FOR TRULY DIGITAL FASHION WEEKS, FORGET EVERYTHING YOU KNOW

The first round of ‘digital fashion weeks’ are upon us, and it’s possibly also the first time that  shows have started on time, thanks to the wonders of streaming pre-created content. London and Paris have already taken their end of show bow, and Milan is currently in the hot seat. 

By now we all know the script. The show calendars are published on a website, the public at large is invited to watch, and we get to see a filmed showreel of a new collection; sometimes factual, sometimes dreamy, sometimes quirky. Production crews rallied, models distanced, and directors actioned. So far so very familiar.

The only digital component for the majority of labels that have shown so far seems to be that the films are aired online. From The Fabricant’s perspective, though the presentations are well executed, this represents a collective failure of imagination when there was a pivotal opportunity for the industry to entirely reinvent the seasonal showcase. The extraordinary creative potential of 3D and the digital environment has been disappointingly left aside.

In our tentative post-lockdown landscapes, where inspiration-hungry fashion lovers express themselves digitally as a daily ritual, is a facsimile of a physical event, created using old world technology, really the best they can offer?

As a piece in the industry bible Business of Fashion advised in April prior to any digital shows taking place: “Brands shouldn’t approach digital events and livestreams as stand-ins for physical engagement, but as an opportunity to experiment with new formats and reach a wider audience in unexpected ways.” They took the words right out of our mouth.

Aside from Ralph and Russo, which created the digital muse ‘Hauli’ to wear its couture, and Sunnei, whose joyful avatar-driven show was backed by the creation of its own 3D platform, the vast capabilities of digital fashion remain unexploited by luxury brands. 

  • Gravity-defying digital landscapes open up extraordinary staging possibilities.

  • 3D garments have the superpowers to walk, or fly, themselves down the runway to show off their elegance and complexity. 

  • Fully immersive digital universes allow prolonged participation with collections. 

  • In-show digital networking functions enable deeper engagement with concepts. 

  • Innovative digital experiences can set the fashion community alight with trailblazing collaborations.

Though the fashion industry is as stacked with creativity as an Alexander McQueen heel, there’s a perpetual unwillingness to let its talent run free in environments that don’t feel utterly familiar. Yes, the world of 3D digital fashion is new territory, but its creative potential has the ability to electrify and elevate the industry so it can thrive in these rapidly evolving times. And notably, it’s a transition that fashion’s audience has no problem embracing. 

As the show seasons progress, there are still opportunities to build digital experiences worthy of the garments that have taken so much effort to create. But for that to happen in an impactful way, fashion must be willing to unlearn and move on from what it knows about staging runway shows - a 200-year old tradition that has become the industry equivalent of wearing comfortable house slippers.

This may be the first outing in a new era for seasonal shows, but the fashion world still has work to do to align with the digital-first spirit of the 21st century.

Image: The Fabricant x Puma

Image: The Fabricant x Puma

THE 21st CENTURY - A WORK IN PROGRESS

So here we all are. As lockdowns slowly ease into new daily realities we’ve arrived into a system reboot. 21st century 2.0 is a tentative version with further updates expected. A world where maintaining 1.5 metres distance is the measure of social responsibility, and hugs have become a pre-agreed exchange.

Plans devised by the fashion industry during the ‘big pause’ are now being executed. Some are fire-fighting solutions that tackle immediate issues such as supply chain management, excess inventory and staging seasonal shows. Others have taken more definitive action, stepping outside of the traditional industry calendar entirely and its endless cycles of excessive creation and waste of raw materials.

As an entity that only operates in the non-physical environment, The Fabricant has been through a hectic and enlightening period. In a whirlwind of digital meetings, conceptual roadmapping and tailor-made proposals, we’ve gained firsthand insight into the fashion industry’s psyche - its needs, wants, concerns and expectations, and where it thinks digital fashion fits into that dynamic.  

The most striking learnings haven’t been about where 3D digital fashion can resolve issues for brands right now, it’s the question we posed around what isn’t yet being addressed that has been the most telling: 

How can we build-in structures that represent a range of perspectives relevant to the cultural conversation, that also contribute towards long-term aims such as sustainability, innovation, diversity and inclusion?

If you’re unused to thinking about the 3D environment it’s difficult to appreciate the vast scope of possibilities. Digital fashion isn’t merely a sticking plaster to solve short-term difficulties; it’s true value lies in the fact that it’s a completely untapped sector where innovative, compelling and valuable business models can be created from the get-go. It operates beyond existing systems that were founded on toxic principles. It’s a world that can be created anew from a fresh perspective to be equally beneficial to all. 

  • Digital fashion represents much more than trying on 3D garments. It’s a world to try on new ideas, new cultures, new bodies, new perspectives and new lives.

  • In the digital environment fashion lovers aren’t passive consumers, they’re co-creators that spark brand dialogues and build communities.

  • You can set fashion trends in the digital space, but you can also set agendas, enable cultural shifts and lead movements.

  • Non-physical clothing can be bought in a store, or it can be purchased in a narrative, an environment or a brand philosophy. 

  • Couture made from data has functions beyond being a garment. It can be currency, a ticket, an invitation, or a password.

As we all step blinking into fragile new realities it’s tempting to imagine that digital fashion and the 3D universe was a momentary stop-gap in the lockdown journey. For brands that want to participate in true digital transformation that leads to strategic change and builds long term resilience, it’s time to engage with a sector that will take fashion, and our surrounding culture and society, out of this century and into the next one.

Video: From LEELA platform by The Fabricant. Type digital.fashion into any browser to try it.

WE’RE NOT FASHIONISTAS, WE’RE FASHIONAUTS.

ANNOUNCING FFROP #3.

It’s a lucky few that get to explore a new world, and even less that also get to influence how that world looks, feels and behaves. The digital-only fashion universe is an uncharted space for self-expression where pre-existing rules don’t apply. As pioneering ‘fashionauts’ The Fabricant has a responsibility to help shape this unspoiled territory so we avoid the mistakes of the past. By going beyond the boundaries of the physical realm, the opportunities we envision to enhance the human experience couldn’t be more exciting.

In an environment that makes the impossible possible, that wastes nothing but data and exploits nothing but the imagination, the very idea of physicality seems outdated. When clothing is always digital, never physical, pollution and waste reduction are non-topics. In this new world there’s no such thing as factories, supply chains, retail outlets or sample sizes. There are no delivery trucks to fuel, no clothes to launder and no closets to declutter. Creativity and self-expression don’t come at a cost that becomes difficult to justify. With just a click anyone can contain the entire fashion industry on their hard drive. It’s sustainable by its very nature.

Digital-only clothing presents the possibility for a completely new, more transparent fashion industry. To help advance this open and collaborative dynamic, every month The Fabricant is doing a free file drop, or FFROP, as we like to call it. FFROP #3 lands today. Like the previous two it’s free to download and features an outfit from The Fabricant’s DEEP digital fashion collection.

Co-creation and inclusivity are fundamental to the digital-only fashion sector we want to be part of. Providing the tools so everyone can curate their virtual identity is The Fabricant’s way of making it happen. Do you want to be part of a groundbreaking fashion movement? Then join us on the journey that uploads the human to its next level of existence. In this exciting new fashion dimension we’re all adventurers.

Amsterdam Digital Fashion Capital!

We declare Amsterdam the capital of Digital Fashion! In 2016 when we first began producing digital fashion animations (ZIL's Grad) AMFI had just produced three very talented digital fashion designers. Their work has become the foundation of the work we have done here at The Fabricant and allowed us to take the path we’re on now.

Two years ago, we talked about the point in time when things start picking up pace for digitization. 2018 has marked the year where we see most initiatives happening from digital fitting services, 3D supermodels, virtual Instagram influencers and several software tools to aid each aspect of the fashion cycle.

We are a group of passionate creators and entrepreneurs looking to contribute to this change. And we want to connect with everyone who feel they are on the same path. Other digital fashion designers, 3D designers/animators with an affinity for fashion and brands/designers from the industry. We are looking to grow further this year and will be on the lookout for anyone with a talent, affinity, passion and vision for the fashion industry.

Today is Friday 23rd of March. As of next month we will start revealing projects, collaborations, new team members and our advisory board who have joined us since the beginning of this year. We’re picking up pace, but are not at full speed yet.

Will AI become creative?

This is a question I see popping in several articles online and it’s a question we deal in our upcoming project ‘Faster Fashion’. Thousands of images from Paris Fashion Week were fed to a neural networks algorithm to provide multiple (pixelated outcomes) ‘predicting’ the next fashion trend. Digital fashion designer @amberjaeslooten used these outcomes as inspiration for her next digital collection.

Past nine months we’ve been experimenting with 3D modeling around these designs and are finally starting production to develop a virtual fashion experience. The deliverables will be ready around end of May ’18. From May onwards we’ll start releasing the results first through social media and fashion conferences. And later releasing an online VR experience of front-row seats of this virtual catwalk experience. Democratizing and making it non-exclusive

From left to right. 01 - source image, 02 - output, 03 - interpretation. image copyright @amberjaeslooten

From left to right. 01 - source image, 02 - output, 03 - interpretation. image copyright @amberjaeslooten

SHUDU - Digital Super Model

Three weeks after first discovering Shudu, 'she' has doubled her following on instagram to 70k. After being featured on Highsnobsociety people in my surroundings (not in fashion) are also talking about her as a phenomenon. Digitisation of fashion is in full-throttle towards an unknown, but very certain future. The space is remains undefined allowing for initiatives like The Fabricant to define the future aspects of what this holds.

I believe there will be many more of such initiatives popping up left and right this year. This year we saw Prada hiring @lilmiquela as their social media GIF influencer, Balenciaga showcasing their 3D printed collection and Gucci using 3D printed heads of their models as attributes. As for Shudu, she might just be the highlight of the next years fashion week.

LINKS -

Shudu - https://www.instagram.com/shudu.gram/

Lilmiquela - https://www.instagram.com/lilmiquela/

Gucci - http://www.newsweek.com/gucci-cyborg-feminism-milan-fashion-week-poppy-816170

Balenciaga - http://www.3ders.org/articles/20180306-balenciaga-uses-3d-printing-to-create-dramatic-silhouettes-in-aw-2018-fashion-collection.html