Debuting October 2012 is the inaugural Digital Fashion Week- the world’s first live streaming only fashion week, to be hosted in Singapore. Live streaming fashion shows have become an industry norm and DFW co-founders Charina Widjaja and Keyis Ng introduced the practice to Singapore in May 2011. But this time, and for the first time ever, this fashion week is solely on the internet. With the inaugural endeavor launching for the Spring/Summer 2013 collections, Digital Fashion Week is slated to take place biannually, with a focus on three key elements: Front Row Access, Real-Time Shopping and Power to Influence.
FRONT ROW ACCESS: Digital Fashion Week will be both front row and backstage broadcasting show preparations and interviews with designers, models and hair and makeup artists. Runway shows will be accompanied by commentary from key fashion figures. Pre-show performances and the post-show party scene are also included in the coverage.
REAL-TIME SHOPPING: Widjaja and Ng acknowledge the direct-from-runway buying concept isn’t exactly new and refer to brands Burberry, Halston for Net-A-Porter, RM by Roland Mouret and Rad Hourani as precursors. A mobile app will provide users with fashion show streaming, videos, runway photos, designer information and shopping. A B2B site, DFW Digital Showroom, will also be launched for press, buyers and retailers to view DFW designers’ lookbook images and pre-recorded videos immediately after every fashion show (reminiscent of invite-only Digital Fashion Shows developed by PR firm KCD and digital agency King & Partners launched during the Fall/Winter 2012 collections). This is the first time both consumers and professional buyers will have access to nearly the exact same information, at the same time.
POWER TO INFLUENCE: As a result of buying in real-time, consumers can provide designers with instant feedback. Insight into market trends during the pre-ordering process will be able to inform future decisions regarding design, merchandising and production.
By creating Digital Fashion Week, Ng and Widjaja are reinforcing Southeast Asia’s growing fashion and technology presence. The platform is certain to be watched by many in the fashion industry and the founders plan to use this opportunity to spotlight Singapore artistry and style. “As a metropolitan city with many foreign talents contributing to Singapore’s fashion scene, we have a variety of styles influenced by a great mix of the East and West” states Project Associate Viona Wang. The emergence of local labels, high street stores and fashion bloggers also inspires the area’s sartorial preferences. Wang continues about the globalization and democratization of Digital Fashion Week:
For the first time in history, a fashion week caters entirely to the worldwide audience. Fashion has never been so accessible. Fashion has always been exclusive to editors, buyers and celebrities, now given the Digital Age, we have opened up fashion to all. Digital Fashion Week gives consumers a one-stop pass to the world of fashion in the comfort of their homes, from backstage hair and makeup buzz, one-to-one designer interviews to front row at fashion shows and all the glitz and glamour of the fashion red carpet.
Most importantly, consumers now can shop the runway looks in real-time straight off the catwalk. Designers’ collections will be presented to them directly and they can buy and wear their favourite pieces way ahead of the current retail cycle. They no longer have to wait for buyers to filter the original collections and stock them in stores. All in all, DFW gives the audience a new fashion and shopping experience like never before.
Featured designers will include Singapore’s biggest names and an international guest designer. Additional information about scheduling and lineups will be announced August 2012. Digital Fashion Week has the potential to change the face of fashion week and already has plans to expand. The premiere event will be a feat to pull off, but we’ll be watching!
