IRL to URL: What’s the Future of Fashion Shows?

The lockdown times, since the mid of 2020, made us introspect on our changing lifestyle and habits. The isolation we faced in the vicinity of our homes made us more environmentally conscious, tech-savvy and judicious in our everyday choices - be it for food, fashion or travel, amongst other things.

On a global level, we saw each industry struggling to survive. But when it comes to fashion, it seems like the industry has come out much more resilient than ever. It has charted out solutions to not budge down in front of a virus, as we see the four fashion capitals shifting from IRL runways to URL shows and live streams. From phygital runways at Milan menswear shows, and Paris menswear week held in January this year, to the London Fashion Week and Paris Haute Couture of February, we saw top echelons of the fashion world striving for virtual runways. Such a paradigm shift from IRL to URL also doubled the creative force in the fashion industry. Now, it was not just about showcasing the upscale apparel or accessories on-ramp but what also matters is how they have been presented. Amid some changing times, some designers indeed got brownie points for seeing pandemic as an opportunity to shift from IRL to URL and bringing digital innovation, that set them apart from the rest of the bandwagon.

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They reached the zenith of creativity and democratized fashion, as more people got access to digital runways through live streams. For instance, Anifa Mvuemba, the founder of fashion label Hanifa sent us in a tizzy with her virtual show at New York Fashion Week in 2020. The show had 3-D garments strutting on a runway; exuding curvaceous figure as if they were worn by invisible models! This eerily eccentric show set the template that fashion is going to break the boundaries of a physical runway and will be explosively experimental in the virtual world. Later, there were many brands opting for tech innovation in fashion. Spanish luxury brand Loewe presented its Spring Summer 21 men’s collection through ‘show-in-a-box’ concept encapsulating watching a physical runway through a box for a more sensorial experience, that gave the viewers a 360-degree view of the looks and accessories. Then, we saw another Spanish brand Balenciaga diving us in an immersive videogame-like runway for its Fall 21 show that caused a roar in the fashion world. The show was one of its kind, facilitated by Ocular VR headsets. It received path-breaking success in showing a parallel world in the strata of fashion, that no one could have ever imagined. More recently, Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 21 marched a wide array of fashion films in its phygital lineup that blended art, design and theatre ushering in how design and technology are going hand in hand. Not just the usual collections, but even the upscale Haute and bridal shows opted for digital runways. For instance, America based designer Reem Acra dropped her gorgeous bridal collection titled ‘Love and Dreem’ via a collaboration with social platform Snapchat. The designer opted for augmented reality technology to help brides try a dress from the brand while being at home and recording the session via Snapchat, so it could be shared in the virtual world, giving them the feel of actually wearing the bridal dress. “Not being afraid of exploring your own imagination. Going away from the superficial and going deep into the real world of tradition. Really setting the tone for your future”, wrote Acra about her much-hyped AR collection while sharing it on her Instagram.

some designers indeed got brownie points for seeing pandemic as an opportunity to shift from IRL to URL, and bringing digital innovation.

Back in India, phygital shows and virtual showrooms were rallied with full spree. From Nexa Digital Couture, presenting an interactive runway through social media, where designer’s sketches turn into 3-D versions of the garment to veteran designer Manish Malhotra opening his first virtual showroom; giving us a sneak peek into his beguiling bridal ensembles, homegrown brands also boasted of their URL prowess and potential to bring innovation.

With the world adapting to a more tech-driven lifestyle, we can say that URL fashion shows that were born out of necessity have been embraced collectively by many. We can expect the industry to brim with revolutionary URL concepts in the near future that shall further democratize fashion and pave way for creative competitiveness in the industry. But whether URL is a trend to stay forever or not, only time will tell, since a true fashion aficionado still likes vibing around physical runways.