Visual Revolution

The print media may be really near the limit.

SHOWstudio, founded by Nick Knight, ushered in the tenth year.

High end fashion houses have chosen video clips to interpret the new series.

LVMH finally took action to replace ELuxury.com with creative vision website Nowness.com.

From dial-up Internet era to Web 2, the fashion industry controlled by a few people is ushering in a free and democratic future.

Standing in front of the white background paper, the male model wears a Vivienne Westwood and knee pleat skirt, posing a side fist pose against the camera. Backlighting makes us unable to see his face and expression.

Opposite him, Nick Knight bent his slender body and kept pressing the shutter.

Not far away, some of the previously completed images have been printed. Knight's assistants are using scissors and pparent tapes to screen and reorganize them.

In this group of "i-D" 30th anniversary special issue of the blockbuster "ShadyCharacters", Knight and stylist friend Simon Foxton joined hands again, two people's idea is to use the form of photography to show the changing season of men's clothing.

The boys dressed in Givenchy black suit and Burberry sheared coat are in groups of five. Foxton paired them with odd ornaments, such as the conical party cap made of classical pleated collar and cardboard, jumping up and down under the command of Knight, forming a wonderful outline.

This is especially true of this shooting.

While Knight is holding a camera, there is another camera facing them, which will pmit the work scene in the studio to live on the Internet.

On the two day of July 6th and 7th, thousands of fashion enthusiasts saw the Knight and Foxton's "light and shadow game" before the computer. The former guidance assistant adjusted the lighting, and saw that the hair of a model was shaved on the spot. If there was any impression, it would be published directly on Twitter, without waiting for the magazine to be listed in September, it would be a great feast for the eyes.

Welcome to SHOWstudio!

This is the visual kingdom of Knight.

From photography to camera

In 2000, Knight launched the SHOWstudio website with the determination to promote democratization. He believed that photographers, designers and other fashion practitioners should not only display the final products of the creation, but also show the creative inspiration, the creative process and the technical means used.

"I want to show you how wonderful the fashion is, and what I see in my life is much more interesting than what the magazine shows."

He said.

To understand the status of Knight digital fashion pioneers, you must remember what the Internet world looked like ten years ago.

At that time there was no MySpace, no Facebook, no Twitter.

In the age of dial-up Internet access, it is not easy to watch a two minute video smoothly. Knight uses the limited resources to tear fashion off the magazine page and let it "move".

Many of the early SHOWstudio projects have now become classics: working with Alexander McQueen to shoot video tapes for Bjork; let the 50 most famous models in history match up with the camera for two minutes; and make the 2003 spring summer conference of Victor&Rolf a black-and-white silent film.

Knight's partners were initially acquainted with him for many years, such as Kate Moss, JohnGalliano and hairstylist Sam McKnight. However, in view of the increasing influence and browsing of SHOWstudio, more and more fashion elite have volunteered to participate in it. Among them, there are many young designers who are young and talented.

"The charm of SHOWstudio lies in its unfinished work and ongoing work, which is quite an English concept."

Gareth Pugh said.

In 2009, he displayed the technique of making clothes through the live broadcast of SHOWstudio, and finished a hollowed skirt with his own hand. He invited the famous model Raquel Zimmermann to make a short film of the dress and put it on SHOWstudio.

In October of the same year, Knight assisted Platon in the fashion week of Paris to finish his last masterpiece, "the Atlantis of Platon" fashion show. Two robot cameras broadcast the conference online synchronously, with a huge LED screen across the T platform, and brought the fashion video to a new height.

Millions of people watched the press conference online. The clicks of 29000 times per second made SHOWstudio unbearable, and its publicity was far more effective than advertising in magazines.

McQueen was the founder of many trends, and the last trend he led might be the most far-reaching impact on the industry.

A year later, the video clip has become the trend of the fashion industry.

Dior takes the "Lady BlueShanghai" directed by David Lynch in Shanghai and the Far East consumer of the other side of the ocean; the RivieraLove background of the Prada is the best interpretation of its Lolita style sunglasses; Louis Vuitton, the An Encounter Encounter, which was starred by the three greatest players, has received an astonishing amount of hits during the world cup;

"I have worked for SHOWstudio for many years, and as a long-term commitment to promoting fashion films, I am very pleased with the acceptance of the film as a big brand."

Penny Martin, editor in chief of The Gentlewoman.

"Now more and more big advertisements are being shot by RED camera. The camera function of this camera is more prominent than photography."

Interestingly, as the originator of three dimensional fashion, Knight didn't set foot in the camera to create a precedent. He just thought that the videos in the past were not enough "Vogue".

Photographing aesthetics, which takes Vogue magazine as the benchmark, has occupied the fashion world for a century. When the music and art fields and videos have been crossed one after another, the fashion industry has been complacent. Until the advent of the social networking era, it is not too late to catch up.

"Now, electronic media is excited by many image workers, and the emotion and power conveyed by dynamic photography are faster and more direct than plane photography."

Knight said, "I haven't found a new wave of photography, but when you watch fashion movies, what you see is a new attempt in visual art."

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Turn of flat media

It is not hard to imagine that the impact of the development of Internet technology on print media is at least subversive even if it is not destructive. - to this day, you can hardly find a magazine without website.

"The original media mode is out of date, and the traditional monthly magazine is coming to an end."

Jefferson Hack, publisher of Dazed&Confused and AnotherMagazine, said recently that "digital media is the future direction of development. If you do not adapt to it, you are a dying dinosaur."

Of course, electronic magazines are nothing new. However, unlike the practice of copying the contents of physical magazines into the Internet in the past, today's "electronic magazines" require editors to tailor the content and release forms for the Internet.

Take "Another Magazine" as an example, the magazine introduced the concept of online cover star in early May this year. The first guest was French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The cover story of "Dazed&Confused" 5 monthly Tilda Swinton also broke the usual trick of "shooting + interview", adding GlenLuchford to the exclusive content of the short film of Swinton, and premiered on Dazed Digital website.

"In times of depression, people tend to appreciate meaningful original content."

Hack said.

It is said that difficult environment has given birth to creativity, and the financial crisis has led to the overall depression of fashion publishing industry.

These new independent magazines, including "The Gentlewoman", "Twin", "Glass", "Test" and "Grey" and so on, are not only the traditional female periodicals that people can easily put into handbags, but rather expensive books.

"Consumer magazines are no longer able to attract readers. There is a huge market vacuum full of wisdom and creativity and artistic beauty."

Marie-Louise Von Haselberg, editor in chief of Glass, said that the magazine's updated website theglassmagazine.com was launched in September last year.

The issue of "Glass" reacted enthusiastically in London Fashion Week in February. Several major topics such as Penelope Tree's visit to Maggie Cheung and the world's ten largest ballet dancer shot by Steven Caras were impressive.

However, even a magazine that boasts of being a book is not enough to write articles on paper.

Von Haselberg said the website of Glass will feature a fashion video with a length of about a minute.

The rising status of the Internet platform is undoubtedly a great help to the new members of the magazine, because the cost of publishing online information is hardly worth mentioning compared to the high cost of printing.

Most independent magazines today adopt a two pronged approach to maintain the high rate of renewal of websites, while physical magazines publish at most 2 times a year.

"I'm still trying to make my website profitable, although I don't want advertisements in the website."

The founder of Test is Jaime Perlman, whose other identity is Vogue, the art director of the British version.

The works of artists appeared on her website were completed by artists themselves, and the cost of the website itself was borne by Perlman herself. There was no office in Test, so she worked in her living room.

"I love magazines, but I'm tired of working in the rules of magazines."

MatthewEdelstein, editor in chief of Contributing Editor, a male fashion magazine, said, "I find that there is no such thing as a magazine attracts me, so I decided to do it myself."

The form of Contributing Editor, as the name suggests, is designed to display contributors. Since its establishment in September 2008, the website has displayed dozens of photographers and stylists. They are mostly friends of Edelstein, asking for no reward but sharing. Manuscripts are not allowed to be published in other media, but only exist on the platform of the Internet.

Although the blog is published in a press release mode, Edelstein does not think Contributing Editor belongs to the category of blog, because it does not contain interactive links of editing and reading, and does not have comment columns to allow readers to express their opinions.

"I think if you interact too much, the website will lose some of its luster.

My job is related to fantasy. "

He said.

Brand catching up

Contrary to Contributing Editor, Burberry's Artofthetrench.com is highly appreciated because of the interaction between brand and consumer.

By inviting The Sartorialist and other street photographers to cooperate with photographers, the website is dedicated to displaying the pictures of fashionable men and women wearing the windbreaker Burberry logo, and encouraging users to upload their photos voluntarily.

Although interactive marketing has a long history, Burberry has become a fashion visual leader in the fashion industry by building democratized "electronic windows" for its star products.

For most of the fashion brands, although they show extraordinary artistic expression on the stretches, once the publishing platform comes from the show to the virtual world, their imagination and operation level will be greatly reduced.

The reason for this is not the trouble caused by online sales. Online shopping is not a problem in itself. The problem lies in the designer and brand executives. Those who grasp the future of the fashion industry can not grasp the characteristics of the Internet age.

For example, on the website of some of the most innovative brands, such as Prada and Balenciaga, you can hardly see the progress of the electronic visual technology. It does not introduce short videos of the creation process, nor does it have animation, nor does it have any web page design that matches the modern spirit of these brands. There are only videos and advertising pictures of the latest releases. Prada's website also has updates on its art projects.

At the same time, fashion bloggers download and forward every consultation they get with the fastest speed, making the ivory tower smoky.

Faced with this situation, Chanel launched the official online fashion magazine Chanel News in French and English in August last year, and launched the Chinese version in June 29th this year to publish the latest developments, releases and design highlights and designer dynamics.

In the face of ever expanding information and uncontrollable netizens' views, high-end brands have been overtaken by the trend. At present, video clips and Facebook are still their lifesaving straws.

Synchronized live broadcast is likely to become a common phenomenon.

Some designers have begun experimenting with virtual fashion shows with interactive links, such as allowing viewers to choose their own lineup, and instantly booking their favorite products.

RalphLauren created a website for its Rugby brand last year.

But McQueen thought that designers with ideas should provide a new and different experience for the audience sitting in front of the computer. They can not just copy the show to the Internet. They have been doing this for the past 50 years.

Indeed, the development of science and technology and the changes of the times have brought numerous difficult questions to the fashion industry.

In this visual revolution, how can we take the lead in the trend?

When entering Twitter and social networking platform is a foregone conclusion, how to maintain the high-end and unique brand image while interacting?

If three-dimensional photography is the key to solve the problem, is it necessary to use a lot of manpower and material resources to hold a press conference when the virtual fashion show can be realized?

With these questions, Style.com asks "people of tomorrow's fashion world" to people including Hedi Slimane, New York Times Fashion Critic Cathy Horyn and Barneys fashion director Julie Gilhart. The latter admits, "I can feel the struggles of some big brands, they are aware of the changes, but they still can not cope with how to deal with them."

"Things are improving."

Pierre-Yves Roussel, President of LVMH fashion department, said through the New York Times, "are we lagging behind?

I don't know.

Fashion brands want to strictly control their image. They also know that things on the Internet are always hard to control.

But when giants really start to act, change will accelerate.

In February this year, LVMM launched the creative visual website Nowness.com, which includes words, pictures and videos, covering fashion, art, beauty, film and television, to disseminate luxury culture and replace ELuxury.com, which was closed last year.

Its appearance shows the ambition of LVMH, and the world's largest luxury group is not sitting still in this revolution.

"Creativity is a journey," said Kamel Ouadi, executive vice president of Nowness. "I hope our attempts will guide the marketing of creative luxury products.