American designer Norma Kamali is taking online runway shows and ecommerce to new dimensions — literally — with the premiere of her Spring 2012 collection this week.
The designer has developed a fun and dynamic 3D film and series of product pages showcasing the collection, which will premiere for press and buyers at Lincoln Center between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday, and online at normakamali3d.com on Thursday.
Viewers can register for 3D glasses, designed in Kamali’s signature cat-eye shape, through her Facebook Page, or opt to watch the film in 2D. More than 16,000 people have signed up for glasses so far, Kamali says.
The film, which is eight minutes long, isn’t your typical fashion presentation. Models are shimmying and playing tambourines. Odd objects, such as lizards, are embedded throughout as part of an interactive game visitors can play for prizes.
Afterward, viewers can shop the collection via a series of short and equally fun 3D clips showcasing each look. Models are holding — and playing with — numbered placards that can be used to identify the items they’re wearing. Since the collection has not yet been manufactured, shoppers can sign up to be notified when specific items are available for purchase.
A sample product video. (Requires 3D glasses.)
Kamali says she was inspired to produce a 3D film and ecommerce website after seeing the 3D documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams.
“The minute I saw that vineyard [in the film], I thought ‘oh my god.’ I couldn’t concentrate on the film anymore, I kept wondering what would clothing look like, what would a presentation of my spring collection look like, what would be shopping be like in 3D,” says Kamali. “What if we had a girl in action representing the personality of the collection, have her pop right out at you [in 3D], what could be better than that?”
After the film, Kamali recalls, she ran out and bought a cheap video camera, borrowed “a couple of dancers” from a studio down the street, and began experimenting with 3D films. “We were screaming looking at this, saying, ‘We have to do this, we just have to.’”
Kamali’s team then began doing research and hired a two-camera film team to do the shots. It was the first fashion film they had done and they learned a great deal, she says.
“[The 3D film and product pages] give people a reason to want to come to your website,” Kamali adds.
Kamali has a long history of innovation, not just in design, but also in digital. She was among the first designers to plaster her store windows in scannable barcodes, advertise on the iPad and was the first to open an online store on eBay.
When asked why it was important to position herself as a digital pioneer, she explained: “It’s part of your personality. [I am] my business, they’re inseparable, and in my business communication is everything. You can have the most incredible something, but if nobody knows about it, if you don’t communicate the story behind it, your invention has no value.”
“We think about telling the story as much as the product itself,” Kamali says of her business these days. “It’s a competitive world. It’s important not only that you have a unique product but that you tell your story in the most interesting way possible.”
For Kamali, that meant creating a film that was “fun,” “funny,” and “shameless.” Most fashion films are esoteric and moody she says, and that’s not for her. “We are very disrespectful of the way you present fashion. As you see [in the product pages], pulling a number out from under your skirt is not a typical fashion presentation. The film is very funny, it’s fast and to the point, but you get to see all of the clothes and you get to see them in 3D in a fun, playful way. It is meant to make people feel good. I think it’s quite different from what most industry people are doing at this time.”
As the technology evolves, Kamali is confident that all fashion films and shopping sites will be designed in 3D in the future.
After other brands see this, we can’t help thinking she’s right.
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