The dawn of the 21st Century has seen many technological progressions, but none have matched the social impact of YouTube. The eponymous tag of ‘YouTube Generation’ will be forever associated with the youth of the Millennium’s first decade and video is now the fastest growing online media. In the last few years this medium has become an increasingly popular way for fashion houses to gain wide-reaching exposure for their collections, whilst adding greater depth to the concepts behind them. Complementing less elaborate presentations, online fashion films have the potential to deliver the poetry and energy of a full blown runway show, with motion and music, in a way that’s cost effective and easily distributed.
SHOWstudio, the fashion and art website which allows viewers to observe the creative process of image-making has been at the forefront of the online fashion film revolution since its conception in 2000. It is SHOWstudio’s creator Nick Knight’s belief that as film is a sequential event a narrative starts to impose itself much more quickly than it does in stills. He has said of the medium that “When a designer produces a piece of clothing it is to be seen in movement…fashion has almost solely been represented by the still image…this has compromised the representation of fashion. But with the advent of the internet, the garment can now be shown in the way that was intended” The site has developed a number of projects including Moving Fashion, Editing Fashion, Political Fashion and most recently FutureTense - an opportunity for young designers to express their design vision through moving image, and also collaborations with established, avant-garde designers such as Gareth Pugh, the result of which is Insenate, a short showcasing “the brutal geometry and raw creative fire of Gareth Pugh's A/W 2008 collection to truly bewitching effect”.
It seems bigger, luxury brands are also keen to manipulate the power of film as a marketing tool. Prada’s Trembled Blossoms was the first film from a luxury house to showcase actual products. Although CGI heavy and seemingly clunky in comparison to some of SHOWstudio’s pioneering offerings the film premiered at New York Fashion Week causing a huge buzz with fashion insiders and YouTube audiences alike. Creative director of Yves Saint Laurent, Stefano Pilati has further utilised the power of fashion film. The Autumn/Winter 08 Homme collection was presented solely using the medium with the traditional catwalk presentation discarded in its favour.
High street brands also want in on the act. In celebration of their 30th birthday Italian fashion brand Diesel launched their xXx campaign that included a limited edition pair of jeans, global parties and most significantly a promotional viral video entitled Dirty 30. A viral video, a clip which gains widespread popularity through the process of internet sharing, typically through email, instant messaging and blogs, is usually humorous and Diesel’s was no exception. Composed entirely of clips from 80s porn movies with illustrations strategically doodled over offending areas to juxtapose sexual actions with those of the everyday. Labelled with the lettering SFW (Safe For Work) the film, and therefore the company’s message, spread like wildfire. Diesel’s latest foray into film is a collection of 50 black and white shorts entitled V, all of which are set in the context of a surreal and hallucinatory television studio. “As well as building hype for the brand the films create a greater sensory experience and feeling of involvement for the customer when they visit the website, some even encourage the viewer to call a given number and leave a message that may be broadcast “across the universe”” says Nikki Alder, press officer for diesel in the UK. Similarly Wonderbra’s short The Science of Sexy, featuring burlesque pin-up Dita Von Teese can only be found online. Although at the more commercial end of this growing phenomenom Diesel and Wonderbra’s videos have the power to sell products and are also visually exciting experiments in design.
Fashion film is a groundbreaking new format that seems set to grow in popularity. Jason Campbell, founder of the trend bureau JC Report agrees “Its reaching tipping point. They are the freshest way to grab attention for your brand.” It is also one which looks set to continue to get a boost from the current economic climate.
No comments:
Post a Comment