Words By Rebecca Sharp,
In light of the current global pandemic, the fashion industry has had to adapt in ways unimaginable. Fashion Weeks around the world have taken a new stance, incorporating digital elements to allow labels to continue to showcase collections and make fashion accessible for a wide audience.
When an email from Bryce arrived in my inbox asking for students to assist at a digital fashion show for Macgraw, I jumped at the chance to be involved, knowing how valuable this experience would be!
On a Thursday morning, we arrive at a gorgeous heritage-listed house in the heart of Darling Point. The sound of muffled voices and commotion travelled from the garden area, this caused the excited jitters to set in unknowing what I was about to walk into. Making our way towards the voices, we entered a white tent which opened up to a vibrant garden, models who were sat chatting to each other, hair and makeup stylist working at their stations, photographers shooting behind the scenes content and the Macgraw team.
We only had a few moments to take in our surroundings, before we were sent straight to work. The new collection of silk garments needed to be steamed and hung, and looks needed to be put together to match the model fitting cards. We familiarised ourselves with the model run sheet, making note of who had quick changes or would need more assistance with buttons and zips.
The Macgraw team gave us a brief overview of how the rest of the day would proceed. As the show is for Digital Fashion Week it would be filmed multiple times from different angles and would be seamlessly edited together in post-production. Because digital shows are a new approach in the fashion industry it was unknown exactly how many times the show would need to be run, so we all needed to be on our A-Game to keep changes smooth and the energy high.
It was getting close to beginning the first run of the show and everyone was keeping a watchful eye on the sky. The midday storm that had been forecasted had started to loom across the harbour. Invited guests had started arriving, whilst we began dressing models in their first looks, checking buttons, collars and ensuring shoes were on securely whilst making small chit chat… but this is where my day as an intern became something quite unexpected.
Moments before the show was to begin, four TFI students; Elyce, Emma, Trudy and myself, were asked to join the audience to fill some empty seats of guests that had not arrived. We all looked at each other with shocked faces, none of us was dressed appropriately to be seated next to guests in luxury fashion-forward outfits; we were in all black with white sneakers or runners. However that didn’t matter, the Macgraw team had come prepared and handed us each a stunning dress to go and quickly get changed into.
After processing what had just happened, I found myself sat along the edge of a runway in a floor-length gown watching the Macgraw fashion show first hand. Unfortunately, as the show will not be going live until later this year, I can’t give any details away or share any content just yet. But keep an eye out for Macgraw at Digital Fashion Week because this new collection is one not to be missed.
The experience I had with the Macgraw team was an opportunity like no other, and I am very grateful to be able to see how runway shows are adapting to cater to the digital world. Understanding how technology is evolving and changing the industry is vital as we are the next generation of fashion.