INNOVATION AT SPEED
The Covid pandemic is having a significant impact on the fashion industry. Fashion show organization has faced major hurdles during the pandemic and to weather this situation, designers have had to accelerate some aspects of digital transformation.
Although digital transformation and the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality were leveraged by the innovative designer in the pre-pandemic era, the arrival of Covid-19 saw catwalk fashion radically shift and rapidly move towards digitization.
To further explore this topic, this study evaluated the innovative digital runway formats that have emerged during the pandemic based on a robust bibliography and analysis of the latest fashion shows.
Additionally, it is extremely important to note that the pandemic has also impacted the work of innovative designers in modern times.In fact, the accelerated digital evolution of fashion shows has made brands more accessible and inclusive, as evidenced by the evolutionary journey of two pioneering designers, Olivier Rousteing and Jeremy Scott.
As designers began to experience the new realm of digital fashion presentation, consumers also went digital and embraced it in their daily lives. Consumers today have become more comfortable with digital technologies, know their preferences and expectations and are better able to associate and interact with fashion brands.
While the digital transformation of fashion was once considered a futuristic phenomenon, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the true extent of what we can achieve online. The pause initiated by the pandemic has given fashion shows a new standard of digital sustainability that seems to be continuing on its path of innovation.
With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in late 2019, the world faced challenges with inevitable regulations such as social distancing, travel restrictions and safety regulations. While many countries have been in lockdown, the fashion industry has undergone significant changes: the manufacturing sector has encountered difficulties and factories have had to close, physical stores have faced the same problem and fashion shows have been canceled (The State of Fashion 2020).