The Future is Now
The Immersive KIND, soundpiece, XR Couture and Allan Gregorio unveil a new project for London Fashion Week 2021
Written by Beth Jochim.
“We are absolutely delighted to partner with leading artist Allan Gregorio and our industry partners, XR Couture and soundpiece, to discover the technological innovations taking place in Digital Fashion. I am thrilled to reveal my Avatar for London Fashion Week: this is a unique collaboration that explores new narratives and how we can use digital fashion to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet. “ — Kadine James, CEO and Founder of The Immersive KIND.
The Immersive KIND, a multidisciplinary collective and studio specializing in VR, AR, MR, XR, and immersive technologies, has teamed up with leading digital fashion house XR Couture, London-based music tech startup soundpiece, and Brazilian visual artist Allan Gregorio to release a new project at the intersection of art, fashion, and technology for London Fashion Week 2021.
The work, which consists of Kadine James’s avatar dressed in XR Couture’s sci-fi collection, explores not only digital couture, limited online fashion experiences and avatars, but also creativity and music created through artificial intelligence. The collaboration highlights the emerging technologies that the next generation of digital designers, artists, immersive storytellers and creative technologists are employing to produce radical new work, while pushing forward conversations about blockchain, non-fungible tokens (NFT), and digital collectibles.
The conversations that surround fashion focus more and more on sustainability and waste reduction. XR Couture, which presents itself as the world’s first international digital fashion collection platform, offers footwear, accessories, and clothing that can be worn exclusively online. Born out of the idea of reducing the annual waste recorded by the fashion world, and at the same time exploiting the creative potential of cutting-edge technologies and simulation techniques, the company is founded by Subham Jain. Describing the impact of digital fashion and the work carried out by XR Couture, Jain explains: “Digital fashion is the new cult and computer generated imagery is its most enthralling expression. We strive to revolutionize the contemporary fashion realm by leveraging technology.” The collaboration with The Immersive KIND, soundpiece and Allan Gregorio has been cheered by Jain as an opportunity to explore the infinite possibilities fueled by creativity and technology, and to democratize the fashion field taking into consideration also aspects of sustainability and inclusivity.
Visual artist and portrait photographer Allan Gregorio echoes Jain in celebrating this partnership as an opportunity not only to challenge norms and gain a broader perspective, but also to explore the possibilities offered by immersive technologies. By removing the physical limitation of an artwork it is possible to experience art in different ways, engaging wider audiences and creating new dynamics. Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Gregorio has been featured in several magazines such as Attitude Magazine, Vogue, Dazed, and The Face. The Brazilian platform itsNOON, which is dedicated to the activation and engagement of communities, has published a book including some of his work.
Also Pierre du Toit, Founder of the digital platform soundpiece, which makes AI-based tools available to the public to create music in different styles (and share it), agrees on the great opportunities opened by the collaboration with Kadine James, Allan Gregorio, and Subham Jain. “By combining AI, XR and Immersive technologies, the boundaries of creativity are pushed and exciting new art forms and artistic expressions made possible’’, he commented. Du Toit, who is a musician (he has played cello since he was 6 years old) with a background in mathematics and a Masters in Entrepreneurship at Cambridge Judge Business School, gave life to the startup to democratize the music field.
The project conceived for London Fashion Week 2021 turns out to be more than a collaboration between artists who work in different fields: it is an inquiry into the digital realm, with the goal of shaping new ecosystems for XR Artists, promoting creativity, and encouraging a deeper reflection on the future of fashion.
For information, please contact Kadine James, CEO and Founder of The Immersive KIND .
Kadine James — Head of Communications, The Immersive Kind
kadine.james[at]theimmersivekind.com
