Fashion Week... But Make It Virtual

As more companies and brands are forced to respond to the global pandemic, a virtual world seems to be emerging as a new reality. One of the most important annual fashion events might just hop on this trend with a virtual fashion week.  Even though the star-studded event is so highly anticipated, concerns over the spread of COVID-19 are leading brands to think of back-up plans.

The use of an online collection presentation is not a new concept either. Just check out the brands that have already executed this idea. 

In late February, Shanghai Fashion Week organizers decided to go digital with the annual event. As opposed to canceling it altogether, live streaming provided a solution that allowed both eager attendees and designers to interact. Alternatively, a number of designers decided to record their presentations ahead of time so as not to run the risk of potential mistakes or glitches with a live stream. 

One of the other points to consider with a virtual collection is that this is a format that most people engage with anyway. As the entire population does not have the resources to attend fashion week, platforms such as YouTube allow users to see pieces from every collection.

Likewise, brands like Marc Jacobs have taken to the website to post their collection in the past. Jacob’s Fall/Winter 2020 collection has accumulated 83,000+ views. As the show was so abstract—even becoming an internet sensation—memes and gifs started to bring traffic to this video.

As always, the Versace Fall/Winter 2020 collection brought in viewership, but their recent collection accumulated 498,000+ views. In an age where news travels fast, these collections have gained attention from people who were not even in attendance at the in-person event. 

This is all to say that it may be less personal, but not impossible, to make fashion week remote. Of course, nothing can replace the magic of being just feet away from those garments as they move down the runway, but anything is better than canceling the event altogether.  

The real question is: What platform will designers use? YouTube is a tried-and-true option for live streaming or posting pre-recorded content, but brands may also decide to take the interactive route with platforms like Zoom. Can you imagine logging out of your morning class meeting and then logging back in to check out Jeremy Scott’s new collection? That just might be the new normal for brands we know and love. 

Let us know what you think about this decision by tagging us @theedgemag to be featured!