GCDS DEBUTS FASHION ARCADE TO SHOWCASE SPRING COLLECTION
GCDS revealed on Friday the first-ever digital fashion arcade: a hyper-saturated virtual arena, in which the Italian label’s spring/summer 2021 collection was shown on an electronic runway on animated figures. Alongside the clothing, the arcade featured augmented reality socializing, short films, playable video games, and immersive simulations. GCDS creative director Giuliano Calza titled this collection and project “Out of This World.”
Dreamed of by Calza – and developed with an all-star team consisting of the creative technologies of Emblematic Group run by the WSJ Technology innovator of the year Nonny de la Peña and their REACH.Love platform, the creative hacker and artist Thomas Webb (his platform is called “Worldwide Webb,” which has been integrated into GCDS’s digital arcade), and the director Jeron Braxton (who recently made The Weeknd’s “In Your Eyes” video) – this cyber realm was conceived to serve as a happy sanctuary from the harsh realities of 2020. It became an electric bonanza, filled with grand interplanetary staging, eccentric characters, neon kitsch, and both men’s and womenswear that was rife with future-beach/techno-crafty vibes.
The spring/summer 2021 collection consists of three sections: hippy swim, patchwork-and-paisley, and high-shine vinyl. Decade references run from the 1960s to the 1980s. A beam of the 1990s streams through, too. The results blend a high-energy recipe of time, space, and escapist optimism: everything from crochet knits, flared pants, signature colorful organza separates, cherry motifs, patchwork and terry fabric suits, second-skin liquid vinyl trousers, plastic overalls, and rainbow rhinestones make an appearance. And, a collaboration with Rick and Morty (the Emmy-winning animated TV series) can be seen through graphics.
This collection was developed through a convention-breaking process, primarily with the Emblematic Group, Calza first sketched the clothes, from which initial paper patterns were cut. These patterns were then digitized through comprehensive “mesh” constructions, with frameworks ranging from garment shapes to fabric weights to flexibility levels to colors, reflections, folds, movements, and more. Once the collection existed digitally in full, the clothes were then produced in the physical world.
“Creating this fashion show was truly out of this world,” said la Peña. “We had to marry multiple techniques to bring the catwalk characters to life.
“This planet was imagined as a cheerful place,” added Calza. “Creating this world and this collection, over months of Skype and Zoom calls, gave me peace of mind. Even if just for a brief window, we could all use a virtual getaway right now.”
Experience the show below.