British Vogue and Snapchat Launch AR Fashion Show
British Vogue, under the curation of Edward Enninful, partnered with Snapchat to produce the first augmented reality fashion show. The exhibition, titled “Redefining the Body,” allows global audiences to virtually try on collections from brands like Versace, Dior, and Gucci using the Snapchat app.
- The exhibition first debuted in June 2022 at the Centre d'art La Malmaison during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity before opening in London in February 2023. - Participating designers included Dior, Versace, Stella McCartney, Richard Quinn, Kenneth Ize, and Thebe Magugu, who were chosen for their work that challenges conventions of age, body shape, and gender. - The AR experiences were developed with Arcadia, Atomic Digital Design, and Snap's Paris AR Studio, utilizing technologies like Snap's Landmarker tech to digitally wrap the venue's facade. - Snap's Global Head of Fashion and Beauty, Rajni Jacques, noted the goal was to show how AR can "elaborate, embellish, and even scale fashion," effectively democratizing it. - Specific interactive experiences included a Stella McCartney room with a mirrored space that revealed a "mushroom grotto" and Richard Quinn's room where AR lenses made blue roses grow around the viewer. - The collaboration is part of Snap's broader strategy to monetize its technology through its Augmented Reality Enterprise Services (ARES), which packages AR tools for retailers to integrate into their own platforms. - The physical exhibition was complemented by global availability of the try-on Lenses within the Snapchat app; after the initial Paris debut, these Lenses were used more than 48 million times. - Beyond the virtual try-on, some experiences highlighted craftsmanship, such as the Dior lens that revealed *petites mains* skillfully hand-sewing details onto a statue.
