Valentino Garavani unveiled a game changer this week in New York, launching fashion's first virtual museum, in the form of a downloadable desktop application
Hugh Jackman, Valentino Garavani, Anne Hathaway and Giancarlo Giammetti unveil The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum at New York’s MoMA
Valentino Garavani unveiled a game changer this week in New York, launching fashion’s first virtual museum, in the form of a downloadable desktop application
Fashion exhibitions became an increasingly important part of the luxury communications landscape in 2011. For consumers, it has become clear that they are an increasingly popular medium in which to experience luxury, couture and outstanding craftsmanship.
The Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty installation – staged at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York – was first extended one week and then, in a first for the museum, remained open until midnight to cope with the overwhelming demand. The exhibition was viewed by a total of 661,509 visitors, making it the eighth most popular Met exhibit of all time, up there with Tutankhamen.
This exhibition feels particularly timely again, as Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti unveiled fashion’s first virtual museum yesterday in New York. When listening to the passionate team speak during the launch, all I could think was that exhibitions like Savage Beauty will never be restricted to one city again, nor will they ever have to close.
Instead, the richness of couture and haute design will be experienced in three-dimensions and accessed on a global scale, where garments are experienced from the start of the creative process to the end, and archives are constantly updated. These are the kind of possibilities brought to life by the launch of the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum, where currently 300 of Valentino’s creations are housed in a virtual gallery space, incorporating everything from sketches to toiles to realisation and appearances on the red carpet.
Part history book, part exhibition and 100 percent engagement, the imagination runs wild at the thought of luxury brands – with their rich archives, heritage and marketing budgets – can and will do with this technology.
Valentino Garavani, Virtual Museum
Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti have unveiled a 3D virtual showcase for the archives of the Italian fashion house bearing Valentino’s name, entitled The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum. The virtual museum comes in the form of a downloadable desktop application for Macs and PCs, wherein users navigate through galleries covering 10,000 square metres, containing over 5,000 images. Around 300 dresses are on display, some of which can be rotated in 3-D.
The portal also contains past collections of sketches, illustrations, advertising campaigns and editorials, celebrities and events, showcasing the complete lifecycle of each dress.
Press Conference: YouTube
Source: International Business Times
Bell & Ross, f-Commerce
Bell & Ross have integrated its online boutique into its Facebook page, allowing fans to directly access the latest information on the brand, as well as search for favourite models, share them and purchase them directly. By clicking on the “e-Boutique” tab on the brand’s Facebook page, users can access the entire collection of Bell & Ross watches, currently shipping to 17 countries.
Website: facebook.com/BellRossWatches
Source: World Tempus
Zegna, Virtual Fitting Room
Adding to the recent launch of Ermenegildo Zegna’s digital flagship, the brand has added Virtual Fitting Room technology by Fits.me. The bio-robotic virtual fitting room enables a customer to view how the clothes would fit their body by seeing the garment on a robotic mannequin that mimics body shape.
Source: JustLuxe
Burberry, Google+
It is of little surprise that Burberry were the first luxury brand to launch on Google + for Business, nor was it a surprise to learn that the digital pioneer was already listed in 3500+ circles, less than 24 hours after making its debut. Brands listed on Google + can be recommended by fans with a 1, or more permanently, added to a circle. Google have also included Google pages to its influential search results.
Source: Fashionably Marketing Me
Corum, iPad
Swiss watchmaker Corum has joined the world of digital tablets, launching a dynamic iPad application, inviting users to discover its world through collections, current news and a competition. The collection is presented using a digital mood selector, whereby users select from a range of key words related to atmosphere and emotion, and are then presented with the watch that best suits him or her.
Timepieces can also be browsed in the style of a catalogue, whilst the retailers section lists points of sale and uses geo-localisation to identify the nearest outlets. Corum enthusiasts can also try their hand at the Flag Game competition, to win a weekend for two people at an America’s Cup World Series event, or share their favourite watches or features on Facebook and email.
Website & Source: www.corum.ch
Download: Corum for iPad
Chanel, Facebook, Augmented Reality, Microsite
Chanel has launched a photo booth application on Facebook, to celebrate the launch of Coco Rouge Shine. Users with webcams can pose for a series of four photographs, decorate them and share on their Facebook walls. They are then instructed to pick a tint, and one of the four shade names of the lipsticks, which are then superimposed on the print.
The brand has also launched an application for the iPad and iPhone – in English and Chinese – dedicated to the J12 watch collection. The free application details the J12 collections – including the Marine, Rétrograde Mystérieuse and Chromatic – and incorporates augmented reality technology so that users can virtually try each timepiece on.
Finally, Chanel has launched www.culture-chanel.com, celebrating the brand’s heritage and iconic Chanel products, where visitors can engage in crafts and games and fully immerse themselves in the brand’s world. The site is designed to run in conjunction with its physical exhibitions, most currently being shown in Beijing.
Website: facebook.com/chanel
Website: culture.chanel.com
Download: Chanel J12
Source: Luxury Daily
Oscar de la Renta, F-Commerce
Oscar de la Renta made headlines as the first luxury brand to launch a Facebook commerce, or F-commerce, initiative contained entirely on the social medium. In conjunction with social commerce solution 8thBridge, the brand unveiled its Facebook shopping experience to its 280,000+ followers, offering the Esprit d’Oscar solid perfume ring for sale, exclusively through the worlds largest social network.
Source: WWD
Montblanc, e-Commerce
Montblanc has launched its first ever e-commerce website, allowing consumers full access to Montblanc’s product range of timepieces, writing instruments, men’s and women’s jewellery, eyewear, fragrance and leather goods. The first global Montblanc e-commerce site links back to a Montblanc brand site, where users can learn more about the brand’s history and explore Montblanc’s special commitment to cultural advancement around the world.
Website: world.montblanc.com
Source: Diamond News
For our complete 2011 series of The Latest Digital, please see our past editions as follows:
- The Latest Digital, Dior, DeBeers & Louis Vuitton
- The Latest Digital, Moncler, Marni & Theirry Mugler
- The Latest Digital, Balenciaga, Elie Saab & Zegna
- The Latest Digital, Hublot, Dolce & Gabbana & Fabergé
- The Latest Digital, Harrods, Heesen & Starwood Hotels
- The Latest Digital, Calvisius Caviar, Magellan Jets & Chanel
- The Latest Digital, Porsche, Lanvin & Tag Heuer
- The Latest Digital, Imagine Fashion, BMW & Mr Porter
- The Latest Digital, IWC, Louis Vuitton and Swarovski
- The Latest Digital, BMW, Jimmy Choo and St Regis
As well as some of our key insights and analysis into digital and luxury in 2011:
- How the Luxury Industry is Using the iPad
- The Post-Advertising Age: Jim Boulton, Story Worldwide
- Augmenting Luxury Realities: Jonathan Chippindale, Holition
- Social Media and Luxury Brands in China
