LO: Virtual Fashion Shows

With all precautions given Covid-19, creative people have been searching for more ways to communicate and further innovate despite these very limiting times. One interesting implementation of technology, specifically 3D rendering and computer-generated graphics, is direct-to-consumer based fashion label Hanifa’s virtual fashion show.

Anifa Mvuemba, founder and creative director of Hanifa, launched their Pink Label Congo line through an Instagram Live streaming of a video featuring a series of animated 3D renderings. The garments were put against a black backdrop, without a human model; just the walking dresses treading empty space right in viewers’ hands.

Using computer generated graphic technology and 3D rendering softwares, Mvuemba was able to break past the limitations brought forth by the pandemic and reached an even larger and more inclusive audience through these means.

This recent exploration into the world of digital fashion shows challenges the traditional experience of traditional runways and the necessity for these shows. I begin to ask myself questions about this: does the convenience and breadth of being able to reach a larger live audience outweigh the rich experience of the physicality of seeing models walk by in garments on a stage?

Mvuemba thinks that her fashion show may be the start of a new wave in fashion [shows]. The computer softwares allow her to not only render designs to finer detail than seen by the naked eye, but also fit all her garments to figures often seen with Black women, creating a more inclusive space in a highly discriminatory industry. She hopes to see a day where everyone, not just rich socialites, can “sit at the front row” and experience fashion come to life.