Holographic fashion show beams its way to Cadillac Fairview Toronto Eaton Centre Dec. 3 feature a new technology called holoportation.
“If you can’t Be there, Beam there.” So says David Nussbaum, CEO and Inventor of PORTL Inc., a holoportation startup set to bring a futuristic fashion show to Cadillac Fairview (CF) Toronto Eaton Centre beginning December 3.
Attendees at The Shop the Look holiday fashion show will have the opportunity to witness a worldwide first: holograms of models beamed in life-sized, volumetric 4K in real-time via three locations throughout the shopping centre. Guests will then be able to buy the looks, courtesy of a digital shopping guide.
Fashion aficionados may remember the frenzy that surrounded late British designer Alexander McQueen’s show, The Widows of Culloden back in 2006, after an ethereal hologram of supermodel Kate Moss appeared on the catwalk mesmerizing the audience with its theatrics. Since then, holographic projections have infiltrated the entertainment world: in 2012, Tupac Shakur hit the stage at Coachella and in 2014, the late Michael Jackson was resurrected when he performed at the Billboard Music Awards. Most recently, nominees for the 2021 British Academy Television Awards (the British equivalent of the Emmys) who were unable to attend due to Covid restrictions were beamed onto the red carpet.
“Our customers’ expectations are continuously evolving, which is why we’re always looking for creative solutions to offer our guests the most efficient and inspiring shopping experiences,” said Andrea Nickel, Director of Customer Experience and Marketing Communications at Cadillac Fairview.
QR codes will be posted at each holographic display allowing shoppers the opportunity to peruse CF’s Shop the Look Holiday Hub, a website that provides details on all of the looks from the show including the retail locations where they can purchase the items.
This is the first time that PORTL has been used in Canada and also the first time holoportation technology has been used to beam models live into a retail space to interact with the public.
“When we beam the fashion models into CF Toronto Eaton Centre this week, shoppers will be witnessing the future – a new kind of sustainable transportation that lets people have meaningful interactions across every kind of divide,” Nussbaum said.
Guests who attend the show on Dec. 3 will get the chance to try the device at a consumer activation event. The first 100 shoppers can transform into a hologram and beam their likeness to the PORTL display to take a selfie with themselves.
