So here we are… Being explorers at heart, we have finally decided to boldly navigate this virtual space. We must warn you though: once you enter, you must be prepared to take a deep dive into our world. We are about to share our projects as well as the philosophy and ideas behind them. We are obsessed with researching new technologies and alternative approaches to the better-known physical reality. We are constantly working on our personal architecture of the unknown. The same way we are used to speaking in code, our visions come to life in code.
For starters, we would like to tell you a bit about how we’ve tackled the past year and its many challenges. Over these twelve months our habits, the way we work, meet people and relate to each other have changed radically. Given our line of work we couldn’t refrain from contributing somehow, so we jumped headfirst into a series of experiments that were unimaginable until now.
2020 was a year to forget, in many ways. But is it not in dire times that opportunities arise?
As the pandemic hit hard, the need for new forms of expression and the rapid advancement of technologies involving digital immersion allowed us to enjoy the atmosphere of a concert, to walk through an exhibition together or to buy a dress in our favorite store. The health crisis brought forth unprecedented projects in the fields of virtual experiences, live streaming and the augmented reality mantra led to many useful and diverse applications. We too, in our own small way and with some surprisingly anticipatory ideas, are proud to have contributed somehow.
In order to offer valid and functioning solutions, we always keep up-to-date with the latest innovations and the most groundbreaking projects in the field of interactive technology. Did you attend any festivals in 2020? Well, we did! We spent two days at one of the biggest electronic music events in the world: Tomorrowland. Every year, the small Belgian town of Boom welcomes over 400 thousand festival goers — this year, it counted about a million and no, we did not break any laws. The 2020 edition, in fact, took place in the imaginary yet very life-like island of Pāpiliōnem and ticket holders gained access via screen. Sixty of the world’s most famous deejays took over eight stages, each surrounded by lush greenery and “augmented” with pyrotechnical effects and larger-than-life set ups.
The artists actually recorded their performances on real sets, located in four different cities across the globe… but the virtual audience and the psychedelic light play recreated an unforgettable atmosphere that allowed Tomorrowland aficionados to let themselves go for an entire weekend and enjoy a unique musical event, albeit unlike anything they had previously experienced.
To fabricate new realities and offer fulfilling immersive experiences is our bread and butter. As explorers of the impossible, we too wanted to try our hand at creating digital environments that could be of use to artists who had been forced to leave their studios. Among the needs expressed by the various creative categories — deprived of the possibility to meet and mingle, fundamental aspects of their profession — directors, writers and photographers felt the urgency to keep expressing themselves through their art, even without an audience. So, when Vogue asked us to usher their iconic PhotoVogue exhibition into the online world, we did not want to create just a static image gallery. Therefore, we came up with an imaginary, photorealistic space with “custom-made” exhibition rooms and a navigation system that embraced each photographer’s vision and underlying creative process: physical became digital, a hotspot for open dialogue, exhibitions and conferences.
This platform won the “Site of the day” The FWA /The Favorite Website Award and “Best Ux, Ui and Innovation” at the CSS Design Awards. It garnered 80 thousand views — 56 thousand single users explored the featured artists’ work and were delighted to find and benefit of alternative means of expression in a moment such as this.
According to recent data, in 2020 the European cultural industry took a harder blow than the touristic sector, recording a 31% decrease from 2019–199 billion euro sent up in smoke in just a year. Therefore, these choices become obvious and, judging the last numbers, bring to better results.
Similar experiments have introduced new forms of fruition that do not aim to replace more traditional entertainment but to become a sort of parallel, necessary compendium. This leap into the future does not only involve a young, digitally savvy audience: on January 1st Riccardo Muti conducted a New Year’s concert in Vienna. The thunderous applause of over 7thousand people connected via streaming leapt out of the speakers and echoed throughout the empty theatre. It might not have been a live standing ovation but it was close enough, in these times of ongoing closures.
From movie theaters to museums, everyone has had to try out innovative solutions to unprecedented problems. We too had to ask ourselves how we could draw attention to the Vogue Talents project and the young designers and creatives selected by Sara Maino’s team and the Vogue Italia newsroom. How could we successfully showcase their work, knowing that this was the only platform that they had? We set to work, and digital brick after digital brick we erected a building, suspended in mid-air, in which each room featured one of the selected talents and could be visited with a simple click. The user could tour a number of tridimensional environments, enjoying a true-to-life replica of an exhibition space.
It resulted in a singular immersive experience, The World of Vogue Talents, which earned us a DDA (Digital Design Awards) of the week at the beginning of February.
We put the same effort in ideating customized strategies for those who were forced to close down their businesses. As technology partnered up with reality, offering alternative solutions in a moment that questioned the very paradigm of social coexistence, the possibilities represented by augmented reality allowed hundreds of stores to survive.
Innovations in this field did not only revolve around internet giants such as Amazon, whose profits surged exponentially during the long, dark year of pandemic. As in-person shopping and gatherings were strictly prohibited, virtual tours with 3D view and ultra high definition images became a must-have for all fashion brands.
As an additional offer, during the pandemic all Augmented Reality applications became essential, as they provided an increasingly wide range of services. Among the best-known examples, Tommy Hilfiger’s virtual store, fully equipped with themed rooms, allowed users to actually pick up and lay down the garments on display as well as visit the imaginary spaces without the hustle and bustle of crowds. Not to mention the extremely well-stocked (and very interactive) Coach & Disney virtual store. We are willing to bet that no brick-and-mortar shop would be able to convey so much precise, tailor-made information in such little time. E-commerce, in its many forms, is a field that strongly lends itself to the continuous innovations and changes required by both vendors and clients.
We wanted to re-open the doors of the historical Palazzo della Mercanzia, home to the prestigious Gucci Museum and located in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria, so we brought its spaces to life in a virtual tour, where one can peruse its many rooms while comfortably seated in front of a screen.
If we can virtually observe a garment in a store, the next step would be to try it on, to actually touch and feel it. 2020 was all about experimenting with QR codes and various AR apps: from 3D product visualization to virtually “fitting” a new pair of shoes (and being able to share the image on social media). Apps have turned out to be useful in association to the most disparate objects, equipping us with the necessary tools to turn a code or a selfie picture into a portal where you can discover the latest eyewear trends. Additionally, one can try on rings or wristwatches before buying them. Not to mention the cosmetic industry that, thanks to state-of-the-art filters, allows the user to test products and wear eccentric make-up looks.
Before online fitting rooms, fashion items were often presented in virtual catwalks and worn by computer-generated models named Shudu, Imma, Lil Miquela. These pixel beauties have become virtual influencers with millions of followers on instagram and are often more popular than their human counterparts.
While brands were on the lookout for online solutions to showcase their products, dozens of events worldwide were forced to shift online. In March 2020, Shanghai’s fashion week spearheaded this movement and prepared the way for a string of virtual catwalks animated by fictional models donning 3D-rendered garments as well as real top models clothed in frame-by-frame digital tailor-made couture.
Second-life experiences have become an integral part of our lives and are an exciting new testing ground for fashion companies worldwide.
Here, the customization process has reached unexplored heights, harnessing the growing potential of the gaming world.
In the absence of social events, we can dress up (and invest in) our avatars, strutting in the latest pair of Adidas collectable sneakers or wearing the most lavish and excessive Gucci or Louis Vuitton coat.
Now more than ever, the imagination of art directors, digital creatives and programmers is being put to the ultimate test in order to satisfy the emerging needs of the second life audience during the pandemic.
In this respect, Balenciaga had the genius idea of launching its 2021 collection in the form of a bespoke videogame populated by characters dressed from head to toe by the Spanish brand, who end up leading the player through the forest to a secret rave party.
According to a study by Ibm, the pandemic has made it possible for online retail to hit milestones that, had things been normal, it would have been able to achieve in 5 years.
Augmented reality has become an integral part of physical reality and we consider ourselves among the lucky forerunners of this trend. We have developed Instagram filters with 3D elements and Instagram story features for MiuMiu and Gucci. We gave students the possibility to celebrate their end-of-year ceremonies during Covid Times by releasing the Gucci Graduation filter, which allowed them to capture the moment and portray themselves with a graduate cap and cool specs.
Among other Instagram story templates with an attention to branding, we created a modular 3D arch backdrop for the release of Furla’s new collection during Milan Fashion Week in 2020.
The path has been paved and we are ready to go all the way, as our limitless curiosity propels us forward. We are sure that our unwavering commitment and the hard work put into compensating for the lack of actual, physical spaces will be useful even in a virus-free world. This is why we already have dozens of projects in the pipeline and our research and development department has never been this busy. But stay tuned — we will talk about this (and much more!) in the upcoming episodes.
MONOGRID is a Digital Creative Studio based in Italy. Our goal is to deliver memorable experiences and build strategic value for brands, tech, arts & culture.
