Keywords: promotion economy, digital events, marketing, fashion, inclusivity 

Abstract

Lockdown restrictions due to the global pandemic have caused mass disruption amongst the events and promotions industry. Large-scale closures of venues, legal restrictions on social gatherings and social-distancing measures served to essentially cripple a crucial part of the fashion sector - promotions. Despite various barriers and difficulties, communications professionals, brands and event planners have developed/embraced innovative strategies and digital technologies/platforms in order to promote fashion collections. A variety of tools have been employed throughout the lockdown to maintain visual promotions from virtual fashion shows in videogame Animal Crossing: New Horizons, ‘Zoom Editorials’ and ‘Digital Fashion Weeks’. Although providing useful practical alternatives in specific circumstances, this paper explores case studies from examples listed above to critically examine the extent to which these ‘digital innovations’ could represent more seismic shifts in terms of fashion media and promotion or if they were perhaps an inevitable/forced evolution within the events/promotion economy.  In addition to the structural location and commonality of such activities within the promotions ‘landscape’ these examples also serve to critically question our very notion of ‘events’ (where a virtual avatar in a videogame, primarily aimed at youngsters, becomes a major marketing vehicle for high-end designers such as Valentino and Marc Jacobs) and increase the scope for greater inclusivity in terms of audience – where anyone with an appropriate device and internet access can watch and engage in live fashion shows during London Fashion Week. Critically engaging with these issues provides opportunities for advances in theoretical conceptions and professional practice alike.