Prabal Gurung’s Fall 2012 Fashion Show Will Be Online For Very Important Press And Stylists

KCD Worldwide, one of the fashion industry’s most powerful publicity players, has a new tool to help designers broadcast their fashion shows exclusively online. And we do mean exclusively.

Unlike livestreamed shows, Digital Fashion Shows is for designers who want to create an experience for press and clients that’s as close to a runway show as possible, without having to actually push your way to the coveted front row. 

Each runway show will be pretaped without an audience and will be watchable at a specific date and time. Anyone with an official invite can log on to the site at the annointed time for their very own front row seat at the show.

The first designer to use this new platform will be Prabal Gurung, who will debut his new collection for ICB on digitalfashionshows.com on Feb. 15 at the end of New York Fashion Week. Among Gurung’s celebrity fans who may be watching if they’re not at the show: Carey Mulligan, Blake Lively, Jennifer Lawrence, Eva Mendes, Diane Kruger, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Stewart, and Rooney Mara. OK, maybe just their stylists will be watching.

According to KCD, the video is an industry tool for reporters, editors, stylists, and buyers who are already on their press lists. So far Gurgung is the only US. designer to utilize the online service but KCD has plans to expand the service to other clients who show in the European RTW shows. And all the fashion show video content is embeddable and downloadable. 

This platform is not available to the public. It is designed by KCD to be a tool for invited press and buyers. It is viewable on a computer, IPad or IPhone. Run of Show info is there and photographs of each look provide front, back and detail shots of shoes, jewelry and accessories.

Gurung’s show will be online during New York Fashion Week on Feb 15 at 11:30 a.m, and sponsored in part by M?A?C. KCD honcho Ed Filipowski envisions a day with multiple digital shows on the fashion calendar, during the bi-annnual Fashion Weeks and also available for pre-fall and resort.

But don’t expect a music video format or celebrities to gawk at. “This online experience will replicate the pureness of a live runway show,” says Filipowski, “The only thing this doesn’t give you is the glass of champagne. Bring your own.”

Is this the beginning of the end of the old fashioned runway shows? Or is it just another tool for the fashion industry to show their collections to the media?

Only time will tell.