One of the hottest trends this SS16 fashion week season isn’t whether
florals are hitting the spot over prints, or whether the colour palette is
bold or filled with sugary pastels, it’s more about the collaborations
between the fashion and technology worlds and a number of London Fashion
Week and New York Fashion Week designers used digital initiatives to
enhance their collections.
has been a front-runner when it comes
to being a digital pioneer, they’ve used Twitter to sell their collections
as soon as it has hit the runway, they partnered with Apple to livestream
the show using just iPhones and this season they partnered with Snapchat to
reveal its new collection to fans the entire evening before the editors and
buyers saw it hit the catwalk. A clever approach to target those younger
consumers, as Snapchat is predominately used by those under 25 years old.
While Burberry was partnering with Snapchat, Hunter decided to go with
Twitter’s live-streaming app, Periscope to launch its #BeaHeadliner mobile
sessions campaign, which not only showcased the heritage brand’s new
collection and behind-the-scenes activity, but also three up-and-coming
musicians that it is championing.
Hunter creative director Alasdhair Willis said: “We saw this as a huge
opportunity to speak to new audiences at such a key time on the fashion
industry calendar and for the brand, in particular extending our reach to a
broader audience that might not traditionally engage with London Fashion
Week.
“Using Periscope, we are able to present Hunter Original and our
relationship with festivals in a new and innovative way that reflects who
we are as a brand.”
Hunter’s tech tie-up is going to continue post fashion weeks too as they
plan to use Periscope as a platform throughout the 2016 season to provide
access to musicians on their way to the biggest festivals around the
world.
LFW designers Burberry, Hunter, House of Holland and Topshop turn to
technology
Twitter was also the platform that NYFW designer Tommy Hilfiger used to
showcase his new collection to the social media masses, instead of
Periscope the designer used Twitter’s new multi-camera device, Twitter Halo
that can capture 360-degree videos that can be shared in real time via the
social media website.
Hilfiger commented: “We’ve become increasingly energised by digital
technology and innovation, which has transformed the show experience for us
and our audiences. For our Spring 2016 fashion show, we’ll build on this
energy as we premiere first looks from the collection using the new Twitter
Halo.”
This isn’t the first time that Tommy Hilfiger and Twitter have
collaborated to enhance the catwalk show experience, for autumn/winter 2015
the designer used a Twitter mirror backstage that took photos each time the
screen was tapped, and for spring/summer 2015 the label used a Vine booth
to capture 360-degree, 6-second video loops of what the celebrity guests
were wearing.
Ashley Vinson, head of brand strategy at Twitter, said: “Fashion and
Twitter go hand-in-hand, and Tommy Hilfiger is one brand that’s
consistently ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing creative uses
of Twitter.”
Technology partnerships are often about driving e-commerce and one of
the most commercial partnerships this season had to be Topshop
collaborating with Pinterest to launch ‘Pinterest Palettes’, a tool that
scans and identifies colour trends based on either a user’s individual
boards or those curated by Topshop surrounding what’s being seen on the
streets of New York, London, Milan and Paris. These results then come with
shoppable recommendations from Topshop.com, and personal shopping
appointments for those in the flagship Oxford Circus store.
Sheena Sauvaire, global marketing and communications director at
Topshop, explains: “We recognise that the power of colour on our customer
is huge; it has the ability to inspire, excite and drive purchases, so
we’re delighted that our partnership with Pinterest has enabled us to
explore the impact of colour, whilst engaging our customers in the
excitement of London Fashion Week.”
House of Holland introduces wearable payment technology to catwalk
The concept of wearable technology has been building for a number of
seasons with smartwatches being at the forefront, well House of Holland
merged the worlds of fashion and commerce with its partnership with Visa
Europe by showcasing wearable payment technology on to the catwalk for the
first time.
Henry Holland designed bespoke bug-shaped rings enabled with near-field
communication (NFC) technology, which allowed his celebrity guests
including Alexa Chung and Daisy Lowe to step up at the end of the show and
buy items straight off the models on the catwalk. The collection contained
a tag linked via Bluetooth smart technology to a virtualised terminal to
Visa’s payment network and with 500 pounds pre-loaded on the ring they were
able to purchase their favourite pieces, which were then handed to them as
they left the show. However, this was just a concept launch and the
wearables will not be available to purchase.
Other interesting fashion technology collaborations included Zac Posen
teaming up with Google’s Made With Code team to launch a little black dress
‘coded’ by girls as part of his Zac Zac Posen line. The LBD featured LED
lights across it that displayed different moving patterns and was created
to inspire young girls into trying computer science.
Even the British Fashion Council got a little techy by announcing that
technology giant would become a patron of London Fashion
Week in a deal that would see the two working together to encourage British
designers and retailers to “weave the latest smart products into garments,
designs, accessories and retail environments.”
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Caroline Rush, chief executive of the BFC, said: “It is important for
the British fashion community to drive forward sales and increase their
profiles on the global stage. Innovating with wearable technology and smart
garments is a fine way to achieve this.”
Images: Burberry, House of Holland, and Topshop