Fashion is all about the latest trend, so it's no surprise that virtual reality, which is increasingly permeating all industries, would eventually make its way into the shopping experience.
Tommy Hilfiger launched a VR shopping experience in its store on Fifth Avenue in New York on Tuesday. Shoppers will be able to don a Samsung GearVR headset and get a three-dimensional, 360-degree view of the Fall 2015 Tommy Hilfiger Collection runway show that took place at New York's Park Avenue Armory in February. The VR experience also gives users a peek at the show's backstage, which is something attendees normally don't get a chance to see.
Users can feel like they're sitting a few feet away from the models as they walk down a runway designed to look like a football field. "Visible above was the cavernous ceiling of the Armory; turning around revealed rows of guests, almost touchable," The New York Times described the VR experience.
Tommy Hilfiger worked with Dutch VR company WeMakeVR, which filmed the show using a 3D camera with 14 special lenses that allowed it to capture footage in 360 degrees both vertically and horizontally with no blind spots.
This VR experience may be a way for Tommy Hilfiger's physical retail locations to attract consumers in an increasingly digital retail world, according to The New York Times.
"These days, you can't just wait for people to come into the store and try on your jackets. You have to provide entertainment," Tommy Hilfiger's CEO Daniel Grieder told The New York Times. "It's not about turnover by square foot anymore. It's about surprise by square foot, or newness."
Tommy Hilfiger will be rolling out additional VR experiences at retail locations in London, Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Florence, Zurich and Moscow. But of coure, only time will tell if VR will bring timeless style to the retail experience or if it'll be just another fad.
