When fashion meets technology: Are virtual shows the future of fashion?

Due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, many prominent fashion designers feel that the digital world will be taking over the fashion industry .

New Delhi

In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, several fashion weeks across the globe including the ones in India have come to a halt. But as they say the show must go on, will technology takeover and change the way we have been consuming fashion? As the digital industry revolutionises continuously, can the crisis perhaps kick-start a new movement of virtual fashion shows?

Some Indian fashion designers collectively believe that the new approach of online shows will immensely contribute in lowering the carbon footprint. Ahmedabad-based designer Shyamal Shodhan of the label, Shyamal & Bhumika, who unveiled his Summer Festive 20 collection on Instagram recently, thinks that social media is the best medium to showcase. He says, “Especially right now with the Covid-19, there is no other choice anyway. Online is the great place to launch the collection. Everybody must focus on it. Instead of sitting and crying what will happen now, everyone should amp up their online game.”

Echoing the similar sentiment, designer Nikhil Mehra adds, “Virtual shows are going to be a reality, there’s no question about it. Education has gone online. Fashion would obviously be next in line, but more importantly, the whole idea of abundance and making it large, bigger than life – all that’s going to change. Maybe there would be shows like they used to be back in the 60-70’s where the designer would present a collection of 25 garments shown to a specific number of people. But virtual shows are definitely going to major part of ethos and ecosystem.”

Some designers are also of the view that the lack of touch-and-feel factor might play a big role in the new approach. Designer Rina Dhaka says, “I’m a brick and mortar person. But the truth is that we do need to adjust to the virtual world. The tech-challenged ones need to grow, and the ones who are already out there are definitely ahead of us. Online is the future.

But with going virtual, the colour of the ensemble can change, close-up looks can’t be possible.” For designer Nachiket Barve, online is a feasible alternative during this period of self-isolation. He says, “It cannot ever replace the experience of seeing a live show and emotion that it generates. It’s like watching a music concert on television; it cannot replicate the same feeling. But if you also look at the number of people travelling across the continents, the kind of huge amount of carbon footprint and expenditure – these things can definitely be shortened with the digital mode.”

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