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building, but it wasn’t livestreamed online due to the length of the run. “We could’ve easily done a live stream, but we decided against it because of how short the run was and how long it takes to get a following on those streams,” says Furber. “We released the feed on Instagram, YouTube and other social channels after the event.” IT’S A KIND OF MAGIC Ten VIPs were given the immersive experience, which had to be viewed through Magic Leap’s headsets. “There were 700 people in the audience and our systems could have provided a shared mixed reality experience for all 700 if we had the hardware,” says Furber. “Of course, we were incredibly lucky Magic Leap supplied the hardware, because those headsets haven’t even been released in the UK yet. You can’t just nip to the high street and buy a load.” He adds: “The phrase ‘world first’ gets chucked around a lot. It’s a marketing phrase designed to guide our attention to something, but genuinely no one had used Magic Leap in this way before. The guys at Magic Leap even said to us afterward, ‘How on earth did you do that? We know our hardware is good, but we didn’t know it could do that.’
UNREAL ENGINE 4 IS DESIGNED T0 RENDER COMPLEX IMAGERY AT HIGH FRAME RATES
“The headsets had a level of finish to them, but they were still a developer model. Every time we used them, we were testing them to see how well they responded and, equally, Magic Leap was learning from what we were doing as well. It was a good test for the gear.” Furber tells us the biggest challenge for his team was working with this new hardware. “It was very intense knowing A-list celebrities were wearing the headsets and if anything went wrong, we couldn’t exactly restart the show, because it was live. The intensity was all part of the fun, though.” TRENDY TECHNOLOGY Fashion runways are evolving beyond the physical realm. The once far-fetched prospect of a brand connecting its audience through a skilfully crafted virtual reality has now become reality. “Fashion has always been a trendsetter
– but of course it is, it’s fashion,” says Furber. “Fashion is the leading edge of that midpoint between technology, design and the real world, and I think you’ll start to see MR appear on the runway more.” Away from the excitement of London Fashion Week, the collaboration between Central Saint Martins and Three is part of a long-term creative partnership. Three is setting up a design-focused 5G laboratory on its campus, which will include the internet of things (IOT) hardware and other connected technology. This will allow students to experiment with new ways of creating art through AR, VR, MR and cloud technology. Furber concludes: “Mixed reality is going to be a game changer for fashion, both in terms of presenting it live at an event, but also in terms of the design and creation process. Designers will be able to see their collections come to life in the real world.”
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