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Next Monday will see the launch of the very first digital couture fashion week, taking the place of a schedule of physical shows which typically sees the fashion elite decamp to Paris. Instead, a number of the prestigious brands which sit in the couture category will host digital offerings to press, clients and fans. And, in response to this unique new model, British fashion house Ralph & Russo has entered brand new territory for the world of couture by using artificial intelligence to model the new collection.

"I have always been fascinated by the digital space, and specifically by artificial intelligence as a medium," creative director Tamara Ralph tells us. "While AI as a dimension is something I have always been interested in exploring, really its the recent developments in the world, and subsequent limitations, that made me feel now is the right time to do so."

Courtesy of Ralph & Russo

Following months of enforced lockdown in countries across the world and with social distancing still in place, the ability to host a physical fashion show to a crowd this month is not plausible. Ralph & Russo has therefore used this opportunity of a digital-only format to explore an entirely new world.

"During times of change like this, I feel it's so important to not only evolve but to also be innovative. I was so excited by the prospect of not only doing something new for our brand, but for couture as a category something that would really push the limits. And while avatars in and of themselves might not be new, I dont feel its something that has been fully realised within couture, given its inherent nature of old world craftsmanship, techniques and level of detail."

When it came to creating the brand's avatar, Ralph says that she had very a clear idea of who she wanted the woman to be and what she was to represent.

"The process of choosing and building our avatar, named Hauli which is a traditional Swahili name, synonymous with strength and power was quite layered and complex, but incredibly exciting. It all began with sourcing inspiration, as you would for a collection, to inform what she would look like and how she would be brought to life. I wanted to create a beautiful Black woman, who was inspired by and an embodiment of the spirit of inspirational women changing lives in all four corners of the world.

"She represents the brand and all of the values that we stand for. She is the ultimate modern woman; fusing both old and new, elegance and strength, and stands with the brand as a positive force for change. Once these details were ascertained, we then worked closely with an agency to develop a base plate for Hauli, which then slowly progressed into the final avatar."

Courtesy of Ralph & Russo

Ralph explains that turning Hauli into a formed avatar wearing the collection was a long process where each level of detail and the intricacy of the couture pieces are painstakingly replicated on screen, for example each flower or jewel is individually placed on her form: "In short, it takes a village, but was well worth the effort."

This forced opportunity to explore the digital may have come about as a result of the recent crisis but, of course, the lack of a physical show is not the only limitation that fashion houses have found as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. With ateliers forced to shut and staff made to stay home, designing and creating the physical collections became a challenge. At Ralph & Russo, this meant finding a whole new way of working.

"Like all brands, we of course faced challenges during this pandemic, which meant having to approach our design process in a different way. For instance, procuring fabrics and materials from our partners in France and Italy became difficult with shipping restrictions, especially with those countries being amongst the hardest hit. So, instead utilised as much as could from our in-house library of fabrics and materials. We're fortunate to have a large room full of rolls upon rolls of beautiful fabrics to choose from however, so this did not limit us at all in terms of creativity.

Courtesy of Ralph & Russo

"Another challenge is not being able to work with my design and atelier teams in person, as we spend most days in the lead up to couture together, going over designs, making tweaks, fitting on a model, and so on. I was worried to see how this would all take shape in this new era of working remotely. However, again we just had to be agile and flexible, and become accustomed to working just as closely, but in a different way. Meetings became video calls, where we would share illustrations with one another digitally, and we also got into the routine of mailing our swatches to one another wherever possible. Overall, I think we shifted our way of working quite well and quite quickly we had to."

This shift has led to many temporary changes within the way we work and indeed in the way fashion collections are presented, but, as with much that has pivoted as a result of the pandemic, some of these changes might be here to stay. Ralph thinks this is particularly the case for the modernisation of the fashion show.

Courtesy of Ralph & Russo

"I think the merging of the two worlds [of the traditional and the digital] has become necessary, and the pandemic has accelerated this. The current climate has cemented the importance of digital as a channel, and how critical it is for a brand to regularly be activating digitally with unique content to keep their audience engaged. This was, of course, always crucial for us, but its true value has really come into view in these past few months. Ive also really enjoyed and embraced this as a learning experience; the opportunities within this space are truly limitless and allow for so much creativity.

"Making digital a priority will absolutely be our new norm, and I do think this will extend across the entire industry, even beyond couture and into other product categories. I still believe, however, that there is incredible value and a place for engaging with your audience, clients and friends of the brand in real life as well, so I think the future will be about trying to strike that ideal balance of both worlds and doing so as responsibly as possible."

See the full unveiling of Ralph & Russo's autumn/winter 2020 couture collection at 4pm on Monday 6 July on the brand's channels.

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Link:
Exclusive: Ralph & Russo brings artificial intelligence to the couture world - harpersbazaar.com