‘Fashion avatars’ bring the season’s key trends to life with motion tracking technology, then try to flog you a dress
To celebrate the launch of spring/summer fashion collections, shopping mall maestros Westfield will partner with London technology facilitators Inition to let visitors experience the products through virtual reality and avatars.
Future Fashion comes as a result of more shoppers being eager to explore new ‘fashion technologies’ and are intrigued by new virtual ways to experience it – 52 per cent would use Augmented Reality in a retail environment and 57 per cent are tempted by Virtual Mirrors.
This all points toward more digital 3D content creation in an industry that has lagged far behind more typical product design, and the problems of simulating material properties, accurate lighting, realtime rendering and motion capture.
For eight weeks around the pop-up event, Westfield will host live fashion activations and create immersive experiences in three ways:
Virtual Reality
Using a combination of virtual reality headsets with gesture tracking technology, which allows users to see their own hands within the virtual world. Users will be able to interact with virtual characters, fly through the landscape and mix and match the different trends within a completely fantastical space. This will allow every user to have a unique experience, making them a director in their own ‘conceptual fashion journey’.
Fashion Avatars
Approaching a large scale screen, the technology will recognise the user’s shape and represent them through a fashion avatar. The digital representation then tracks the user across the screen as they make sweeping shapes and movements, leaving trails of the season’s trends in the air.
Edit Me
Users will be able to digitally curate products that fit the season’s trends and can be found in retailers within the centre. On giant touch screens displaying Westfield’s trend microsite, Edit Me, users will be able to experiment and push style boundaries by discovering new looks and products and then shop the looks within the mall.
It’s more marketing fluff than anything seriously game changing, but it’s a clear sign that fashion is adopting more and more 3D technology.
You can check out the technology yourselves on the following dates:
Westfield London: 27 – 29 March
Westfield Stratford City: 2- 4 April
