Augmented Reality Fashion Filters - A Growing Trend

hen Beyoncé wore Marine Serre’s moon print catsuit in Black Is King, the designer saw a 428% spike in popularity, however most of Serre’s 432,000 Instagram followers don’t own a piece of her work. 

The Digital Fashion Week provided designers with a new opportunity to showcase their collections to a global audience instead of the group of around 400 guests who attend Paris each season. 

For the event, Marine Serre created Amor Fati, a film that launched on YouTube but also developed three Instagram filters. The first Augmented Reality Instagram filter features  black crystals running over the user’s face, another covers the user’s visage in her moon print, and the last decks out a selfie taker in full Marine Serre jewelry and a luminous glow.

When asked about the use of social media as a communication tool back in May, Serre stated: 

“It’s our only way to connect, and if you have something to say, say it. You shouldn’t feel shy. No one has the right answer on the best way to do fashion today, and I would encourage people to be honest and share [online]. People are really reactive. When I see people liking a video I post, or a regenerated garment we posted, it feels really good, because it feels like a community that can share and discuss and change things, I hope. And construct the future in a better way together.”

Now, many designers are turning to social media as a way to promote their brand and  further engagement. Over the course of the spring 2020 season, dozens of brands launched their own augmented reality filters on Instagram. Louis Vuitton’s menswear filter pops Virgil Abloh’s asymmetric cartoon sunglasses on your face, Paco Rabanne’s replaces a user’s pupils with the brand’s silvery logo and Miu Miu’s is a cute polaroid background with flowers and butterflies.

Immersive technologies are becoming a common theme in the fashion world. In New York Hillary Taymour made a psychedelic virtual reality film for her new Collina Strada collection which partnered with hair stylist Tomohiro Kono on a filter that replicated Kono’s hair creations. It was actually her third face filter, which qualifies her as an early adopter of the technology, alongside brands like Gucci, Valentino, and Off-Whit that started using them back in 2018.

To date, Collina’s filter has been downloaded over 1 million times. “I think it’s just a great way to get people aware of the brand and a fun way to engage with your following,” Taymour commented. In a time when we don’t really need any new clothing, what better way to change your style than to do it virtually?