Hong Kong’s FabriX Returns to Paris With Updated Lineup, Heads to Pitti Next Year
EURO TRIP: The Hong Kong government-backed digital fashion initiative FabriX returned to Paris Fashion Week with a new cohort of designers, and a Tamagotchi-shaped, enhanced virtual try-on kiosk at Palais de Tokyo for the fashion crowd to interact with between shows.
Working with leading digital identification solutions provider Avery Dennison, digital fashion commerce infrastructure provider Genesis-One, and augmented reality and artificial intelligence specialist ZERO10, FabriX unveiled an enhanced AR try-on kiosk, editioned 2.0.1, with new digital fashion items from six designer brands: Bianca Saunders, Charles de Vilmorin, Florentina Leitner, Paolina Russo, Ponder.er and Wilsonkaki.
More from WWD
Running until Monday, visitors will be able to interact with the kiosk, collect their digital outfit photos and preorder digital fashion pieces that include exclusive made-for-Roblox avatar outfits.
Shin Wong, project director at FabriX, said the kiosk offers a “See Now — Try Now — Buy Now” immersive experience. It could potentially provide a new opportunity for emerging talents to showcase their creativity at luxury-dominated Asian shopping malls in the near future.
“We’re really happy this time because you still don’t see a lot of digital fashion during Paris Fashion Week. It’s really important for us to meet designers and industry people to explain who we are and promote the idea of digital fashion,” Wong added. “The camera is different this time. It’s more detailed. It’s very subtle. I mean, all these small changes take time to show, but when we were testing it, it’s a huge difference.”
She also confirmed exclusively to WWD that following the Paris Fashion Week road show, supported by Fe?de?ration de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, FabriX will bring its kiosks and a new batch of designers to Florence for Pitti Uomo.
For de Vilmorin, the VR platform was an ideal setting to bring alive a black skirt from his June couture collection, featuring a metal structure that seemed to spring from the body.
“I love the way it turned the penciled lines and couture line into a cartoon-like outfit,” he said. Seeing a steady stream of visitors try on the look at the kiosk, he felt FabriX’s solutions helped democratize the universe of couture labels.
Calling it a “giant playground to road test crazy things impossible to do in real life,” he said digital tools should be seen as a creative opportunity.
“It’s not going to replace [physical] creations because nothing will replace real fabrics, real emotions and really getting dressed,” he continued.
Russo picked an oversize sunset tie-dye hoodie and a pair of jeans in a similar treatment for the occasion. The brand is no stranger to digital fashion, having teamed with digital fashion platform Sknups to translate three key looks of its fall 2023 collection for Roblox last year.
“We play a lot of video games. To have your video game character being able to wear the same stuff is important to us,” Russo said.
The brand recently unveiled a capsule with K-pop sensation NewJeans. Russo said the team has been listening to their music from the very beginning.
“The first time they went on stage, they were wearing Paulina Russo, and ever since they’ve been supporting us and wearing every collection. Recently, we started to make custom pieces for them for their tour. It’s the best thing ever,” Russo added.
Leitner’s choice for FabriX was a white dress with leather floral decorations from the spring 2025 collection. “I always love digital things and to create something you can watch on the internet, and I love to mix it, though, with old kind of things like analog film. I also love like VHS cassettes,” she added.
The designer said Asia now represents more than 60 percent of the business, with South Korea and Japan being the biggest markets. “Because of K-pop, we got more demand on our online shop. We already dressed Lisa from Blackpink and NewJeans,” Leitner said.
FabriX was founded in 2022 with the mission to “weave a new reality for fashion” and to introduce the next generation of local creative talents to global fashion audiences. It offers support to designers through all stages of the digital design journey from sketch, design and 3D digital production to listing on global digital fashion marketplaces.
The initiative is being presented by the Hong Kong-based creative hub PMQ, a not-for-profit social enterprise. PMQ has 100 million Hong Kong dollars, or almost $13 million, in funding from the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation, while Create Hong Kong, of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, serves as the lead sponsor.
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.