On the last day of London Fashion Week 2022, Doddz exhibited the UK’s first all Augmented Reality Screenwear collection in partnership with Snapchat at the iconic Shoreditch Kachette - DEFY - A Digital Fashion Show.
Digital fashion is set to become the pinnacle of garment evolution with the intersection of clothing and technology for the first time able to forge a new innovative path between two industries. Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, predicted that 10-15% of our wardrobe will be made up of digital items in the near future. Each year, textile production emits 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 - more than international flights and shipping combined and equal to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond textile production, washing and discarding clothes has an even more bleak environmental impact: 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2. AR garments are set to redefine the meaning of sustainable fashion producing 97% fewer emissions than their physical counterparts.
The premise of the exhibition was to ask those in attendance an invigorating question; can AR and digital fashion help solve some of the problems facing the fashion industry?
Pre-show
The audience was invited to interact with Doddz’s original AR artworks, this meant holding their phone up to canvases to see them come to life. They could also take part in educational AR experiences and virtually try on garments in front of huge hanging 80" screens.
Research shows you remember 70% of what you learn through AR, compared to 10% from reading and 20% from listening, and so AR activations not only allowed people to experience Augmented Reality perhaps for the first time in a fun and engaging way but also helped them to remember the information we wanted them to know about digital fashion before sitting down for the show.
One assumption was that the audience wasn't familiar with AR before entering as they mainly had a fashion background which is why the first part of the exhibition and all of Doddz’s artwork was based on educating the audience.
Naturally, there were some tech hardware issues on the day but thankfully everything was sorted due to the hard work of the team before the doors opened.
The Runway Show
The show saw models walk the runway in nothing but a vest and cycling shorts - the entire collection was only viewable through the audience's phones (through a Snapchat lens) and a live projection on the wall, unlocking the power of digital fashion and a first look at the way AR technology will shape the future of fashion consumption. 25 different outfits were inspired by streetwear designs amalgamated with Doddz artwork which the audience could try it on for themselves after using the innovative body tracking capabilities of Snapchat after the show.
With this being the first event of its kind there were a lot of business issues to solve, mainly around the tech performance, squeezing so many outfits into one Snap Lens proved tricky whilst educating the models on how Digital fashion works and what they'll need to do in order for the audience to have the best experience were just two of the many problems encountered.
The show was a success.
The event was attended by over 120 global influencer stars and media publications. Content from the show was featured on Vogue business, ITV, Lad Bible, and Complex. The show was also featured multiple times over a month period of BBC's TV Show BBC Click.
The audience that arrived with little to no knowledge about AR came away entertained with an extremely positive feeling toward AR and an understanding of the role it will play in the future of fashion and art.
DEFY showcased a different alternative to fast fashion for those looking to purchase items only to wear on social media with an innovative solution.
