Is it time for fashion to go entirely digital?

A couple of years back, the fashion industry was not open to the idea of going completely digital. With so many risks involved in the digital element, brands felt that they were putting themselves on the line.

In fashion shows, accidents can happen at any moment during the show; models could have tripped or had wardrobe malfunctions, and brands did not want that to jeopardize their image.

Then, we had top fashion brands like Burberry who led the change. Its benefits have been proven in the New York and London Fashion Week. They incorporated digital elements compared to the more traditional fashion weeks in Paris and Milan.

Recently, more brands in Paris and Milan, like fashion houses Prada and Gucci, have also begun to explore fashion show live streaming. It is inevitable; consumers now want things instantly.

The age of Digital Fashion has arrived. New endeavors such as the Digital Fashion Week attempt at setting the new standards for fashion shows. Online consumers now receive the same privileges as editors, buyers and celebrities, by being able to enjoy a front row view of a fashion week solely live streamed online.

Favorite designer looks can also be bought directly off the runway in real time and delivered to your doorstep in a matter of weeks, way ahead of the current retail schedule.

Opportunities are opened both to the brands and the consumers. Singapore can start banking on this and create a truly nouveau way of introducing new trends.

This new experience is bringing us to another level bridging technology and fashion. Are we then saying goodbye to the completely physical way of getting the first glance of the season's trend? The long queues? Sitting beside fashion icons themselves getting the complete fashion runway experience? Maybe. Meanwhile, let's keep our screens open, watch and wait to find out.

Viona Wang, Project Associate of Digital Fashion Week