The British Fashion Council is to bring to life the “creativity,
heritage and craftsmanship of British fashion” with a new partnership with
Google.
The celebration of British fashion will be showcased on a new digital
educational platform as part of Google Arts and Culture and features
content and stories from top British designers and fashion insiders
including Burberry, Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen,
and uses technology to tell the stories including content viewable using
Google Cardboard, which works with virtual reality apps.
The online exhibitions aim to provide a “single destination to educate
and inspire future generations of young fashion creatives, designers and
students”, and will support the British Fashion Council’s Education
Foundation’s aim in attracting future talent into the industry.
Visitors to g.co/britishfashion will be able to view more than 1,000
assets including over twenty multimedia exhibits, twenty-five videos and
three virtual reality experiences, which are all accessible from desktop,
laptop or mobile.
Highlights of the digital collection includes a super high-resolution
capture of a couture dress from Alexander McQueen’s SS17 collection, which
allows people to zoom in and see its threadwork in never-before-seen
detail, as well as a 360 video featuring the inspiration behind top couture
dresses.
There’s a virtual-reality look at Manolo Blahnik’s London atelier, as
well as a look back through his career, his inspiration and key moments in
the label’s history.
In addition, there is also a number of curated exhibits from and about
fashion legends and brands including Burberry, Browns, David Bailey, Edward
Enninful, Erdem, i-D, J.W.Anderson, Michael Howells, Naomi Campbell, Paul
Smith, Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood.
While decades of British craftsmanship from the houses of Harris Tweed
Hebrides, John Lobb shoes, Lochcarron Tartan and the Royal School of
Needlework are celebrated in the ‘Meet the Makers’ section.
British Fashion Council chief executive, Caroline Rush said: “The
internet has been an incredible resource for opening up the fashion
industry to a new audience, giving young people access to information not
previously available.
“This collaboration represents a new step, bringing together diverse
information into one, engaging place. We hope this legacy project will not
only inspire but also educate – allowing young people wanting to get into
fashion to see the breadth of individuals, skills and careers that make up
this multifaceted industry.”
Other highlights include a short film captured in 360 virtual reality
directed by Sarah Mower, the British Fashion Council’s ambassador for
emerging talent. The film allows viewers to come face-to-face with industry
luminaries, who share touching and personal insights about their careers in
fashion, featuring supermodel Naomi Campbell, designer and entrepreneur
Anya Hindmarch, creative director Edward Enninful and Joan Burstein,
founder and honorary chairman of Browns.
Visitors can also explore archival materials from top British fashion
houses sorting their searches by colour and chronology. In addition, they
will be able to view British fashion’s biggest characters and moments, such
as reliving Kate Moss’s first runway show at London Fashion Week and
exploring profiles of the fashion industry’s key players from Naomi
Campbell to Christopher Bailey.
To mark the launch of the project, Paul Smith has designed a
special-edition Google Cardboard and created online exhibits around five
objects that represent his creative vision and brand.
Amit Sood, director of Google’s Cultural Institute added: “British
Fashion has such a unique and revered place within the international
fashion industry, and is hugely rich in content, characters, icons and
stories. It’s been a joy to work on this project and bring its distinct
textures and tales to life through technology – so that now even more
people around the world can enjoy it.”
The online exhibition is available to view at g.co/britishfashion and
through the new Google Arts and Culture mobile app on iOS and Android,
while all the 360-degree videos will also be available on YouTube.
Images: courtesy of the British Fashion Council