Fiji fashion goes virtual

CHANGE is inevitable, the pandemic has forced us all to adjust to that new reality.

Two years on into this world crisis, there is still so much uncertainty and the global fashion industry which was worth USD$800 billion in 2020 has had to evolve too because as they say, the show must go on.

Fiji Fashion Week (FJFW) has made its ‘Fashion is for everyone’ slogan the catalyst for change and took its 14th edition into the virtual space by combining the power of broadcast and digitalisation.

The 14 year old FJFW, which is the Pacific’s longest running event, joins the international fashion week network when it opens its first virtual show in November completely free of charge to the world.

FJFW Managing Director, Ellen Whippy-Knight said her team, spread between Australia and Fiji, recognised that while COVID19 restrictions on physical events meant losing a uniquely exciting atmosphere, recent growth in internet and media technology create the perfect conditions to drive fashion forward.

“Our main objective is to create a retail platform for fashion designers and creatives in Fiji’s fashion industry. We are a critical link between designers who have made this their career and the outside world,” Ms Whippy-Knight said.

“So when the pandemic disrupted the supply chain, the global fashion industry went virtual. Designers still needed bread and butter to feed their families, so we had to find a way to promote them too.”

With the backing of sponsors Palmolive Fiji, FJFW has worked with media partners, The Fiji Times, Fiji Television and Communications Fiji Limited to not just survive but to thrive outside of traditional media.

Around the world, the rapid growth of tech start-up companies and media-based businesses has created a new space of digital media products and style in producing events.

The advent of live shows, driven mostly by the heavy traffic of people onto digital spaces and the race between social media tech companies to out maneuver and out innovate each other into attracting users has forced an evolution of sorts.

Fiji has not been immune to that and following a prolonged outbreak of the delta variant which rendered almost everyone into working from home space, it means innovation is thriving here too.

“Our media partners and long-time production vendors have come together to create a FJFW Virtual show where designers are basically running individual fashion shows in beautiful uniquely Fiji locations sans an audience because of safety restrictions and yet the broadcasting component means everyone gets the front row experience,” Ms Whippy-Knight said.

With most people in Fiji working from home and the event attire market drastically reduced, members of the Fijian diaspora in countries where the pandemic was relatively under control have contributed to much of the Fiji fashion sales in the pandemic.

This provided FJFW, Ms Whippy-Knight said, with useful insight into how to position Fiji’s best new fashion designers for that market and beyond it.

“The obvious benefit to the designers means that for the first time ever, the content reach is wider than previous shows in this country and for now the only real benefit for FJFW is that we can continue to learn from the innovations of our work. It means we meet our obligations as the biggest fashion platform in the Pacific fashion industry,” she said.

“This heralds a new era in fashion and the move to a physi-digi platform. Fashion is tangible, it is a touch and feel industry. It must be seen live but there are also many benefits from going digital mainly as it deflects costs of producing a live event.”

“There are so many moving parts in producing a show and the obvious reduction in international airline travel reduces our carbon footprint. This is a win-win and and in the end we can still create the FJFW show ambience.”

For the “Made in Fiji’ brands, a virtual show means small businesses can continue their work and benefit with orders and purchases, she adds.

Despite that physi-digi is the new norm, virtual shows are only a stop gap measure as the global industry continues to adjust to COVID19 restrictions and wait for the benefits that greater vaccination coverage can bring in but FJFW will right now focus on taking the advantage of reaching a wider audience digitally.

“Hopefully this will translate into increasing sales capabilities for designers while we continue to adjust and re-strategize on how we can still continue to support Fiji fashion designers.”

FJFW said it has attended virtual Fashion Weeks which continue to take place around the world and hopes the lessons of the global network can be used wisely for the Fiji fashion community.

FJFW Virtual will showcase the work of 15 designers, a combination of the best established and brightest new emerging designers, screening from November 22 – 27 on Fiji Television with simultaneous interactive digital events across a network of media partners and platforms.

“Expect to be wowed by the work of Fiji’s fashion designers who have created in the midst of a pandemic and with restrictions in place, the best new fashion trends filmed at amazing locations that tell the world of the safest paradise to travel to in COVID times.”