The fashion industry constantly evolves with the latest technological advancements, embracing a critical evolution prompted by awareness. Sustainable fashion, digital fashion shows, and virtual modelling have gained traction, especially among fashion mavens, millennials, celebrities, and designers.
Indiatoday spoke with Shemonyl Wankadia, Milestone Pageants' Miss India International 2024 to get more insights.
Sustainable fashion in the fashion industry is an essential shift happening towards ethical production, helping to reduce environmental impact and paving the way for a sustainable future. By prioritising ethical production, eco-conscious fashion designers are transforming the fashion landscape by prioritising circularity in their designs.
In runway shows and fashion weeks, like Lakme Fashion Week in India, many models are seen donning sartorial ensembles crafted with impeccable styling and conscious production. Both international and national designers are demonstrating that sustainability is not just a burgeoning trend but a fundamental ethos, transforming the future of fashion.
Digital fashion shows & virtual modelling will reign ahead, translating fashion into a digital format
The fashion arena is reckoning with itself at every level, and with new technologies like 3D design, image capture, CGI, and body mapping, it has the potential to revolutionise what a fashion show looks like.
Many Indian fashion giants are gearing up for a virtual intervention and rethinking the traditional fashion week format. From 3D virtual fashion shows to online auditions taking place, the pandemic altered the fashion fraternity drastically to stay afloat and relevant.
Social Media Reshaping the Fashion Fraternity & Influencing Trends
Social media is changing both the fashion and entertainment spaces drastically. Now even the fashion week casting and scouting processes are happening digitally. Fashion models are getting scouted digitally and using social media professionally to garner work opportunities.
Also, in the beauty pageant arena, some rounds involve the active presence of social media for the contestants to make it ahead for the next rounds. The digital era has ushered in a democratisation of fashion, transcending traditional outcomes.
These days, social media is a platform for storytelling and a realm for individuals and brands to showcase their unique narratives and essence to global audiences without the constraints of physical location or the gatekeeping of traditional fashion media.
It is also shaping not just trends but also influencing individuals' behaviour patterns and redefining the boundaries of the industry. What’s in vogue these days is mostly getting circulated via social media platforms, and for many new-generation audiences, social media are their prominent source of reference, outpacing magazines and newspapers as their first source of information.
In the fashion domain, social media provides new pathways for styles and trends to circulate, and many mainstream and alternative fashion publications have already moved from print to digital to stay competitive. Resulting in more connection and engagement, thanks to the omnipresence of social media platforms.
While traditional institutions like Fashion Week retain their cultural significance, they must adapt to the digital landscape to remain relevant and meet the ever-changing demands of consumers worldwide.