How Virtual Reality is Going to Impact Fashion

The fashion industry has become increasingly more dependent on technology as competition between brands becomes more intense and the ability to create interactive and engaging content becomes a necessity for survival. In this post I am going to discuss how virtual reality is going to impact and change the fashion industry as we know it. 

Virtual Reality is a computer generated simulation of a 3D environment and is an obscure concept that is rapidly growing and approaching everyday life whether we realize it or not. With the growing popularity of VR Headsets, now is a crucial time to start understanding what VR is and what it can do. In regards to fashion, there are three sectors within the fashion industry that are going to be the first to be impacted: shopping, fashion shows and influencers. 

1.     Shopping/Showroom experience

Before now there were only two ways to shop: in-store or online at home. But with the help of VR, there will soon be a way to shop in-store at home. Similar to how brands and companies have created Apps that consumers can shop from, they will now be creating channels or experiences for consumers to enter into via their VR headset and shop that way. The simplest experience will be a showroom experience; being able to explore a store virtually. The more advanced experiences will include engaging campaigns that a consumer can become fully immersed in. A great example of this is Prada's Virtual Reality experience, which is a video campaign for both their La Femme and L’Homme fragrance. Because our world is so content driven, having engaging experiences like the one Prada has is going to be a requirement sooner than later.

2.     Fashion Weeks and Scheduled Fashion Shows

There has been a strong push against the long standing structured fashion weeks over the past few years as fashion becomes more season-less and consumers become more impatient. Earlier this year Alexander Wang left NYFW to go off on his own schedule, and we can only assume that more designers will follow.

So where does virtual reality come into play? Well similar to companies and brands creating virtual showrooms, designers will also be able to create virtual fashion shows. This means that designers could showcase a collection whenever they see fit; they won’t have to wait or rush for Fashion Week. As VR becomes more common and designers use this technology more and more, the possibility grows that fashion week and shows will be attended through a persons’ VR Headset, changing the structure of Fashion Week for good.

3.     Influencers

If you follow Revolve Clothing on Instagram, then you know about all the fun trips that they plan for the bloggers and influencers that the company works with. We’re able to see pictures and Instagram Stories from these influencers and we automatically start to follow their trips on social media. So what would happen if you could literally enter this experience? With the use of virtual reality, that is a complete possibility. If and when influencers start utilizing virtual reality, we are going to be able to put on our VR Headset and actually live the life of an influencer and feel like we're hanging out with Danielle Bernstein, Aimee Song and the Kardashians. This type of content is only going to drive engagement, create more opportunities for influencers and sell more products.

These theories and predictions may seem far off and insignificant. However, the brands and companies that realize the potential that virtual reality has are the ones that are going to be leaders within the industry in the years to come.