Why brands can’t get tech right at fashion week
By Bethanie Ryder, Jing Daily
Where there was once early enthusiasm for Web3 on fashion week runways, recent seasons have seen designers dial back their ambitions.
Calendars during and just after Covid-19 held the promise of the biggest era yet for tech-infused fashion. Tommy Hilfiger hosted its metaverse-heavy Fall 2022 collection in Roblox alongside its physical New York Fashion Week show, while the Council of Fashion Designers of America debuted its “NFT Key” initiative in a bid to expand digital experiences for avid fashion week followers. In Milan, Moncler went all-in on NFTs as “badges of honor” for guests – a tactic echoed at Christian Louboutin’s Paris Fashion Week spectacle.
But optimism around Web3 has faded over the past year, as brands scale back their efforts amid muted responses and prolonged audience cynicism.
While emerging players like Syky and Gmoney storm ahead bringing digital innovation to the fashion calendar, luxury brands can’t seem to leave a lasting impression in the space.
Where are they going wrong?
Meaningful goals, not gimmicks
While the proliferation of stunts in fashion shows has galvanized brands to explore digital innovation, most are prioritizing shock value over substance, says Kenneth Loo, co-founder and CEO of Chapter 2 talent agency.
“There’s still a significant gap between using emerging technology as a marketing gimmick and fully commercializing true digital fashion twins, on-chain access for exclusive content, AI-driven customization, or immersive experiences powered by technology like an Apple Vision Pro,” Loo says.
A limited grasp of Web3’s long-term return-on-investment (ROI) is further complicating efforts for brands, adds Loo.
“Until brands fully embrace and monetize these elements as consumer-facing revenue generators, they risk being seen merely as marketing stunts rather than meaningful innovations that elevate the front row experience, which is limited to an audience that is rarely impressed by them,” he says.
For Draup founder Dani Loftus, brands are stuck in a “post-metaverse” limbo of adjustment.
“In my eyes, fashion is still reeling from the last round of metaverse hype, when many embarrassed themselves with failed NFT projects or clumsy integrations, and adjusting to an AI world; so fewer brands are likely to use it as a conceptual focus this season,” Loftus says.
Loftus also highlights the challenge of ambition outstripping current capabilities, placing a cap on the experience brands can deliver.
“Digital fashion currently lacks the technological capabilities for a real-time tech-enabled runway experience that is actually additive for a consumer,” Loftus adds. “Holograms are still in their nascency, and AR is too glitchy to make it a worthwhile investment.”
David Cash, founder of innovation agency Cash Labs and the Digital Fashion Designers Council, notes that as the “wow factor"”of brands using tech fades, many are reassessing their approach to the digital space.
“Brands aren’t abandoning digital; they’re rethinking how to integrate it more meaningfully into their identity,” Cash says, citing Maison Margiela and Diesel as brands that have “led the way in tech integrations, using AR filters, meta avatars, and blockchain tokenization.”
With fashion week’s spotlight shining bright, brands are pivoting to quieter channels like ad campaigns to unveil their tech activations – a move that implies a shift from spectacles to building lasting impact.
“Rather than just marketing stunts, we’re now seeing these technologies become part of a brand’s core strategy, enhancing user experiences and processes,” says Cash. “We’re moving away from viewing these technologies as futuristic novelties and instead treating them as essential tools that improve the fashion industry’s overall experience.”
A global luxury slowdown has pressured brands to pull back on buzzy technological investments, says Gmoney, NFT collector and founder of Web3-lifestyle label 9dcc.
“It’s much easier to invest in innovation when profits are flowing, but when cost cutting is occuring, the first things to see pullbacks in spending are those that aren’t directly generating profits,” he adds.
At fashion week, shows can rack up hefty costs – and allocating additional budget for tech innovation often isn’t financially viable.
Consequently, brands are revising how they can “integrate the tech more meaningfully into their tech stack”, says Gmoney, echoing Cash’s point on how brands are adopting more low-key alternatives to fashion week.
A prime example is LVMH’s Web3 pop-up at May’s VivaTech conference. Instead of trialing its innovations on skeptical fashion week crowds, the conglomerate used the tech-focused event as a proving ground for its AI capabilities, catering to a more-receptive audience of tech enthusiasts.
For Alice Delahunt, CEO and founder of digital fashion platform-slash-incubator Syky, brands are struggling to reach an equilibrium.
“Finding the right balance between integrating technology for the sake of it versus using technologies as an extension of a brand’s experience, creative expression or product storytelling is something brands sometimes struggle with,” she says.
As innovation in fashion usually becomes ubiquitous, brands are often so preoccupied with joining the bandwagon that they overlook value, Delahunt says. This is a problem that leaves many unable to balance utilizing tech as an additive over generating buzz.
For brands aiming to incorporate tech into their fashion week presentations, Delahunt highlights innovations like the Apple Vision Pro as a means to immerse audiences in the creative process behind the show.