Dawn Of The Digital Fashion Shows, Death Of The Runway?

KCD Worldwide, the internationally renowned fashion PR firm and production company, is hopping on the digital bandwagon with the rest of us by offering a new digital fashion show service to the fashion industry. As the agency behind shows for the biggest names in fashion, from DvF to Chanel, its clients will now have the option to choose a completely digital presentation...but what does this mean for the fashion industry?

The integration of fashion and digital is hardly new. Major labels have used a digital component in their shows before. Remember the 3-D Burberry shows during London Fashion Week two years ago? The internet is an infinite source for Fashion Week details --  the fashion blogs, online columns and YouTube videos can capture everything, except the finer curatorial elements to which only in-person attendees have access. KCD is moving to occupy this niche by creating a way to showcase each catwalk presentation so that it is up to the standards of the industry's heavyweights.

[3-D Burberry show, Photo via]

The platform will be invitation only, keeping the aura of exclusivity around each show fully alive. Those invited will be able to watch from their computer or from a mobile device.

More Time, More Shows, More Talent

We all know time is precious for our favorite fashion editors and reporters who inevitably end up missing shows, so KCD is proposing its Digital Fashion Show platform as a solution.

The New York Times says that with fashion week itineraries continuing to get crazier, and up to 300 shows scheduled in a week, a lot of designers get lost as editors choose to attend the shows of major labels and advertising spenders. The pre-recorded digital shows will be scheduled between live shows, affording smaller designers who cannot afford a large-scale production to showcase their work.

Starting With NYFW

According to the WSJ, the entirely digital platform will with Prabal Gurung's presentation of his collection for Onward Kashiyama during New York Fashion Week.

[Photo via]

The Front Row?

The front row has been a status symbol for decades. Now, with the KCD exclusive password replacing seat numbers, the fashion world is practically going egalitarian. How are ADR and ALT going to feel about this?

Color and Texture, Look and Feel?

KCD plans to offer even more behind-the-scenes content and notes about the clothes than designers already publish on their own websites. However, there are certain dazzling elements that simply cannot be communicated by even the most talented videographers and digital programmers. It is impossible to replicate the in-person experience that results from the harmonization of high fashion and true showmanship, isn't it?

Even so, we like the idea that the digital platform could introduce prominent buyers and editors to fresh talent.