Hyperrealism in fashion: A new frontier for luxury?

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By Amy Francombe

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Fashion has entered the hyperrealist realm, where the boundaries between real and virtual are blurred. For luxury brands, it’s a new source of creative inspiration that appeals to Gen Z customers.

A key influence has been the Spring/Summer 2023 collection from Loewe, which included a capsule of pixel clothes that became a social media hit. In his show notes, creative director Jonathan Anderson posed questions: “Are we falling into the screen? Are we becoming our phones? Is it to do with where we are in society?” His embrace of the hyperreal helped to make Loewe the hottest brand in the world in Q2 2023, according to the Lyst Index.

The hyperrealism trend was in evidence at the SS24 menswear and AW24 couture shows in Paris. For his debut at Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams showed suits, hoodies and bags made from a pixelated camouflage pattern that looked like Cryptopunk NFT avatars. Dior Men opened its show like the beginning of a video game, with models raised into the École Militaire on hydraulic squares to a soundtrack of retro robotic beats. Actor Maisie Williams and singer Camila Cabello attended the Iris van Herpen couture show in dresses that looked as if they had been downloaded from the metaverse.

Pharrel Williams’s debut Louis Vuitton show featured a pixelated camouflage pattern.

By Maghan McDowell

“For fashion brands, mimicking the virtual is not just a way to be part of the conversation, but also to create an inception,” says Marta Indeka, senior foresight analyst at strategic foresight consultancy, The Future Laboratory. “Physical clothes that borrow aesthetics from virtual realms enable designers to deliver something novel, playful and potentially viral — precisely what makes Gen Z tick.”

Loewe has experimented with the hyperreal for the last few seasons — from uncanny 3D garments engineered to resemble 8-bit renderings of hoodies, T-shirts and trousers, to a rubbery real-life simulacra of Minnie Mouse’s heels.

“Moments like the pixel collection or cartoon heels are a play between the physical and the digital — we take something digital and create it in the analogue world,” says Loewe CEO Pascale Lepoivre of the SS23 collection. “Those viral moments are raising Loewe’s profile: it not only allows us to cut through to consumers in a crowded marketplace, but also showcases the creativity and craft knowhow of the house, reaffirming our position as a global luxury brand.”

Could hyperrealism change the direction of fashion? “We are in this spectacle society where we’re sharing and relying on images of clothing — so much more than the function of it,” says trends commentator Agustina Panzoni. “A lot of people are spending more time inside and online, so the way that we show up in our clothes is in the digital world. For that reason, we’re starting to change what we want out of fashion — how it hijacks algorithms and creates digital noises, rather than [focusing on] its wearability.”

She indicates how growing interest in digital fashion, where clothes are made to be worn online without any physical existence, has driven hyperrealism in fashion. “That’s why Mschf’s big red boots really fascinated me because they were not meant to be worn. They were just an art piece that we started wearing.”

Maisie Williams and Camila Cabello at the Iris Van Herpen couture AW23 show.

By Maghan McDowell

A press release from American art collective Mschf back in February teasingly shared that the “Big Red Boots are really not shaped like feet, but they are extremely shaped like boots” and that they “free us from the constraints of reality”. They’ve been a bestseller ever since, encouraging Mschf to introduce a Big Yellow Boot in collaboration with Crocs in a campaign fronted by Paris Hilton (teased in Paris in June; dropping on 9 August). Designer Victoria Beckham, rapper Coi Leray and music producer Diplo have all been spotted wearing the boots in the real world.

“Anytime you do something as big as the boots were, more and more people start to discover you,” says Daniel Greenberg, co-founder of Mschf. “That being said, we have done over 100 different projects in the past four years, and I think it’s really interesting people find us through these viral moments and then discover more of our work.”

Loewe has also proven that engagement translates into sales. “When Loewe first launched the lipstick, the rose and the egg heels, we bought every single possible option just because they were so fun and we all loved it,” says Tiffany Hsu, Mytheresa’s vice president of fashion. “They did very, very well for us. They were not cheap, but now they’ve become somewhat of a collectible.”

Natalie Dickson, head of women’s luxury at Flannels, agrees. “Loewe’s pixel collection is synonymous with Flannels’ youth-centric and future-driven brand identity — both are a collision of the virtual and IRL worlds,” she says. “The vast majority of our customer base curates their aesthetic and personality through social media and online presence. We see a lot of interest in statement viral pieces that are often driven by hype around show season, which then filters down to customer interest when it hits stores.”

Trends commentator Panzoni says younger generations, who spend more time online than older consumers, expect brands to understand their online culture. “It’s starting to represent authenticity more clearly than just keeping things in the only physical world,” she says, and goes on to pose some interesting questions. “Is this reality a good representation of what life really is right now — in a time that we’re so much online? Or is [the inclusion of] digital references more of a representation of authenticity, when the internet is so embedded in everything we do?”

By Maghan McDowell

“The AI revolution is changing our idea of reality,” she adds. “Does it even matter that it looks like a cartoon and it looks kind of foolish?” she says, referencing Mschf’s Big Red boots.

Indeka of The Future Laboratory sees rich potential for luxury brands in the overlap between craft and digital technology. “Tech-powered craft, or crafts-machine-ship as we call it, will become a must-have tool for brands to experiment with creating what is physically impossible, unlocking creativity to gain an edge in a market where boundaries between online and IRL are melting,” she says.

The blurring of worlds is gaining momentum. In June, 20-year-old designer Andrea Albrizio showed an AR look at his debut in Paris. His physical show included a phygital piece that included a QR code to unlock a digital extension of the dress.

His core focus, he emphasises, remains physical fashion. “For me, digital will never replace physical because fashion needs to be seen, fashion needs to be touched, fashion needs to exist,” he says.

However, he is excited by the concept of a world where clothes have a digital extension. “The goal is to make this element have a utility — otherwise consumers will lose interest quickly,” he says. His next collection will “reconnect with fashion through gamification”, working in video game themes and ideas. He’s convinced this is the way to go. “Brands that manage to crack this formula will be the ones that succeed in the coming years.”

By Maghan McDowell

Loewe’s pixelated pieces for SS23.

By Maghan McDowell

Rubbery Minnie Mouse heels from Loewe.

By Maghan McDowell

Loewe rose heels.

Loewe egg heels.

By Maghan McDowell

Diplo wearing Mschf's viral red boots.

Paris Hilton in the brand’s big yellow boot, a collaboration with Crocs.

By Maghan McDowell

Maluma in the Crocs collaboration.

In June, 20-year-old designer Andrea Albrizio showed an AR look at his debut in Paris.

By Maghan McDowell

Correction: This article was updated to remove reference to MVFW sales (2 August 2023).

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