On the evening of 22nd November 2019, in Cape Town, I was sitting on my terrace, petting an intruding cat while recollecting the events of the past 48 hours...
From setting up my space alongside 50 other students, to collecting two awards, this exhibition was a premiere for my college which provided an innovative fashion experience to the people of the industry and the public. It was invigorating and stimulating one, where the guests would be able to closely inspect the creations and chat to the designers, all whilst admiring the different aesthetics of each creator’s space.
Little did we know that this exhibition would be one of the last fashion events up to this day, due to the pandemic! and it could also potentially replace runway shows. With standard precautionary measures, runway shows are slowly becoming irrelevant and frowned upon mainly because of close human contact it demands. So then, how are designers showcasing their latest collections during the pandemic? From the optimistic’s eye, a crisis offers the opportunity to reinvent ourselves and make space for innovation, and this is exactly what designers are doing.
Fast forward to June 2020 in Mauritius, I was approached by a company based in the UK to participate in a virtual fashion exhibition.
The space and garments were to be reproduced digitally by tech experts and you could walk through the exhibition from the comfort of your home. The digital space has never been as widely used as it is today. Designers are competing with each other with incredibly imaginative and visually striking short films with a unique narrative.
The pandemic has pushed designers to be more creative than ever by engaging with their customers and audience through captivating story telling and inspiring content.
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