On Saturday, September 16, 2023, the exhibition “Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion” opened at the Design Museum in London. Aside from celebrating the 30th anniversary of NewGen, the British Fashion Council’s talent factory, which has supported more than 300 designers over the years, it is unlike many other fashion exhibitions.
The Design Museum not only shows designers’ first steps into the field of fashion and curates 100 innovative looks. With an initiative that could be described as “see now, try now,” the museum is also breaking new ground by letting visitors try on nine of these looks – virtually, of course, with the help of augmented reality (AR).
As part of the exhibition, Snapchat set up a backstage room with augmented reality makeup mirrors. In collaboration with Snapchat, Amsterdam-based creative tech studio Beyond designed nine iconic women’s and men’s looks for visitors to explore while sitting in front of the mirrors.
“We are committed to providing consumers with an immersive and interactive experience that allows them to virtually try on clothes, view and purchase items in 3D worlds and AR environments, and discover groundbreaking fashion designs,” says Beyond founder and creative director David Robustelli in an interview with FashionUnited before the exhibition.
Which looks can visitors try on?
Highlights of the show include Marjan Pejoski’s swan dress worn by Icelandic singer Björk at the 2001 Academy Awards, Harry Styles’ Steven Stokey Daley outfit from his video for “Golden” and Sam Smith’s Harri inflatable latex suit from this year’s Brit Awards .
Visitors can also see the revolutionary neon collection from Christopher Kane’s first runway collection, Russell Sage’s upcycled Union Jack jacket worn by Kate Moss for Vogue, and a huge blue ruffle dress by Molly Goddard.
NewGen graduates featured in the exhibition include Lee Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Charles Jeffrey, Christopher Raeburn, Erdem, Henry Holland, Kim Jones, JW Anderson, Mary Katrantzou, Molly Goddard, Roksanda, Simone Rocha, Stuart Vevers, Priya Ahluwalia , Saul Nash, Grace Wales Bonner and Bianca Saunders.
In a backstage area, the exhibition recreated the moment just before a fashion show, complete with clothing models, hair, makeup and accessories. Using AR-supported mirrors, visitors can experiment with makeup and headwear from nine current catwalk creations.
The nine looks to choose from include creations from Charles Jeffrey’s SS18 collection, Chet Lo SS23, Gareth Pugh SS07, Henry Holland AW08, Liam Hodges, Louise Gray’s 2012 collection for Topshop, Marques’Almeida’s SS15, Matthew Williamson SS98 and Richard Quinn AW18.
How does it work?
Creative tech studio Beyond works with 3D and augmented reality technologies and has developed targeted campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger and other brands. As a tribute to Virgil Abloh, the studio created a version of Louis Vuitton’s sold-out Fortune cookie bag that could be explored in 3D. “Interactive experiences lead to a higher level of engagement,” says Robustelli.
As for the future, the creative director is convinced that digital experiences will become an integral part of the fashion industry: “They will be an add-on, between identities. There will be different identities – social, physical and virtual. These identities will merge more and more, and we will dress avatars as carefully as we dress in real life.”
For brands looking to get started with digital experiences and AR, Robustelli strongly advises working with studios and agencies that have experience. “It’s impossible to get into this field without experience,” he emphasizes. It’s also important to find the right balance between too much and too little: “Brands may want to show everything, but you don’t want to oversell yourself,” he warns. At the same time, one should not overdo it, but understand the limitations of the technology.
Nevertheless, brands are well advised to invest in this area: “In the future, consumers will probably be more likely to enter a virtual space than a physical store,” believes Robustelli.
Anyone who would like to get a taste of the possibilities of AR can do so in the exhibition “Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion”, which is on view until February 11, 2024.