THE FUTURE OF FASHION PUBLISHING
DOUGLAS MILLER TREND PUBLICATION FA5008 FASHION COMMUNICATION
CONTENTS • Overview
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• Key Drivers
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TREND: • Immersive Reality
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• The Senses
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• The Virtual Publication
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• The Virtual Influencer
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• Brand Storytelling
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• Personalisation
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• Digital shopping
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• Key Takeaways
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OVERVIEW Print media has struggled to adapt to the digital age with many publications moving completely to digital or dying out completely. In a world where information is received at a touch of a button, traditional journalism no longer holds the same credibility. Through our smart phones we can receive information about anything from anywhere, for free. Magazine editors have struggled to choose between posting their content online for free or charging their readers money to protect the financial future of the brand. Publication’s must move away from their initial creation and establish themselves as digital brands within their field in order to thrive in the digital age.
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KEY DRIV ERS 6
THE DEATH OF PRINT
The death of print has been making headlines for years. Print is just a conveyance of information which has served the human race well for hundreds of years, however compared to digital, print is a very old fashioned and outdated way of communication.
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VIRTUAL REALITY
THE RISE OF DIGITAL
The digital revolution has taken us to places that decades ago would never have seemed possible. Advances in technology have forced brands to rethink their strategies in order to keep up with the ever changing, fast paced digital world we live in. The rise of social media means that magazines can no longer rely on the exclusivity of their wealthy client base to remain relevant; they must be prominent and consistent figures in the digital era in order to spark interest, cut through the noise and draw younger consumers into their ‘brand world’.
BOSS magazine
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Joy Ginger
Virtual reality is transforming the gaming industry and there’s no sign of it stopping there. Brands like Balmain have started to create virtual reality experiences in stores, paving the way for other fashion brands to start to embrace technology within the fashion industry. VR has now been integrated into businesses and public services to train and educate and will continue to expand into various industries for years to come.
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Alpha
GEN
Generation Alpha will be the key generation by 2025. Born beginning in 2010, the same year Apple debuted the iPad, these consumers are complete digital natives since birth. They are more interested in playing with iPads than puppies and are technology dependant.
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“Generation Alpha will be the most formally educated generation ever, the most technology-supplied generation ever, and globally the wealthiest generation ever”. - Mark McCrindle, Social Researcher
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DIV ER SIFY OR DIE
DIVERSIFY OR DIE DIVERSIFY OR DIE
DIVERSIFY OR DIE
DIVERSIFY OR DIE 14
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IMMER SIVE REAL ITY
By 2030, reality and technology will be completely integrated. Immersive Reality will combine all the senses to create a new world experience for consumers. IR will transform the idea of a traditional magazine. Magazine brands like Vogue and GQ will no longer be known as “magazines”, but fashion and lifestyle virtual publications where you can become fully immersed in all aspects of a magazine, but in a new sensory and experiential world. Users can escape the real world and fully immerse themselves within fashion, lifestyle and culture. Publications will become an IR journey where the consumer can interact with features, film, photography and brand advertisements. Consumers can become completely immersed within this experience, and by using a subscription service, this will bring back loyalty to magazine brands and establish their space in the new digital reality era. This will create endless opportunity for brands to entice consumers and fully communicate their brand vision. 16
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TAKE ME ON A JOURNEY TAKE ME ON A JOURNEY TAKE ME ON A JOURNEY
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THE SENSES Our senses create and evoke emotion. Our senses and emotions are intertwined and what we see, hear, taste, touch and smell can provide us with information on how we are feeling. What we feel can also be influenced by what our senses are experiencing. Senses can be linked to memory, for example a certain smell or song reminding you of someone or a time in your life. Within Immersive Reality, users can tap into a magical sensory experience, where they can explore and discover sounds, smells and feel things they would never have thought imaginable.
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THE VIRTUAL PUBLICATION The consumer will tap into their journey and be presented with a choice of routes. Journeying through photography, film, interviews and catwalk shows, the consumer will be completely immersed within these aspects of the traditional magazine in a digital reality setting through the senses. The consumer will be able to feel the sand between their toes and the warm air on their face as they explore the top 5 summer destinations. They can walk the streets of Paris as they intertwine through the 3 best city getaways. They can be on the front row of the catwalk beside Anna Wintour. They can feel the craftsmanship of the clothes on the models and can be completely immersed within fashion film. They can sit in the interviewer’s seat and listen to interviews from high-profile celebrities and models who graced covers of what was once known as the magazine in the exact same setting the interview took place. By incorporating the senses, the consumer will feel like they are actually there in real life, instead of just experiencing audio and visual.
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Tim Walker, Wonderful Things
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Tim Walker, Wonderful Things Moncler editorial in an immersive social reality. 24
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WHERE NEXT? WHERE NEXT?
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GQ Mexico
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GQ Mexico
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THE VIRTUAL INFLUENCER Virtual influencers are already prominent figures on Instagram, with some boasting millions of followers and getting more engagement than human influencers. Virtual Influencers will become as big, if not bigger than human influencers. Virtual influencers can be created to be the complete package for brands. We will see virtual influencers taking the runway, fronting campaigns and starring in editorial content across virtual publications.
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Lil Miquela, Highsnobiety
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Kaimin S/S 18 38
Kaimin S/S 18 39
BRAND STORY TELLING
Storytelling has always been an integral part of brand building, as a tool to drive perceived value beyond products themselves. Through the use of immersive reality, brands will create their own “brand world” and communicate themselves in more innovative and extravagant ways than ever before. Brands can advertise multiple products at a time, as consumer travels through brand worlds they can smell the perfumes, feel the clothes, and experience the full essence of the brand.
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43 Valentino Haute Couture S/S19
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45 CHANEL Haute Couture S/S19
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PERSONAL ISATION Consumers will be able to personalise their virtual publications journeys and have tailor made content presented to them. This will be done through AI and interests based on the consumers avatars. Consumers will be able to interact with others within this reality, making something which might seem to be an isolation from reality, social.
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DIGITAL SHOPPING By 2030, digital shopping will have replaced high streets and consumers will be able to shop through these fashion and lifestyle virtual publications. Sensory reality changing rooms will transform the way people shop. This will transform the e-commerce experience, with users being able to try on and feel clothes, with help of an AI assistant. Users will be able to buy items straight from the runway. By combining editorial content with shopping, brands will be able to draw their costumers into the unique experience, while also advertising and selling the products. Digital clothing will eliminate material waste and expand the possibilities of expression – making the idea of physicality seem outdated.
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Balenciaga S/S 19
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Carlings
Carlings 56
Clothing brand Carling have already started selling digital clothing. Aiming to tackle the idea of people buying clothes to wear once for a post on social media, this will reduce environmental impact and enable fast fashion to become sustainable in the digital age. 57
Saint Laurent AW19
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KEY TAKEAWAYS • IMMERSIVE REALITY
• BRAND STORYTELLING
Immersive reality will transform the way we live our lives and how we consume content.
Brands can use immersive reality to flourish, engage with consumers, and communicate their brand world.
• THE VIRTUAL PUBLICATION Virtual publications will bring back loyalty to brands through subscription and out of this world sensory experiences within lifestyle and fashion.
• VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS Virtual influencers will become prominent figures in society and brands will use them to convey their values and sell their products.
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• PERSONALISATION By being able to personalise their virtual publication journeys, brands can maintain loyalty with their customers and build long lasting relationships with consumers.
• DIGITAL SHOPPING Digital shopping will transform the fashion industry in terms of environmental impact and also the way we view the purpose of clothing as a whole. 61
IMMERSIVE REALITY WHERE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
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DOUGLAS MILLER TREND PUBLICATION FA5008 FASHION COMMUNICATION