visual that the designer wanted to from the beginning.

In relation, companies, such as VRAccelerator, are aiming to take the virtual element of fashion
and runway to the next level. This company is aiming to capitalize on making the utmost ideal
and perfect virtual representations of people; people doing things, and things moving in their
state-of-the-art studio featuring “multiple machine vision cameras bringing natural motion. “digital supermodels,” such as Lil Miquela and Shudu break the

traditional ideas of fashion needing to be portrayed in real life, and convey that style and beauty do
not necessarily need to be physical to be real  

As sometimes fashion wishes to be more tech-driven and less human-driven fashion and clothing are still meant to be
personal, and with perfectly created virtual reality, almost all creativity is lost.
When designers and companies turn to live and virtual clothing, it is necessary for there to be a
personal element,
because without something new, different, and personal, virtual reality really is not very much
different than actual reality. Hanifa made a statement about her clothing and herself by creating
such an immersive yet personal live show, on such a well-received platform. Because of the precedent that has
been set, and because of the way the world of fashion is changing and growing, without a
doubt, technology, and virtual reality will have a moment in the world of fashion for a very long
time.

Having a Moment: Virtual Fashion

By: Emily Goldberg