Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren aren’t designers to be hindered by a silly thing like convention.
Their Spring 09 collection eschewed traditional fashion week procedure (inviting high powered buyers and media, booking multiple models, creating fanfare in a packed schedule) by showing their collection on a virtual runway.
A lone model, Shalom Harlow, was filmed in all the season’s looks including three 20kg dresses adorned with Swarovski crystals. Though Harlow appearing three times in one shot is a novel idea it does come at a price – 50 technicians were required to create the video.
By imparting what was once privileged information to the masses (anyone with a computer and internet connection) Viktor & Rolf do not differentiate between say, magazine editors and people with a passing interest in fashion. Will virtual runways spell the end of front row elitism and further the democratization of fashion? Not over Anna Wintour’s dead body…
