THE NO-CONTACT BUZZ

Indian companies are helping high-end brands reimagine boundaries as the pandemic hits the luxury sector, which has traditionally placed a premium on physical experiences

- PANKTI MEHTA KADAKIA

From October 21 to 25, instead of celebrities, air kisses and paparazzi flashes, the Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) will immerse its audience into a 3D world, where anyone, anywhere can get a taste of the front-row experience— without stepping out of their homes (or pyjamas). What’s more, they can pick an outfit straight off the virtual runway and add it to their cart for purchase.

Welcome to luxury 2.0, or 2020, if you will. An industry that has long focussed on building one-on-one relationships with customers, through high-end staff service or touch-and-feel retail experiences, has been shaken to its roots by the Covid-19 pandemic. At a time when the greatest luxury, perhaps, is to eliminate all in-person interactions and physical touchpoints, brands have been forced to reinvent the wheel and all the glossy engines with it.

“To be honest, the industry needed an overhaul anyway,” says Jaspreet Chandok, head of lifestyle businesses, IMG Reliance, which manages LFW. “The designer wear industry has not yet reached its full potential. The pandemic has forced people to become more agile, think out of the box, and adopt new-age communication formats. After the Darwinian shake-out expected, we believe that businesses built on a sound foundation will flourish.”

Preparations at LFW are in full swing to offer a ‘seamless’ digital experience. According to Chandok, it has made a significant investment in two major areas: Digital architecture and content enhancement, which involves various vantage points for the viewer and CG (computer-generated) environments.